September 1997
From Texas to Montana: Tracking Shorty's crew on the custom harvest trail
By Stephanie Sorensen
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
Thus, here's a look at life on the custom harvest trail, with our subject, Shorty Kulhanek, a custom harvester from Mergargel, in north central Texas. Shorty and his crew started the 1997 harvest cutting winter wheat in Texas, winding their way up the wheat belt of the Plains and into spring wheat fields in Montana. Shorty and his crew usually harvest about 4,000 acres in Texas, up to 6,000 acres in Kansas, 2,500 acres in Nebraska, and 4,000 acres in Montana.
Custom harvesting is a Kulhanek family tradition; Shorty grew up in the custom harvesting business, driving combine for his father's business since the age of 11. In 1980, he took over Kulhanek Harvesting from his father, who now harvests the 3,000 acres of winter wheat that they own together near Megargel. For the last 31 years, Shorty has been on the road for harvest. Now, Shorty's youngest son drives for his business.
Shorty takes two combines on the road (R62 Gleaners), while two more stay at the Kulhanek farm for harvest. This year, four Australian workers signed on to harvest with Shorty. Some of them grew up on farms, while others have never driven a combine. "The boys came to learn the U.S. farming system, and came ready to work," says Shorty.
Preparation for each harvest season begins early, usually starting in January. Preparation includes maintenance and repairs on equipment, which Shorty does himself for the most part. As "road time" draws near, the excitement builds and the family rushes to get everything together for their half-year on the road. Last year Shorty, his family and his crew were on the road from mid-May until Thanksgiving.
Harvester's home on the road
The custom harvester's family and crew live in travel trailers over their harvest trek, which Shorty says usually contain most of the conveniences of home: computers, washers and dryers, and kitchens. They usually park the trailers in RV parks in the town nearest to the harvest action so the workers and their families have access to evening and weekend entertainment.
There is a feeling of festivity at the start of every harvest season, says Ellouise House, executive secretary with the U.S. Custom Harvesters Association, based in Tulia, Texas. "I was up in Oklahoma over the weekend (May 31st, one of the first weekends of the winter wheat harvest), and saw all the guys sitting in their shiny red combines that had never been in wheat before. It's exciting: the guys are so antsy, just waiting for that first kernel to crack."
The 1997 custom harvesting season for Shorty's crew started in his hometown of Mergargel. There was a lot of freeze damage in some crops, especially the early-maturing, no-graze varieties. Harvesters saw only 8-12 bu/ac. in some fields. The cool wet spring helped out with the later varieties, though, and those fields yielded around 35-40 bu/ac. Texas weather also poses something of a problem, says Shorty. "It's real humid. We can't cut late at night-it's too damp."
On June 20, Shorty and his crew drove their equipment north to their next harvest stop, Sublette, KS. On the drive through Oklahoma, Shorty saw a lot of uncut fields where harvesters were kept out by rain. Delays like that pose a serious problem for custom harvesters, who often have jobs lined up for months to come, often with the same customers year after year. When weather conditions throw them behind schedule, they may find themselves expected to be at two jobs simultaneously. Once a harvester has committed to take care of a farmer's field, however, his reputation is on the line. "I've been lucky. I've always been able to get someone to take care of the fields when I have two at once," Shorty says.
As custom harvesters have contracts with farmers scheduled throughout an entire season, slowdowns during bad weather means working from 8 am to 1 am when the weather is right. Yields in Sublette, KS were better than expected, around 62 bu/ac. on irrigated land and a 48-bu average on dryland acres. In his first week of breakneck, 18-hour days in Kansas, Shorty harvested about 3,000 acres.
Farmers in northwest Kansas who had early wheat and were in quick need of custom harvest help signed up at a local Harvest Office, listing their name, phone number, and the number of acres they need to have harvested. Custom harvesters then pick up these acres as they can, after they've completed their previously-arranged contracts with other farmers.
Varied yields for farmers means equally-varied payments for custom harvesters, says Shorty. In Kansas, Shorty charges a fixed rate per acre, $13, plus 13 cents per bushel for every bushel over 20 per acre. He charges thirteen cents per bushel for hauling the grain to the elevator.
In a desperate situation where farmers need harvesters' services badly, some custom harvesters charge premium rates for their services, says Shorty. "But I don't see reason for that," he adds. "I have a set rate, and that's what I charge."
When harvesting reaches a frantic pace, Shorty and his crew aren't the only ones working by the light of the moon. Shorty says that elevators, which are usually open until 10 or 10:30 at night, often stay open later to help out a harvester.
