“Amber fields of grain” — much more than just a phrase from the song “America (the Beautiful)”. It’s one of the most common scenes on the plains of North America. There are millions of acres of grain crops planted across the continent and I’ve watched the cycle of growth and ripening of grains for more years than I care to remember.
Recently while driving through the farm country of eastern Washington state, I passed a field of fully ripened wheat. The farmer had begun cutting the grain at the far end of the field, so I thought I’d stop and take a few photos before it was all cut down.
I had a vision of a farmer cropping his field with a scythe in one hand – and a handkerchief in the other mopping his hot, weary brow.
Yes – I know he had a machine. I prefer my picture.
Back to nature !
No more scythes to be found anywhere, Garry, except perhaps in a museum. Most of the farmers in eastern Washington state are still small independent farmers with smaller, older machinery. Modern combines and tractors are about four times larger, can do a lot more work in an hour, but might set the farmer back almost a million dollars. It’s expensive, risky work. I admire the spirit of farmers everywhere.
There’s an endless line of ships from Baltimore into Liverpool with crops to be milled into flour. Soya bean for animal feed. We have Amber waves of grain here . Some farms go on for miles and miles too. But I believe they’re still nowhere near the size of the great American Prairie.