The U.S. Custom Harvesters Hall of Fame

INDUCTEES OF USCHI HALL OF FAME

Jimmy and Earlene Davenport - (2012)

Jimmy Davenport, like many of you, is a 3rd generation harvester.

Jimmy’s grandfather, O.B. Davenport started his custom threshing business in 1914, 98 years ago.

He used a Case thresher, pulled by a steam engine tractor which he towed up and down the valley, threshing for himself, family members and neighbors. He had a boiler wagon to haul water to the steam engine tractor. Seven bundle wagons each drawn by a team of horses and a horse drawn hay bailer.

The oats were cut, bundled, shocked and left to dry. When dry they were harvested with thresher. The grain from the thresher went into horse drawn wagons, taken to the barn and shoveled into granaries. Milo was harvested the same way.

In 1936, Davenport’s shipped their thresher by rail to the Rio Grand Valley of Texas to thresh milo. This was the first time leaving south eastern Oklahoma to harvest.

This is the life Jimmy was born into. In 1942 Jimmy was only 4 years old but started helping by hauling drinking water to the workers in the field on horseback. Already watching and learning, watching his grandfather run the thresher, watching how the bundles were tied, how the machines worked, how to keep it running even making bearings from 2x2 oak boards. This is where Jimmy learned his trade watching his grandfather, father and uncle.

In 1946 they bought their first rubber tire tractor. A John Deere Model A (which Jimmy still has along with the boiler wagon in his collection).

In 1954 the Davenport family bought two Massey Harris 80 special combines. They had 12ft. headers.

1955 was Jimmy’s first wheat run. They loaded the combine in the back of trucks with the 12ft. headers over the cab.

In 1957 Jimmy bought his next combine, a Massey 82 Streamline. It cost $3200. It was delivered to McAlester with no cab, no power steering, a 32 bushel hopper and a gas engine.

By now the family had 5 combines, harvesting in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska before returning to Texas for fall milo harvest.

In 1961 Jimmy made the best deal of his life, he married Earlene. When Jimmy’s family asked her if she was going on harvest, she said YES if Jimmy’s going she was going too. So together they have been harvesting 50 years. In 1961, traveling from place to place was 4 travel trailers, 5 combines, 5 bobtail trucks, 3 pickups and 3 cars.

The 70’s brought a lot of changes. In 1970 Jimmy bought his 1st. John Deere 7700 with an 18ft. header. He named it “Big Johnnie” and said it could cut as much as 2 Massey’s.

In 1972 Jimmy traded his one 7700 for two 7700 Turbo’s. In 1972 Jimmy’s Uncle Harmon retired because of health reasons.

Jimmy’s father W.A. passed away in 1977.

Now the once large family business was down to Jimmy and Earlene with their children Tina (daughter) and Jimmy Jr. (son called Pete). So they re-grouped, Jimmy and 11 year old Pete on the combines, Tina was promoted to truck driver and they added tractor and grain cart, tandem trucks, corn headers, row crop headers. Each year seems something different was added. By now they were following the same route of loyal customers but adding new customers and going farther north.

Harvest was going good so they added their third machine.

In 1984 the Davenport’s were parked next to the Blehm’s (Dorothy and Verlin) at Earth Texas. They told them about the new group of harvesters called the US Custom Harvesters. Dorothy’s enthusiasm is what got them interested so they joined up and went. What a group, marking their calendars every year for the meetings in December and March. The Davenport’s are loyal members of this organization. This organization means so much to them, the friendships, and the fellowship with other harvesters, working as a group to solve our common problems.

By 1989 the children are growing with lives of their own, and it is just Jimmy and Earlene and the crew. Still harvesting from Texas to the Dakota’s, instead of slowing down, venturing farther north each year.

1999 was the first year to add H2-A workers to the harvest team. Now they are starting earlier and staying later. Texas to North Dakota and back to Texas for fall harvest that lasts until late November or early December.

When they are not on harvest they are back home in south eastern Oklahoma. They have a trucking business, and are very active in their church. Jimmy’s favorite thing is running his bull dozer on his ranch.

Now it is 2012, 57 years since 1955, when Jimmy went on his first wheat harvest, or you could say, 69 years since he was 4 years old following his Grandpa in the field. But Jimmy is still devoted to harvesting, the only life he has ever known.

No amount of talking can describe the vast amount of knowledge of harvesting Jimmy knows. Because Jimmy Davenport is in a league of his own. A very few are in this class of harvesters. The ones that blazed a trail for the rest of us to follow.

Jimmy and Earlene said “The most important message of our years on the road, FRIENDS, harvester friends, business friends, our farmer friends, what a Great Life! GOD has truly taught us what LOVE is all about. We don’t know when we will slow down or stop, but one thing we do know, the memories that we have made can never be replaced. We will always be grateful for all the LIFETIME OF MEMORIES.”