Rain, rain go away
So what do Shorty and his crew do when rain keeps them off the combines? First they move the combines to shelter and check the equipment for maintenance needs. Then Shorty and his crew retire to their respective trailers, which Shorty says on long, rainy days may not be quite big enough for husbands and wives. Sometimes, the crew just hangs out together (theme music for the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" drifted over the phone line during one of our rainy spell phone interviews), and other times they head to the nearest town to see a show with their families. "The boys (crew) get itchy just sitting around," says Shorty.
Rainy days are also a good time to get to know the farmers they work with better, says Shorty. During one rainy spell, for example, Shorty, crew and family were invited to the farmer's home for a steak dinner and camaraderie.
Shorty says that 1997 has been a good year for those harvesters who are well-organized and have strong relationships with the farmers they work with year-to-year. Sporadic rains early in the season in southern Kansas made timing essential. The harvesting had to be "fast and furious" when the weather cooperated.
Is hiring a custom harvester a sound economic option? Dwight Aakre, NDSU Extension ag economist, says that there will probably always be a need for custom harvesters, particularly in the wheat industry, because of the geography of the wheat-producing area.
Deciding whether to hire a custom harvester depends on the price of machinery and the size of a grower's operation, says Aakre. "Basically, buying a new combine can be justified if you spend 300 hours per year using it." Ever since the price of farm machinery sky-rocketed in the 1980's, some farmers who buy new combines try to offset the cost by doing a little custom harvesting on their own.
Pitfalls of the business
Staggered harvests from Texas to Canada make it possible for custom harvesters to make use of their machinery up to six months out of the year. With other crops, such as corn and soybeans, the custom harvesting business is a little more unstable. Some harvesters, such as Shorty, are able to work more than one crop during the harvest season. After reaching Montana, Shorty turns south and harvests corn on his way back to his home in Texas.
The Kulhanek Harvesters crew cleans out their combines before crossing state borders to prevent the spread of noxious weeds. In the past, federal dollars paid for border guards to check harvest equipment, but that program has been cut. It is now up to the state to implement border checks. Shorty says that harvesters often avoid driving through South Dakota because of its reputation as being unreasonably strict in equipment checks.
Then there's regulations to follow; in Nebraska, costs are about $40 per truck for fuel and grain permits. Custom harvesters have the same prices to pay that truckers do, to use state highways for heavy or large loads.
An important issue for custom harvesters is the Commercial Drivers' License (CDL). Since 1992, the government categorized custom harvesters with truckers, and required them to carry a commercial drivers license. Farmers, on the other hand, are exempt from this. States currently have the option to say that CDLs aren't necessary in every truck (thus, not every member of the crew needs to hold a CDL). When many members on a harvester's crew are college students out for the summer, obtaining a CDL for a summer job often seems to them to be more hassle than it's worth.
Some highway regulations also need to be changed, to keep pace with harvest equipment that has gotten bigger. This is where the U.S. Custom Harvesters Assn. (USCHA) steps in, says Shorty, which has been successful in influencing legislation in some states. The USCHA, which has about 700 members, also makes for good relationships among the harvesters who are members, says Shorty: they often give each other work if they have too much, and get together at off-season meetings.
Custom harvesters are business owners who have to deal with the vagaries of weather and business too. Including expenses, says Shorty, such as equipment prices, insurance, fuel, repairs and labor. Shorty pays his workers by the month, plus room and board. If they have a good run, they receive bonuses.
Shorty cuts about 2,000 acres in Nebraska each year; the wheat fields he harvested this year near Potter, Neb., averaged from 13 to 45 bu/ac. In Montana, Shorty, wife Dona, and their harvesting crew settled in the picturesque tourist town of Fort Benton for four weeks.
Spring wheat farmers in Montana expect another good year this year. "The '90's have been good years for Montana farmers," says Shorty. The crew expects to harvest about 4,000 acres in Montana. Little of that is stored at the elevator, due to a shortage of space. Because of this, most Montana farmers put their grain in the bin immediately after harvest and sell in the spring.
Ellouise House with the USCHA says that despite the rising costs of custom harvesting services, it may be the least expensive route. The sky-rocketing prices of new farm equipment far outweigh the rising costs of hiring a custom harvester. Still, some farmers have opted to lease used machinery rather than use custom harvest help.
Hiring a custom harvester is also a good bet, says Ellouise, because of the amount of time harvesting takes up. If a farmer needs to focus on another crop, but his wheat is ready to go, he can trust a custom harvester to get the job done. "More and more farmers would hire them (custom harvesters) if there was just some way to guarantee that they could be there at a given time." n