Photo by Crystal Reed
Ed Yoder uses a binder that was built in the 1930’s to harvest grain in a field at the Illinois Amish Heritage Center last Tuesday. The Illinois Amish Heritage Center will be holding Steam Threshing Days on Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6.

•July 13, 2022•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

A piece of antique farm equipment was used to harvest a field at the Illinois Amish Heritage Center, 3.5 miles east of Arthur last week. According to Ed Yoder of Kemp, the binder, which is used to harvest oats, wheat and rye, had been in his family for a long time and was built in the 1930’s. The binder was powered by a team of four Belgian draft horses.
The equipment had been sitting idle for 10 years. Two years ago in Iowa, Yoder’s father put up items including the binder for auction. “I bought it and did very little work on it,” Yoder said.
When the binder goes through the field, it cuts the grain and gathers it into bundles. Later in the day the bundles are shocked, which means the bundles are set upright in the field so that they can dry. Yoder revealed there are plans to harvest oats every other year and harvest corn in the years between.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.