HUSA Jul 27 2026 - Van Driesten Fire

The post is labeled "thoughts from the harvest table, putting rumors to rest."   This is something no harvester ever wants to experience. Yesterday, Van Driesten Harvesting had a fire in the field that resulted in a total loss of a combine and header. They also lost a few acres of the crop to the fire.   "It just goes to show that you can do everything possible to prevent something like this, and sometimes the cards simply aren't in your favor. Within two minutes, it became obvious that the combine wasn't going to be saved. Thankfully, everyone was okay."   "At that point, we shifted to saving the crop, or at least as much of it as we could. The breeze that day wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, there was very little wind."   "Once the fire started, the breeze shifted over and over, making it incredibly difficult to keep the fire contained. One combine stayed ahead of the flames, cutting a fire break in an effort to slow the fire down. Just when we thought we had it under control, the wind shifted again, or water trucks needed to refill."   "In less than an hour, the field fire was extinguished, and the local fire departments worked through the remaining hot spots. We are incredibly grateful to the volunteer firefighters from Loma, Big Sandy, Elam, and Geraldine Fire Departments, as well as the local farmers and another harvest crew who dropped what they were doing to come help. Without these volunteers, this could have ended very differently."   "Harvest is full of long days, difficult conditions, and risks that most people never see. This was a reminder that equipment can be replaced, but people cannot. We're incredibly thankful our crew made it home safely, and we're deeply appreciative of everyone who helped us through this."   That was from Van Driesden Harvesting. Our prayers and thoughts are with them for the rest of the harvest season.