SEPTEMBER 20 - OCTOBER 11: Working on the Farm

It's hard to believe that we've been at the Wallendal Farm for a month. The time has passed quickly.  Selene has not worked very much, but Hank has more than made up for that.  Ten to 13 hour days, starting before dawn and ending after dark, were not unusual. Thank goodness for at least 2 off days per week so he could have time to rest up and relax until his next shift.  The people we work for, and work with, have been helpful and caring.

At this farm, over 300 acres were devoted to growing  different varieties of pumpkins in many sizes and colors. 



Migrant workers from Mexico make up the crews who pick and pack the pumpkins, according to size and type. Each pumpkin  is run through a cleaning/disinfecting rinse, dried and readied for  shipping in very large cardboard bins, then stacked 2 or 3 high until needed.

 Sixty of these bins will fill a semi trailer.  Before loading, each bin is labeled with code stickers that track the source of the item and the destination.  This can be a 7 day per week operation depending on incoming orders.  Many of the pumpkins grown here end up at big box stores such as Walmart, Trader Joe's, and Aldi.  There are many FDA regulations that must be followed during the whole process.

Hank's job was to drive tractors or pickup trucks pulling large wagons, or driving gutted school buses, for loading by the pickers as he moved along the pumpkin rows.




 He also hauled the filled pumpkin wagons from the fields to the packing house for processing. He did some of the "stickering" of filled bins as well.  There has been a lot of rain during our stay, especially the last two weeks, which occasionally causes vehicles to get stuck in the muddy fields, adding to the job's challenges.  Most of the migrant workers speak little English, and we speak no Spanish,  so sometimes there were language issues.

There have a been a few hot days during our stay but the last couple of weeks have been very wet with daytime temps in the 50's.  Yesterday was a high wind day with snowflakes yesterday morning! This morning we're down to 35 with a hard freeze predicted for tomorrow morning.  Once there is a hard freeze, the growing season on the farm  will  come to an end.  Shipping will continue into early next week.  The migrant workers have to go back to Mexico by the 18th and another year's production will be history.  We'll be leaving whenever the farm owners no longer need us.

During our stay, we've had a 50 amp hookup by grain elevators 1/4 mile from the farm headquarters. There is a portable water tank next to us with non-potable water so we use bottled water for drinking and cooking. The last 3 weeks, we've had a local septic service empty our tanks instead of driving 26 miles to a county park's dump station ( much more convenient and well worth the cost).  Limiting our water usage so we don't fill our grey tank quickly has become second nature.  TV reception has been good thanks to stations in Madison, WI south of us. Our Verizon phone and data signals have been strong. 

We've had time to do a little exploring in the area. When needed, we've gone to Adams, WI.....15 minutes away.... for various errands and mail pickup. Our 52nd wedding anniversary was October 8 and we celebrated by sharing a pizza at Bucky's Brick Oven Eatery in Adams.  

It will soon be time to say good-bye to Wisonsin and start our journey south for the winter.