Farming 1965

Combine cutting rice and Ray Bucklin muddy from water leveling, taken by Louise on her Kodak Brownie in 1965.

Ray says the photo of the International Harvester combine is of he or his dad, Herbert Bucklin, driving the combine into the edge of a field to cut a sample of rice to test the moisture content to see if it was ready to harvest. “Daddy always knew whether or not the rice was ready to cut without using the moisture meter and I never remember having to wait and cut a second sample, but he always checked anyway. That is why the combine cut a short curved path just a little way into the field and then stopped. I think I see someone standing up by the hopper to get a sample of rice to test.”