The View from the Combine
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- Belwin becomes Belwin Conservancy
- Director's Message
- Bison & Sustainability
- Lucy News
- Belwin Conservancy Acquiring Property to Jump-Start Art & Nature Program
- Bison Update
- The View from the Combine
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This fall I have had the opportunity to become familiar with Belwin’s 1957 Allis Chalmers Super 100 combine. I had only ever known it as a gigantic orange machine that I hit my head on while working in the shop; I never envisioned that I would learn to run such a thing. Suddenly I found myself sitting atop this seed-eating machine, in the middle of an expanse of prairie in full fall color with a wide-open sky overhead.
It was glorious to be out enjoying this landscape in the lovely fall weather, but in reality, it is quite a loud, dirty job. The design of the combine is both crude and elegant, and each component generates its own version of noise and dust.
First, the stalk is cut by a set of sickles mounted at the front of the machine and the plants are fed up an elevator into a chamber where it is chopped into smaller pieces. This material is then deposited onto a series of shifting screens that knock the seeds from the plants. The seeds and the other material that find its way through the screens is lifted by another elevator into the scour cleaner. Here, the material is moved through a tubular screen that sorts it by size.
The scour cleaner is the reason that we use a half-a-century old combine to harvest prairie seed. The purpose for this device is to remove “weed” seeds from the harvest. Newer combines lack this step because modern agriculture has largely eliminated weeds from the field. Belwin relies on this device in exactly in the opposite way it was intended. We want the very seeds that the scour cleaner is meant to trap.
One might ask why someone would bother with such a task. Prairies are a multi-faceted resource: they provide habitat for a vast array of species, they sequester large amounts of carbon in the soil, and they inspire a sense of awe and serenity in those who visit them. The vitality of these amazing plants allows the prairie to renew itself while also serving as a great source of prairie seed that can be used for new restorations and also enhance the diversity of established prairies. Were we to purchase this seed on the open market, Belwin would have to pay upwards of $1,000 per acre. By harvesting the seed ourselves, we are able to save substantial amounts of money and preserve local plant varieties.
So I find myself on a perch eight feet above the prairie, deafened by the noise, covered in dust and itchy beyond measure. Still, I enjoy these moments because it gives you a new perspective on the prairie. This day, I was pleased to realize that the prairies are more diverse than they appear from the trail. The tall prairie plants such as Indian grass and big bluestem seem to dominate, given their height and distribution. Looking down on the prairie from above, it became clear to me that many other plants are present and thriving, contributing to better habitat for all sorts of species. I am heartened to think that the seed I am collecting will be used to spread this diversity and in combination with hard work — be used help nature heal itself.