The Great American Wheat Harvest

Filmmaker Conrad Weaver's documentary shows the day-to-day activities and challenges of five custom harvester outfits who follow the wheat harvest every year, starting in Texas and ending in southern Canada, bringing huge, expensive combines to the fields. Most are family operations, although one bigger firm goes all the way to the British Isles in search of workers. Wheat farmers, even those with lots of acreage, often can't afford to own the half-million-dollar machines that are only used for a few days to harvest their crop, creating a market for these itinerant summer harvesters. The job is complex, not only involving the operation of the towering vehicles but also preparing, cleaning, and repairing them as necessary. Families leave their regular lives behind as they spend June through September going from one place to another, while the farmers they service struggle with the vagaries of weather and drought. Sometimes the crop is so poor that the combine operators have to quickly move on to the next job without doing anything (and if they're late to a harvest, they could lose to a competitor). Beautifully filmed in 11 states and one Canadian province and told largely by members of the working families themselves, this documentary offers an interesting glimpse of an obscure but vital part of North American agriculture. DVD extras include related featurettes (such as a tour of a John Deere factory), bonus interviews, and deleted scenes and outtakes. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)