Rural Rice County, west of Faribault.
ACRE UPON ACRE OF CORN unfolds in the mixed sunshine and grey skies of an October afternoon in southeastern Minnesota.
Harvest underway east of Morristown, along Rice County Road 15.
It is the season of harvest.
Just west of North Morristown.
Cornfields roll into soybean fields, some harvested, some not.
Semis await the harvest in southeastern LeSueur County.
Harvesting just south of Faribault off Rice County Road 45.
A semi ready to be filled with soybeans.
Trucks and tractors and combines labor or await the farmers who will toil day into dark to reap that which they’ve planted and tended and watched until now.
Bins likely have been emptied for the new crop.
Corn fills a wagon at a farm site east of Morristown along Rice County Road 15.
More bins to bank the harvest.
Corn brims wagons like a stash of gold, banks of bins or the local grain elevator ready for harvest delivery.
In rural Rice County, a wagon at the harvest ready.
This is the season the farmer awaits.
Waiting…
This October, this harvest time.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Cyndie & I just spent this last weekend on my cousin’s farm just across the river from us in Wisconsin. Gorgeous weather, family fun and a ton of food. We made grandma’s potato dumplings; we processed 100#’s of potatoes. Very filling.
Sounds like a great time. Family, food, fine weather…
It was a gorgeous weekend
It is definitely harvest time in our area, too. I am not sure how much is getting done today since it is raining a bit but it will get done eventually.
Ah, yes, the dreaded harvest time rain.
It’s everywhere. I had thought it was going to be clear today but from the looks of it is going to really storm later on. Ugh.
And here I am, doing laundry, hoping to hang it on the line. Rain predicted here, or maybe falling already, if I would lift my office shade and peer outside.
Don’t look. Trust me. It’s gloomy here.
Too late. I looked. Gloomy here, but no rain yet.
Oh how I miss harvest time, the sights, smells, crispness in the air and the list goes on and on……. Growing up in Minnesota, Autumn and harvest time were my favorite parts of the year and I never realized how much I would miss it when I moved away. Sad how much we tend to take for granted the little things in life that give us so much enjoyment. Thanks for the pictures and the memories!!!
You are welcome, Don. Happy to bring you back to Minnesota via these images.
Gorgeous images, Audrey. Doesn’t look like the residents have to put up with too many traffic issues. Love the image of the red wagon filled with corn xx
Thank you, Charlie. The only traffic issues on these backroads are if you get behind a slow-moving tractor or combine.
Love harvest time, I need to get out on a drive soon and catch the farmers in the field! Hope this rain doesn’t delay too much. Beautiful photo’s Audrey!
Hit a few back gravel roads, right, Jackie?
Beautiful pics Audrey…love the rolling terrain..so gorgeous. We’ve had some harvest of corn and maze here and still some corn in fields. The panhandle has some cotton but it’s flat as a pancake up there! Had some rain over past few days and so it’ll be awhile now before they get to bring it in. Was a gloomy day here Sunday and some yesterday, but I see Mr. Sun coming out in his full glory today!
Portions of Rice County, where I live and photographed most of these images, are also quite flat. The race is on to get the crops harvested. It would be interesting to see how cotton grows and how it is picked.