Scott
has always loved equipment and operating equipment.
Even when he was a little boy, he would rather be
working than playing. Working was playing to him.
After he graduated from high school, he went to school
to become a barber and barbered for 2 years. This
was not much to his liking. It was not outdoors, nor
did it have wheels or an engine. When he had an opportunity
to go with a custom harvester, he decided to change
occupations.
So,
in 1968, he rented a 10-year old MF combine and an
11-year old truck and a 1957 Chevy pickup which was
used as a service wagon as well as his personal vehicle.
Little did he know he was going to step into a lifestyle
that he was going to love.
In
those days, there were no radios for communication,
air conditioning, cabs on combines, sometimes not
even hot showers. You loaded combines on the truck
beds - - not too many DOT regulations. It was a hard
way to make a living, but Scott was determined to
better himself; to learn and produce a better way
to give his clients the best job they could hire.
In
1973, he married Linda and they became a team in all
areas of their lives. They have 4 children; Lynnette,
Eric, Stacey and Julie. They feel their children learned
a good work ethic, had opportunities to see the U.S.
in a very unique way and had great family times in
work and play. They learned to adapt to different
people in their lives and to not always have the easiest
daily routine. It produced character and sometimes
they thought character building was not too great.
But, they have great memories and would not have traded
the experience for anything.
Linda
became a lover of this lifestyle immediately. Although
she started out running a combine and driving a truck,
it became apparent that as the business grew, she
was needed in other areas – such as in the kitchen
cooking for the crew and doing books.
Scott
and Linda ran MF combines until 1979, when they purchased
the first JD combine. It was the beginning of a great
relationship with this company. During the next years,
they ran various numbers of combines – the most
was 10 in one year, plus having experimental machines
JD would put with their machines. There were many
changes in equipment, regulations, management skills,
bookkeeping practices (computers became a necessity),
people skills and technology. Scott always thought
that running the combine was the easy part, but managing
the person who ran the machine was the challenge.
He was very fortunate to have been blessed with people
who could be trained and nurtured to become excellent
key employees to increase the quality of the business.
Scott
was always looking for the edge to make him a better
business man, to increase his productivity and to
provide a better work environment for his employees.
His
love for the Lord was his first and primary source
of wisdom and spiritual well being. Both he and Linda
wanted God to be the center of their lives. Scott’s
faith would become the major factor in giving the
strength to survive a traumatic accident.
On
July 2, 2001, Scott and Linda were harvesting in their
home town when as Linda was driving on a country road,
she hit a very bad place in the road and lost control
of the pickup – rolling several times. Scott
was thrown about 40 feet from the pickup causing multiple
injuries to his body. He was flown to a Denver hospital
where he became paralyzed from the neck down, in a
coma and was not expected to recover from his injuries.
Because of the medical factors, his throat was injured
to cause his voice to be impaired and during the time
when the doctors were trying to resuscitate him, he
lost some of his vision. So, in a split second, Scott
and Linda’s lives were changed forever. He was
in the hospital for 6 ½ months, during which
time he was rehabilitated way beyond what the doctors
expected him to be. He is a fighter not a quitter.
He had a challenge and he met it with courage and
strength only which he could get from the Lord.
He
did not quit the business he loved. He and his loyal
personnel left for harvest the next year. He knew
life would not be easy, but he and Linda were determined
to make the best of what the Lord had given them.
There were many friends and relatives that gave them
sustenance and strength to get through these trying
times. They could not have done it without the help
of their custom harvester friends and the people who
stood by them in the business.
Because
of his injuries and his disability, Scott knew his
capacity to run the business as he once did, would
not be possible, so, he began downsizing. He sold
the majority of the business to a young man who had
been on harvest with him for a number of years, thinking
he would go along for awhile for guidance and encouragement.
But, when the initial time came for Scott and Linda
to retire, it just did not feel right, so they geared
up for another season in 2007 and hit the trail again.
After
41 years being a custom harvester, they could not
give up the life they loved, not seeing the clients
that had been cultivated over the years, the traveling,
the challenge and thrill of the combines in the fields.
It was a life they were not willing to leave at this
time.
One
of Scott and Linda’s favorite times of day is
when the sun is setting and the combines are all in
a row in its soft glow, engines purring and they see
how the Lord has blessed them. How could life be any
better!
This
next segment includes a few words from Scott and Linda’s
children.
Scott
Payne, my father, is a passionate man. Among his passions
are God, family and hard work. Custom harvesting still
remains a way that all of his passions can be fulfilled.
To my father, harvest isn’t just a way to earn
a living; rather, it is a way of life.
