The U.S. Custom Harvesters Hall of Fame

INDUCTEES OF USCHI HALL OF FAME

Scott and Linda Payne, Imperial, NE - (2008)

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:

1. Hoping to find SOFT cinnamon bears behind dad’s pickup seat.
2. 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.
3. Secretly doing rain dances when we were kids so we could have a “rain day” and go shopping or to the movies!
4. Washing our hair from the side of the trailer house during a rain storm.
5. 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!
6. Waiting up for Dad to get home from the field to have another slice of dessert with him.
7. Long talks riding in the passenger seat of the combine or in his pickup after the sun went down.
8. Being convinced the “looking for wheat” days would be adventuresome!
9. Hoping dad would be in the neighborhood of the trailer house mid morning to stop for a fresh baked cookie.
10. 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.