Nathan Collins, 39, said he's on vacation when he's behind the wheel of a combine. He spends 10 hours a day there this time of year, harvesting thousands of pounds of corn across hundreds of acres, all while taking business calls over the cab's speakers.

On the Collins Family Farms in Murdock, the fall harvest is both the beginning and end of a year's work. "We spend 365 days a year preparing for this right now," Collins said, letting the combine automatically follow swaths of corn 12 rows wide.

After leaving for college and working stints at Cargill, brothers Nathan and Sean moved home to Murdock in 2003. In 2007, they took over the farm from their parents, who started it in 1961.

Sean and Nathan's children are often found with their dads in the trucks or combines, and their wives keep everyone fed. When grandma or grandpa come around, three generations are in the field together.