Visitors will step back in time Saturday as they get a glimpse into how rice was harvested in the early 1990s during the Welsh Threshermen’s Association’s Old Time Rice Threshing Day.
Welsh Threshermen’s Association member Scott Cormier said the farmers will recreate the threshing and binding of rice using antique farm equipment, just like it was harvested between the early 1910s and the late 1940s.
“Our mission in presenting the event is to preserve part of the history of agriculture in our area for future generations,” Cormier said. “We also hope that people who see it will walk away with a greater appreciation for the hard work our ancestors performed and the skills they possessed that allowed them to sustain their families and produce food for others.”
The free, family-friendly event will be held 9 a.m. 4p.m. at the Welsh Municipal Airport on Rowsom Road, just off Interstate 10. Parking is available on-site.
During the event, spectators can watch a live demonstration of methods and techniques used to harvest rice and separate the grain from the straw using vintage combine harvesters, tractors, hay wagons, pitchforks and other farm implements.
“Harvesting rice and other small grains in that time was a two step process that required first cutting and bundling the rice with a machine called a binder or reaper,” he explained. “A crew of men would then arrange the bundles in circular stacks called shocks throughout the field where they would be left to fry for two to three weeks. After they were sufficiently dry the crew would go out again with pitchforks and load the bundles onto wagons which would then be taken to the threshing machines to separate the grain from the straw and chaff.”
Vintage combine harvesters of the type used from the 1940s to 1960s will demonstrate the transition from the use of threshing machines to the modern combines used today, he said.
There will also be an antique tractor pull and antique tractors and farm equipment on display. Anyone with an antique tractor or “hit and miss” engine is encouraged to display it during the event.
The tractor pull will be presented courtesy of the Louisiana Two Cylinder Club antique tractor and engine club.
Nostalgia also plays a big part in the celebration, Cormier said.
“Many of the association members like to collect antique farm equipment and this gives us an opportunity to run our vintage tractors and machinery while using them to do work they would have actually done when new,” he said.
Visitors will be able to see two vintage threshing machines in operation – one John Deere and one McCormick Deering – both of which date back to the late 1930s.
A McCormick binder will also be on hand to cut and bundle the rice stalks before they are hand fed with pitchforks into the threshing machines. Both threshing machines, the binder and the bundle wagons were donated to the threshermen’s association by local farm families.
The binder and threshing machines will be powered by antique tractors owned by association members. There will also be at least two vintage combines on site harvesting rice.
A food truck will also be on site. Other food vendors are invited to attend. Cost is $10 per vendor.
The rice harvest demonstration dates as far back as the late 1990s when the Welsh Threshermen’s Association started hosting the annual event, Cormier said.
The organization disbanded in the late 1990s, but was resurrected in 2012 with the help of Keith Daniel and his sons Mark and Matthew and daughter, Suzie and their friends.
The Welsh Threshermen’s Association has continued to hold the event for the last 12 years with a couple of exceptions due to inclement weather.
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Getting there: Take Interstate 10 to Welsh (Exit 54) and follow the signs.
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