Starks' Harvesters

Book excerpt: For Rob and Charlie this was the start of memorable years driving Massey Ferguson combines the length and breadth of the American wheat belt. This is Rob's story, a vivid account of endless hours of work, rattlesnakes, truck wrecks, summer lightning, tornados, favourite bars and the 'honeys' at the grain elevators. Rob went on to do five years' harvesting with Dale Starks who comes to life in these pages with all his wisdom and cussedness. This is the man who starred in Yellow Trail from Texas, the BBC documentary that first inspired Rob and Charlie to make the trip. In England, Rob was working as an agricultural contractor. For him, machines and harvesting were more than a way of life - they were a passion. This enthusiasm, which brought Rob long-lasting friendships from his American days, illuminates every page of his book.