The other day I laughed out loud when the man on the radio said, “you know farmers are ALWAYS talkin’
about the weather!” He was right, but he
missed a few things…we also fuss about the weather, worry about the weather,
cuss about the weather, and sometimes even dream about the weather, among other
things.
I know that the man on
the radio talks about the weather a lot, too. He does a segment on the noon show that
covers the weather conditions for fieldwork, planting and agricultural
spraying. In agriculture, EVERYTHING is
dependent upon the weather…and I mean EVERYTHING!
We have been fighting with the wind and the cold for some
time now. For well over two weeks, we
have had freeze warnings at night. Some
orchards in the area have lost their entire peach crop for the year. There are
no “do overs” in most types of farming. The beautiful blossoms from March just
couldn’t stand up to the incredible, unseasonable cold of April. Personally, we have hauled the row cover out
several times, hoping to salvage something of the berry crop. The onions and potatoes are fending for
themselves. Our situation is not yet
hopeless, although I must confess, I am both worried and disheartened at
present.
The wind is a constant here on the hill. I really don’t think we have ever had a
completely calm day. As I have said
before, if you have “views, views, views”…then you have WIND, WIND, WIND! Usually, the wind is just one of those things,
something that is just tolerated or overlooked…other times it begins to grate
on every nerve in my being. Today is one
of those grating days. The wind is harsh and cold and completely relentless.
Working in the greenhouse, the wind rattled the fan louvers
and made the plastic sides quake. I
turned my music up to drown out the racket.
Then, I went to work in the hoophouses.
The wind was even more evident there.
With the shadecloth tethered by nylon ropes, the creaking and groaning
made it sound like we had suddenly set sail on the high seas. The entire structure seemed to shudder in the
biggest gusts. I couldn’t crank the music any louder without possible hearing
loss. A walk to the post office proved
to be an extraordinary work-out as we faced a strong headwind all the way back
up the lane. I hoped to gain some relief
upon returning to the house.
Before I could retreat to the house, my other chores led me around the farm where it seemed I could watch the precious moisture being sucked out of everything by the relentless wind. The broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower we planted last week are looking bleached and beaten between the wind and the cold.
The potato garden
looks like the surface of the moon or some sort of desert. Dust devils rise and swirl as the sheep run
along the path to the barn. To say that I was glad to come inside was an
understatement.
Escape from the wind was not to be. When I heard the dogs barking, I looked out
the window. Something billowy and white
was draping through the fence, waving in the breeze and continuing on into the
sheep paddock. The sheep were huddled in a frightened group
under the pines. WHAT?
The row cover that was to provide the strawberries some
protection had blown off for the second time today. Now, we are well aware of the powers of wind,
so this had been held down with 10….yes, TEN pieces of rebar (4 foot metal rods
that are used to reinforce cement…in other words, they are heavy) With a sigh
and a few choice words, we headed out and picked up the mess. We are hoping the wind will calm a bit to aid
in the re-application. Regardless, we
will attempt to secure the row cover on the strawberries for the night. This
time we used FOURTEEN pieces!
Then, I got another weather notification. (Maybe I should
uninstall this phone app…..It’s getting depressing) It seems the cold is going to continue for yet
another night. Now, the cold is hanging
on until Thursday. That’s not going to
help anything. My list of things to cover after supper just got longer…and I’ll
have to make sure to do it tomorrow night, too.
There is little or no chance of rain in the foreseeable
future. That’s not going to help
anything either. We really need some
rain. The verdant beauty that is Spring
is fully dependent on the plentiful rains of Spring. The lush Spring growth is imperative to a abundant late season harvest. But, there is not a thing we can do about
that. (or the wind either)
So, we wait. We
water….and we worry. With a deep well and the knowledge that the creek has
never gone dry, we know we can irrigate the crops and keep them growing. We
have done all we can to protect from the continued cold. It is so hard…the
watching, the waiting, the worrying. We know
that with just a little rain and a break in the temperatures, the grass will
again thrive for the sheep, the vegetable crops will burst forth with vigor and
our outlook on life will be exceedingly positive. As I said earlier…EVERYTHING
is dependent upon the weather!
It has often been said that farmers have more faith than any
other group of people. I reckon that is true.
We keep on doing what we know to do and rely on God above to keep us and
the farm going on a daily basis.
Forget talking….now, this farmer is PRAYIN’ about the
weather!
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