Fall in Iowa means harvest time, and many Iowa State students find themselves taking time out to help their families bring in the crops.

Garren Benson, Iowa State Extension agronomist, said, “Some students will leave early for the weekend or take a few days off from classes to go home and help with the harvest. Their parents like to have them at home to help.”

Russell Mullen, professor of agronomy, agreed.

“You see and hear about a lot of students going home to help with the harvest, especially if there is a harvest crisis or if a family member has health problems.”

Mullen said he believes most students that return home at this time each fall do so because they want to help complete the agriculture cycle.

“Many of these students have worked all summer on the farm and want to be part of the harvest,” he said.

Brent Friest, a senior in agriculture studies from Radcliffe, travels home every day to help his family with the harvest. Farming is an important part of his life, and he plans to return to farming full-time after graduation in December.

Friest is employed by Friest Farms, his family’s corporation. It includes 1,200 acres of crop land and a hog operation which feeds out about 3,500 hogs a year.

“This is not a very stressful time for me because I enjoy working on the farm,” Friest said. He said he works about 40 hours a week on the farm while taking a full load of classes. “I scheduled my classes to be done by noon every day so I could go home and work on the farm.”

Many students also help area farmers with the harvest. Some are too far from home to return every day and some do it just for the enjoyment.

Sean Dolan, a senior in animal science, works 40 to 50 hours a week for a farmer north of Gilbert. He said his studies are hurt because of harvest time.

“During harvest I have to manage my time better and cut back on leisure time,” Dolan said.

The farmer Dolan works for plants about 1,200 acres of crops each year and relies greatly on student help to harvest his corn and soybeans. He hires about four ISU students to assist him every year.

“I don’t think he would be able to get the crops out if it weren’t for the help which we give him,” Dolan said.

Benson estimated that about 50 percent of the corn and 85 percent of the soybeans in the state have been harvested. Students like Friest and Dolan, may soon be able to return to a “normal” college life, at least until spring planting rolls around.