Ryers Readers - Construction Site: Farming Strong All Year Long

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

**Thank you for your understanding while I am away! Here is an exclusive Patreon episode from the Ryers Readers Patreon! I hope to be back to our regular scheduled programming in September!**

Let's do this! Thank you so much for tuning into today's story. Don't forget to rate and follow, so you never miss out on all the Ryer's Reader's fun. And if you're looking for even more fun, come join me on the Ryer's Reader's Patreon page, where you can find ad-free episodes, bonus content,

and even become a Ryer's Reader's celebrity. Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that an auger is a spiral-shaped tool that is used to drill holes into the ground? At the end of the metal spiral tool is a blade. The blade is able to scrape and cut through different materials in the ground. Pretty cool, huh? Okay, story time.

Today, we are going to read, construction science. Farming Strong all year long by Sherry Dusky Rinker. It's early spring the day's begun as six tough trucks rise with the sun. They roll through mud and spots of snow and look down at the farm below. Big tractor revs and greets his crew, Vroom! And pickup truck says, hi there, to beep beep. In spring, the farm's a busy place. There's work to do, no time to waste.

A springtime washout cracked a road, so dozer fills it load by load. Then dump truck halls debris away. The trucks are working hard today. To get the fields ready now, Big tractor pulls a chiseled plow. She churns the soil, rips up weeds, prepares the ground for planting seeds.

Little tractor plants the crop. She rolls along as big seeds drop from her planter, row by row, and pretty soon the corn will grow. Little skid steers doing chores, fixing pens and clearing floors. The cows and horses supervise the little truck that's just their size. Chicks and chickens peck and peep, while a lamb and and mother sheep are snuggled up and sound asleep. Summertime brings heat and sun,

and lots of work needs to be done. Sunshine and care all season long help crops grow healthy, tall and strong. A welcome rain shower passes through. The thirsty crops need water too. After hay and wheat are cut, the balers help to roll them up. Then the bales dry in the sun.

They'll be hauled in when they're all done. Hay for food and straw for beds, so every creature's warm and fed. Excavator lifts loads off ground. Bulldozer pushes dirt around. Skid steer makes her auger spin. Then she revs up and digs right in. As crane truck sets the posts and beams,

dump truck halls to help the team. Cement mixer churning wet's concrete. Fills the post holes nice and neat. And then he rolls around to pour a smooth and sturdy concrete floor. Then skidsteer puts in all the stalls. The cows come in as nighttime falls. The day's been filled with work and fun, and now the brand-neigh-neigh-and-funk.

The brand new barn is done! The days grow cooler, crops grow tall, summertime has turned to fall. Here is Combine, strong and proud. She comes out rumbling, huge and loud. She rolls on hills and through the fields, harvesting what each row yields. Tractor pulls grain carts behind. She rolls with Combine all the lines. Auger lifts the grain up high and tractor catches on the fly. On hilly highways up and down, semi-trucks take grain to town. Pickup truck is everywhere, carrying things from here to there.

He helps wherever there's a need, hauling tools or straw or feed. No jobs too little or too big. Look, now he's carrying a pious. carrying a pig. There's just one last crop to bring in. The pumpkin harvest can begin. Loader lifts, then pumpkins fly. For pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie.

She harvests each and every one, from dawn till dusk, and then she's done. Winter comes and strong winds blow. Bulldozer clears away the snow. The mighty crane truck is on sight to fix the roof and seal it tight. Dump trucks hauling things away. Escavator brings in hay.

And skid steers loading swift and shore, her forklift holds the bale secure. The animals are safe and warm. The barn is snug against the storm. The year is coming to an end for all these strong, hard-working friends. A year of awesome work and play, of revving hard day after day, of tending animals with care, of crops to markets everywhere.

Now off to rest with thoughts of thanks for good farm life, for full fuel tanks, for friends they have and work they do, for sunshine, rain, and crops that grew, all set for springtime days ahead, but now it's night time. Time for bed. Good night falling quilts of snow. Good night cozy farm below. Good night hardworking farming teams. It's been a good year. Now, shh. Sweet dreams. The end. Don't forget to stick around to see if you can answer today's paying attention question. Before you go, do you think you can answer today's paying attention? question. What kind of animal did pickup truck carry? If your answer was a pig, you did it. Great job! You sure were paying attention. I hope you enjoyed that story. I wonder what we're going to read next.