Small Grain Research

Wheat Plots With Alleyways

 5 Row wheat plots are divided by alleyways.

Looking down the rows

 Note that the plots are 5 rows wide

Small Plot Combine

 This small plot combine is used to harvest the small grain plots.  The plots are so small that there is no grain tank.  The grain drops into a paper bag and someone has to walk alongside the combine to switch bags and put them in a storage container. 

Agronomy  South Farm Seedhouse

This is the seedhouse at the Agronomy South farm.  I worked the summer of 1975 as a field hand for small grain researcher Charles Brown.  A lot of the research was related to developing new wheat varieties.  We also worked on oats, rye, triticale and barley.  We harvested plots in Brownstown, Champaign, and Dekalb.  We had to push the stems of grain against a sickle bar with lath to cut it off.  It was then hand thrown into the threshing cylinder of the combine.  It took 4 people to operate the combine.  Two pushed grain in, one drove, and one took care of the bags.  Our "office" was on the second floor of the seedhouse.  I am curious if the air conditioner in the window of the seed storage room is the one that was bought when I was working there.