Bringing Home the Crop: The Work, Risk and Reward of Wheat Harvest

Every farmer marks the passage of the year by the work that must be done. U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has described the care needed as the crop grows to protect its potential yield and quality in a sustainable way. Stunning fields of gold mark the culmination of a farmer’s time raising wheat.

Wheat harvest is a season that brings joy but also demands a determination to do whatever it takes to bring home the crop at its peak. In the photo above, Colorado wheat farmer Brian Starkebaum pushes through the evening to harvest his 2022 winter wheat crop.

“Wheat harvest represents the fruition of everything that we have worked for the last several months,” said Ohio farmer Jeremy Goyings. “You get to capitalize and collect those things that you hope you are doing right to make lots of high-quality, high yield product to sell.”

“The work is just an emotional roller coaster day by day, honestly,” said Montana wheat farmer Angie Hucke. “Farming is risky. Being able to manage that and control what you can to make the best of what you cannot control is something that farmers keep in their mind all the time. But this is what we decided to do, and we are going to dig our heels in and make the very best of it.”

As a part of its film, “Wholesome: The Journey of U.S. Wheat,” USW has shared individual chapters of the video since celebrating our 40th anniversary. “Harvest: Bringing Home the Crop” provides more information about the work, risk and rewards of each wheat harvest.

During the wheat harvest season, USW publishes a weekly harvest update. Subscribe here to receive this report directly to your inbox. On social media: follow hashtag #wheatharvest22 for updates throughout the season.