The pinto beans are harvested with a pinto bean combine and pinto bean header.
This is how it works, gently lifting up the rows and moving them through the combine, where it breaks out the pinto beans and put them in the hopper
The trash—everything that is NOT a pinto bean is thrashed and left behind. Now if you have cockaburs, sunflower seeds, or Canada Thistle seeds they will also be combined and flung into the hopper with the pinto beans.
Once there they all go into the truck and hauled to the Beanery, where we are docked for trash in the beans. Therefore, now you know why we always hand weed our fields–the cleaner the beans the more money we bring home. (You can see some of the ‘trash’ [in the back of our truck] which wasn’t cleaned out in with the pinto beans…this is also trash, which will dock us.)
The other problem, with those seeds, is when the pinto beans go over the shaker at the Beanery, they are the same size as a pinto bean and shake right with the beans. If you have too many and have to have the pinto beans triple cleaned….well you get the picture.
A storm is coming in…I hope it stays far way. If it rains we will have a mess with the pinto bean harvest in the field that is pulled. 😦
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Such an interesting post on the pinto bean harvest Linda – never heard of them over here.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know. I think they are a western only food. They really aren’t even in the eastern part of the USA
LikeLike
Lots of steps to get this right. Good luck with the weather. I hope it cooperates.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Me too! We need two full weeks of good weather!
LikeLiked by 1 person
fingers crossed for you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!!!
LikeLike
diffy/occult to say –> re: the weather, that is. on the 1 hand, it seems rain “is needed” — while as is cases like yours ~ (not so much!). a few daze back I rode the bike UP Escalante Rim (out of Escal. Canyon), and at the top looked south, east, etc. bucolic. the haze over the valley. a truck (bigger ‘n our F150) was rumbling down the road, with a dozen or more HOUNDs running along and behind. a hunting guide giving his huntin’ dawgs a workout? methinks so …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Probably…
LikeLiked by 1 person
had a brief but furious mini-downpour since the prev. msg. if you had similar, seems not ’nuff to make your fields very wet, though. hope so !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lots of showers coming through…so far it’s not smashing the crop into the mud, which is a very good thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your sky photo is beautiful, but I hope the storms stay away until you get the beans harvested. (Send the rain to us — we need it!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay…sounds like a deal!
LikeLike
Rain stay far away!
Hope all goes smoothly, and dry, for you guys!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you…so far so good!
LikeLike
I will never look at a pinto bean the same way again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
WORK! That’s what they are…and yummy!
LikeLike
I’m with Jan. I will never, ever look at a pinto bean as I used to. Love the inside story on how food gets to our tables. Those of us who don’t farm really have no idea, I’m afraid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s why its so fun to blog about farming…to share the love!
LikeLike
I think I might still have a container of pinto beans in my freezer from my brother in law’s family farm in western Kansas! Nothing like beans straight from the field! I hope that storm stayed away!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love fresh pinto beans…nothing like the old stale bean in the stores!
LikeLike
Sure hope you get the weather you need! Your beans are the best !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trying to rain now…hope it passes us by.
LikeLike
Oh dear, hope that rain goes away from you!! I have really enjoyed your tutorial on the pinto beans, Linda! It is so much fun and educational to see how other farmers are doing their crops. Thanks for sharing with us!
The cotton here is trying to bush out more with the rains rather than set the bolls. We are holding our breath, too. We have needed the rains so badly, but we also need the cotton to quit growing and put that energy into getting nice fat bolls.
Loved your sunset picture—gorgeous! Blessings!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Harvest is always a scary, worrying time. I hope your bolls set and are nice and fluffy!
LikeLike
Love the thought of a “beanery!!” 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tee Hee That’s where the sort and sack the beans.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You mean that’s where all the beans can get together and socialise, and have a real bean of a time!😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tee Hee
LikeLike
I hope that storm stays away Linda .. Always so busy at your place 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always so busy. I can’t imagine life any other way. But you are so busy also. It’s now spring for you after your lovely rich winter.
LikeLiked by 1 person