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World Record Combine Harvest
Question: How long does it take 249 combines to harvest 240 acres of oats?
  Answer: Just over 12 minutes.
  The new Guinness World record for the number of combines in a single harvest was set on October 6, 2012, in Dalmeny, Sask. After more than a year of planning, farmers from as far away as about 100 miles lined up on opposite ends of a field to combine rows that volunteers had swathed.
  The event was about more than setting a record. It was a fundraiser for Harvest For Kids Saskatchewan, which raises money for Children’s Camps International (CCI).
  “Our goal is to get around the $250,000 mark with marketing the oats and general donations,” says Derek Unrau, director for Harvest for Kids.
  He explains that the organization previously held the record with 200 combines in 2010, but a group in Ireland surpassed that with 208 combines.
  The land, seed, chemicals, and fertilizer were all donated. Plus, sponsors donated money for the event to support CCI, the nonprofit that has camps in seven developing countries for children to build their self worth and allow them to experience hope and possibilities for their lives. In India, for example, where the caste system continues to exist, children of different castes live and play together at camps to hopefully break down barriers for future generations.
  The organization started in 2003, when a person from India visited a Canadian Bible camp and thought it would be a great idea for his country. CCI has also started a micro-financing project to help farmers become self-sustaining.
  Canadian (and some U.S.) farmers regularly donate the sales of some of their acres to support Harvest For Kids.
  “When they came together it was a sight to behold,” Unrau says of the event. He estimates about 10,000 people attended.
  The oats were unloaded into grain carts, then blown in grain bags for storage until they are marketed. It was a wet year so yields were down, just over 90 bushels/acre, instead of the 150 bushels/acre average.
  Check out the website for more information about the organization and to purchase a book with photos of the event ($20).
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harvest For Kids, 300-571 Main St., Winkler, Man. R6W 1G3, Canada (ph 204 331-4003, www.harvestforkids.com).


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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #1