Harvest

George Jackson is a retired professional agrologist.

Harvest time on the farm is a special season. This two-part work
includes a history of past harvests and a pictorial story of the harvest
on the Peters family farm located near Hanley, Saskatchewan.

This book was co-authored by two residents of Saskatchewan. The essay
portion is by award-winning writer Sharon Butala, who lives on a ranch
near Eastend, in the Cypress Hills. Photographer Todd Korol, also an
award winner, lives in Saskatoon and has worked for many national
publications.

The family farm provides the basic product for the bread on our table.
We are reminded of the challenges and risks taken by the Peterses in
bringing this crop to market. The harvesting of the wheat, barley, and
canola crops marks the culmination of the farm year. Management skills
and satisfaction level are measured by the yield of grain in the bins,
which were left bulging in the harvest depicted here. The Peterses’
reward for growing and harvesting the wheat is about eight cents per
loaf of bread.

The color photographs depict the stages of the harvest, from the
cleaning of the bins, the repair to the combine, the harvesting, and the
trips to the elevator to the family support and the sunset of the last
day of harvest. The essay portion reminds us of past harvests, the
development of the harvesting methods, the economics of wheat farming,
and the changing community structure of the plains; it is a well written
and concise history of this part of Canada.

This is an informative and useful resource for those interested in
learning about farming. For those who were raised on a farm, the book
will bring back memories.