I
am not sure how to put into words what every harvest
season meant to me. The life lessons of faith, honor,
hard work, and solid family values, to name a few,
were all learned in a wheat field. My father lead
his family and operation by example and I can only
hope that I become half the person he has become.
Among
my fondest memories are the late night hours when
my dad would jump in my machine and spend the night
with me. Many nights after dinner, I would see Dad’s
pickup pull up to my approaching corner and soon he
would be climbing the ladder of my machine, just the
two of us. A wheat field is so peaceful at night;
an endless sky of stars and the quiet hum of a John
Deere. My dad and I had our best “life talks”
in the solitude of a wheat field. I think he may have
had some of his best naps then too. Not many children
can say that.
Lynnette
Dad
is a man who is looked up to, respected, and to be
admired. Harvest is his passion; it is with him morning,
noon and night. He consumed it. Dad always has a plan,
plan A, plan B, I have seen him go clear to plan Z.
There
are always some kinds of accidents on harvest and
you all have been there, but some are more severe
than others. If you watched dad handle those situations,
he was calm, collected and knew what to do. The tone
of his voice would put everybody at peace.
Not
very often did he chew somebody out, or yell at them,
but if you listened to him you knew you had done wrong.
When he spoke there was always a lesson to be learned.
He didn’t just tell you what to do, he always
put it in a question to you and you had to make the
right decision. No matter what is going on, dad is
working right beside you. There is nothing he would
make you do, that he wouldn’t do himself.
Retirement,
I have figured out, means you go on harvest, everyday
back in the office, riding his bike, working out and
making a plan. Dad you are an inspiration. Congratulations.
Eric
Let’s
see…a few of my favorite things are: a tall
cup of white mocha latte first thing in the morning,
guiltless chocolate covered cherry kisses and an uninterrupted
moment to watch a girly movie. A few of my favorite
traits about my dad are: his caring, trusting, nurturing
approach to parenting; his passion, dedication and
ability to rise to the challenges of our changing
global society within his profession and his commitment
to his family, business and faith.
Ten
of my favorite memories of harvest are:
- Hoping to find SOFT cinnamon bears behind dad’s
pickup seat.
- Thanking God for giving dad the foresight and confidence
to let us kids operate or drive whatever piece of
machinery was in front of us at any given time.
The push is appreciated NOW but maybe not so much
then.
- Secretly doing rain dances when we were kids so
we could have a “rain day” and go shopping
or to the movies!
- Washing our hair from the side of the trailer house
during a rain storm.
- Begging Eric to get on the roof of the trailer to
turn the antenna attempting to get just ONE TV station.
Thank goodness for satellite now!
- Waiting up for Dad to get home from the field to
have another slice of dessert with him.
- Long talks riding in the passenger seat of the combine
or in his pickup after the sun went down.
- Being convinced the “looking for wheat”
days would be adventuresome!
- Hoping dad would be in the neighborhood of the trailer
house mid morning to stop for a fresh baked cookie.
- Not common, but good to see, pulling up beside dad’s
pick up in the middle of a wheat field, head back,
hat lowered over his face and nose and eyes shut.
The sound of combines running must have made him
rest softly.
What
a neat thing for our dad to be entered into the Hall
of Fame for his profession. I could not be more proud
or surprised to hear of this. I shared a few of “my
favorite things” but most of all; I want my
dad to know today, that he is in my Hall of Fame too!
I love you and appreciate all of your accomplishments!
Many more happy healthy years dad!
Stacey
There
are so many memories that I can remember about growing
up on harvest. There was the traveling from place
to place meeting people and getting to know the farmers
that my parents worked for. Getting to know the men
who worked for my dad was important too. Traveling
from Imperial to Beaver City for the annual Payne
picnic was the highlight and the start of harvest
season. The traveling and the riding with dad was
always fun and getting to learn how to drive a 5 speed
was good lesson to learn, so that when it was time
to move equipment from one field to another it was
faster and easier to do in one move.
Some
of the things that we did were on the down days, when
it was either raining or looking for another job to
do we would go white water rafting or going to Idaho
or Washington State and looking for more work to do.
Or, nights at Eddie’s Corner near Great Falls,
Montana listening to the jake brakes at all hours
of the day and night. I think that was the thing I
remember the most. Or when the crews were split, I
would go with dad to help bring meals to the crew.
I also remember the trip to Southern California where
dad and mom worked for a month, or traveling to Canada
for work that was a really neat experience.
I
know that everything dad and mom do is for a reason,
and the reason that harvesting is a major part of
their lives is it is something you either love or
hate, and my parents love what they do for a living.
They have taught me so many lessons, and have given
me so much knowledge, wisdom and respect for this
way of life.
Julie
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