… For amber waves of grain

A Markowski farmhand maneuvers a big combine barely fitting under the wires of a shade tobacco field on Babb’s Road in mid-July. Farmer Ed Markowski explained that he grew wheat this year as the field was resting from tobacco. The combine does three jobs at once – reaping, threshing, and winnowing – and leaves the chopped-up straw on the ground for whatever nutrient it can provide.