Spike’s Harvest

The annual harvest in rural Missouri can be a race against the clock and this year is no different. Spike Rowe, who cash farms corn and beans on 2,000 acres in Macon County, is in a mad dash this season (his 15th) to harvest as much as he can before the onslaught of Autumn’s rain and snow.

With only the help of his younger brother, Spike will harvest and transfer up to 6,000 bushels of grain a day from his fields to either Macon’s MFA grain elevator or a private bin he rents from a neighboring farm to store until Spring.

The work day during the harvest starts early in the day and often extends deep into the evening; it’s not uncommon for Spike to not see his daughters for days and only see his wife as he crawls into bed.

Photographed as part of the 62nd Missouri Photo Workshop.

Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike Rowe dumps a load of corn at the Macon MFA grain elevator.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Early in the morning Spike fills an auxiliary tank with diesel to refuel his combine and tractors in the field. Diesel fuel intended for agricultural use is untaxed.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike and his brother Travis Rowe discuss their plan for the day. Their 2,000 acres are spread over 60 fields and each day equipment needs to be shuffled from one field to the next.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike and Travis move grain from their combine and a holding wagon to a truck that will deliver the corn to the MFA grain elevator in Macon.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike arrives to refill the truck while Travis removes wet corn stalks and grass from the combine heads. If the crop is wet or covered in snow the combine can clog or freeze.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike looks on as they top off the truck for another delivery. A typical truck can hold up to a thousand bushels of grain, or 56,000 pounds of corn.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike waits to drop a truck load of corn at the MFA grain elevator in Macon. At the peak of the harvest wait times at the grain elevator can exceed four hours.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Spike's wife Ashley Rowe helps her four-year-old daughter Riley from the truck. With the harvest in full swing the only chance the family has to be together is while loading and moving grain.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Two-year-old Jersey Rowe enjoys an after school snack while the entire family unloads a truck of corn into a leased bin on a neighbor's farm.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Travis runs the combine through a field of corn. The heads on the combine weave between the rows of corn, cutting the stalk at the base, and funneling the ears into the thrashing cylinder where the kernels are removed and the rest of the plant is ejected from the rear and tilled back into the soil.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Kernels of corn bounce into the combine. This combine can hold 200 bushels of corn; a typical acre yields 150-200 bushels depending on the size of the ears.
Spike's Harvest (photo by Benjamin Hoste)
Travis dumps a load from the combine to top off the the truck for one final delivery before nightfall. With perfect weather they will complete the harvest in time for Thanksgiving.