Public Invited To Wheat Harvest In Mercer County

The most scenic of Howell Living History Farm's harvesting operations will take place on Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when farmers cut and shock this year’s crop of winter wheat.

Drawn by three big workhorses clad in medieval-looking fly nets, Cyrus McCormick's reaper-binder will chatter through waves of ripened grain, cutting and bundling it into sheaves.

The public is invited to watch, photograph or work with the harvest crew. Visitors can taste homemade wheat bread throughout the day. Freshly ground wheat flour will also be available for sale.

Wheat harvested during the event will be threshed on the first day of the annual 4-H Fair on Saturday, July 29. In keeping with the farm’s period crop operations, the threshing crew will use a 1908 Case steam traction engine and an Ellis Keystone threshing machine to process the grain.

Howell Living History Farm is owned by the County of Mercer and maintained by the Mercer County Park Commission. It is located on Valley Road, just off Route 29, in Hopewell Township. The GPS address is 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township, NJ 08530. Parking and admission are free.

For more information, call the farm office at 609-737-3299 or visit www.howellfarm.org or www.mercercountyparks.org.

The attached image was provided: A reaper-binder will be used to cut and bundle wheat into sheaves during Howell Living History Farm’s wheat harvest on Saturday, June 24.