My household ushered in the beginning of fall this past weekend by “watching” football, or maybe I was half watching and the other half folding laundry, checking my phone and snacking.  I did not grow up with a football watching family and only started watching when I got in college because I had some friends who were pretty big football fans.  Then when I met my husband, it became a regular fall event. Over the years I’ve begun to pick up on what was happening on the field and gain a better understanding of the different terminology for the game: “pick six”, “pass interception” or “placekick”, just to name a few. Thankfully, I have had several people in my football education journey who were happy to explain each term or what happened in a play. This week, I have been thinking about the terminology we use during harvest. With harvest just around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to explain and highlight some of the main terms during this season for agriculture.

 Harvest Terminology:

• Harvest - The season when ripened crops are gathered, a crop or yield of one growing season.
• Combine - A machine designed to efficiently harvest a variety of grain crops. The name derives from its combining three separate harvesting operations, threshing, and winnowing—into a single process.
• Bushel - A measurement of capacity or size pertaining to agriculture crops. One bushel of wheat is equal to 60 lbs., one bushel of soybeans is equal to 60 lbs., and one bushel of corn is equal to 56 lbs.
• Acre - A unit of land area measuring 43,560 square feet. This unit of measurement is believed to originate from the amount of land one person could work on in a single day with a yoke of oxen and a wooden plow.
• Yield - The amount of a crop produced each time or from a given place.
• Drying - The phase of the post-harvest system where the harvested grain is rapidly dried until it reaches the optimal moisture level for storage.

As harvest kicks off around northwest Illinois, please slow down and watch out for our farmers moving equipment from field to field.

Best of Cape Cod Trip: Farm Bureau and Tri State Travel are hosting a Best of Cape Cod trip June 18-26, 2027. This trip includes highlights such as Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Mystic Seaport, Marble House, The Breakers Mansion, a Harbor Cruise, Forefather’s Monument, a visit to the Mayflower ii, Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor’s Center, Whale watching, Martha’s Vineyard and more. To view trip details please visit your County Farm Bureau website or Contact your County Farm Bureau: Stephenson 815-232-3186 and Carroll 815-244-3001.

We want to Hear From You: We are working on planning our 2027 trips and program schedule. Is there a trip or program you’d like to participate in? A topic you’d like to learn more about? An aspect of agriculture you want to dive into? If so please contact Manager Victoria Hansen by email at [email protected] or [email protected] or by phone at 815-232-3186 or 815-244-3001. Membership Value Program Business Spotlight: Workout Anytime located at 1526 South West Avenue Freeport. Offers Farm Bureau members a $0 enrollment and receive your choice of one piece of Workout Anytime swag! To learn more visit Workoutanytime.com/Free