Summer

Summertime. The pace of life on the farms slows, and all Nature seems to hold its breath for a while. Very little stirs in the fields, the crops grow and mature. The big crop spraying machinery is sometimes pressed into service, but otherwise all is quiet.



Each field takes on its own character, and the colours mellow as the heat builds. The sky is full of the sound of the Lark. Heat haze shimmers over the golden view.



Then when the weather is just right, the great harvesting army stirs itself into action. Most farms call on the services of agricultural contractors these days. Giant  combine harvesters appear in various forms and attack selected fields in carefully organised sequences. 

Even modern fields can be cleared by today's giant nine meter cut, five hundred horsepower harvesters in a single day.



Some fields remain untouched. Their time will come next month. Others are harvested early.



Like a well organised military campaign, the next phase of the harvest follows immediately. 

Industrial strength balers can clear the harvested field of straw in a day. All of these giants are programmed and run from computers in the cab to ensure maximum yield in minimum time.



Very soon the crops are in and the next year is in prospect. The cultivators and ploughs appear and the the ground is prepared for the next seed drilling. So ends another rural year...






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