INDIANAPOLIS -- Harvesting time in Indiana means the end of a journey. It's the culmination of hard work through the summer heat, the sacrifice of time and energy away from family and friends and the celebration of success when a million things could have gone wrong.
If you've been driving around, you've noticed the rugged machinery pulling corn stalks from their roots, the long hours to make sure the field is clear and soon those fresh crops will be available at a market near you to enjoy, all because of the hard work of Hoosier farmers.
Harvesting times vary, but Indiana's biggest crops - corn and soybeans- are typically harvested from mid-September through November.
Most crops will deteriorate if they have ripened and are left exposed to the elements.
Maturity of the crop and weather are major factors in determining when a crop is to be harvested, but economic factors are often even more important, according to encyclopedia.com.
A farmer must make sure there is demand for the crop and the price is sufficient to make harvesting profitable.
If the price won't cover the cost of production, harvesting and marketing, farmers have to decide whether to harvest and store the crop, wait for a better market, or leave the crop in the field.
The harvest historically has been a time for celebration, with Thanksgiving Day being the most notable.
County and regional fairs are often scheduled after the harvest so farmers can sell their crops.
