Harvest Gives Kids a Chance to Learn Valuable Experience

COLUMBIA/WALLA WALLA COUNTY – In the Touchet Valley, harvest is basically one of the seasons of the year. In a small agricultural community like ours, the signs of harvest beginning are like when the first autumn leaf falls and the crisp winds start to rattle the branches; trucks on the highways, combines high in the fields around town, and kids working long hours to help the largest economic trade in the region.

The men and women that work on these farms, harvesting everything from wheat to peas, often working from sunrise to sunset to ensure that the grains get harvested before the chill of fall arrives. Oftentimes, a good portion of the workforce responsible for this craft are high school and college kids working summer jobs, either due to a wanting to take part in the family business, or kids who want to earn valuable experience (and a little extra spending money for school).

Skylar Wood of Waitsburg and Tanner Bren of Dayton are two such kids that are hoping to gain the latter of the two.

Wood recently graduated with the Class of 2017 from Waitsburg High School, where he was an honor speaker at graduation. He works as a bank out wagon driver for David McKinley. Wood, who will turn 18 in August, has worked for McKinley since he was 16.

"We start the day at 6 a.m., but I wake up at 5 a.m.," Wood said, describing a normal work day. "We wait for everyone to show up, and then start by 6:30 a.m. The first thing we do is some chores, like gassing up the combines."

Wood says that depending on the amount of work they need to complete, days can last up to 12-14 hours in the fields, although they often do some light maintenance and upkeep tasks on the equipment as to ease the workload in the morning the next day, allowing them to start earlier.

Wood, like so many others in the area, got the agricultural job through a personal connection with the McKinley family. While it may be the biggest industry in the region, many jobs working harvest are filled this way, which is unsurprising in these small towns.

Currently, Wood and his coworkers are harvesting the pea crop for the McKinley's. Peas are a slower crop to harvest than the wheat that most people think of when they see the wheat fields lining the Touchet Valley, although most do not grow as much pea crop as they do wheat.

The bank out wagon is the truck that follows a combine and collects the grain that the combines picks up as it harvests the grain in the field. The wagon, once filled, then transports the grain to a transport truck, which take the grain to one of the many grain elevators that dot the landscape.

Wood says that the amount of times he must unload his wagon in to a transport truck varies day-by-day.

"It depends on the day," he said. "Some days I dump my wagon into a truck every 30 minutes, and some days I'll only unload twice."

He estimates that peas will be done by the beginning of August, when they will then turn to wheat. The end of their work in the fields for this year's harvest should come around the middle of September, Wood estimates. After that, he will then start his freshman year at Eastern Washington University, where he plans on studying secondary education.

Wood is not alone, as he knows of at least 10 other kids from his recently completed high school days that are driving trucks for harvest this year. While he does see the job as an opportunity to make money before he starts his college career, he also is gaining valuable experience.

"It has been a cool experience, learning all of the tasks we do. It is one that I never thought I would have," Wood said, also referencing the fact that he enjoyed the job despite not planning on having a long-term career in agriculture. He plans on working for McKinley for his next four summers as he completes college.

Another local youth that is spending the rest of his summer days in a bank out wagon is Tanner Bren of Dayton. He is 18 years old and is currently in his second harvest season, albeit not consecutively.

Bren works for Archer Farms, a longtime staple of the Dayton agricultural community. He originally worked as a bank out wagon driver for the farm during the summer of 2015, but decided to take last summer off due a somewhat rough first summer as well as wanting to take the summer before his senior year off from harvest.

"I stayed in touch with Cody Chapman," Bren said while explaining how he managed to go back after a summer off. "Cody drives combine, but he really does it all. It's amazing."

Along with Wood, Bren also starts his day around 6:30 a.m., an early start with which almost anyone working during harvest can relate. They start the day by servicing the tractors and other machinery, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, according to Bren.

He then follows combines in the fields as they cut and collect the grain. The wagon that he drives can handle three combines worth of loads before it needs to be dumped, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes during a fast day, or up to 45 minutes or more on a slower day.

The time it takes to fill his wagon depends on the day and the crop they are harvesting. He says that he most likely won't drive for peas this year, but that this is one of the best years for wheat according to his veteran coworkers.

"The wheat is good this year. People have been saying that it has been twice as good as last year, and maybe the best it has ever been," Bren explained.

This year's experience, while not being completely in the books, has been a far better one than his summer in 2015.

"It has gone a lot smoother. I'm older and more experienced, and it has been a better harvest overall," he stated.

He expects harvest to end at the end of August or maybe into the beginning of September, but is willing to work up into the middle of September before he starts school.

Bren, like most others, turned to harvest when he needed a summer job, especially before he starts college. He will attend Walla Walla Community College next year, where he plans on studying turf management.

So far, this summer has been a success for Bren, even if he was somewhat apprehensive going in.

"I was nervous because I messed up a few times my first year. I wasn't overly confident, but this summer has been fun. I am really enjoying it," he said.

He also plans on working for Archer's as many summers as he can while he works towards his college degree.

While harvest may be a matter of family business for some, and a great way to make money for others, there is one thing that almost all that sacrifice a significant portion of their summer share while doing what most would argue is one of the most important jobs for society-an often times great experience that they won't shortly forget.