By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Father and son Randy and Shane Svitak were busy as bees Friday in a corn field two miles north of Pilsen.

Not only were they harvesting the grain. They also were swathing, raking, and baling stalks.

“Half will be used for bedding and half for feed,” Randy said.

Shane was running a Case IH 8230 combine with a 16-row corn head. A computer monitor in the cab showed that yields varied within the field. Some spots showed yields in the 30s and 40s, while other spots showed yields above 100. The average yield was 66 bushels per acre.

“You know us farmers,” Shane said. “We would always like more.”

Farming is a family affair for the Svitaks. Shane’s two children are involved.

During harvest, when 14-year-old Jonah isn’t in school or at football practice or games, he runs grain cart.

Daughter Payton, 16, can operate any piece of equipment as needed. As an FFA member, Payton’s supervised agricultural experience is working on the farm.

“She’ll be coming out to run the combine as soon as she gets home from school,” Shane said.

The Svitaks still had 500 acres of corn left to be harvested Friday. The two inches of rain they received Saturday night brought a temporary halt to the operation, but they weren’t complaining.

“The rain was wonderful,” Shane said.