Wet Spring

This is well on the way to being one of the wettest springs ever.  A friend just called and was telling me about the onions he had ordered for his garden.  They are a special sweet onion called Candy, which arrived in mid-March.  The instructions specified that the onions needed to be kept well watered during the first few weeks.  The friend reported that since March 20 he had recorded 22 inches of rain.  They were certainly kept "well watered".  The only problem is that they rotted!

On a small scale this is the problem that farmers are facing in this storm struck area.  As I write this we are preparing for another "30% chance of rain" storm.  We had one this morning about 5 am that dropped about 1/2 inch of rain and woke everyone up with the thunder and lightning.  My early broccoli suffered the same fate as the friend's onions and the beans and corn are standing in water.  Multiply my frustration by thousands and you begin to feel the farmer's plight.

Everywhere farmers are anxious to get in the field and get their crops planted, hay cut and ground worked.  Unfortunately, just about the time the ground gets dry enough to work, it rains again.  As one wit said after another downpour, "Well, the one day drought has broken!".   Laughter aside, the situation can get serious. 

Our son has been trying for two weeks to get his tobacco set.  The plants are ready, the ground was plowed, the help lined up, the sitter arranged for the kids (me) and the cook notified (me).  Then it rained.  Just about the time it dries up almost enough, it rains again.  The same thing has happened with the hay.  The grasses are ripe and ready to be cut.  However, it takes three sunny days to put up hay.  One to cut, two to cure on the ground.  Again, every time we get ready to cut, the forecast is for rain.  Those who plant corn are facing the same problems. 

I don't know of any job that has more stress built in, than farming.  There are so many things that are beyond the farmers control.  He can make the best deal for his crops, find the best markets, arrange for the best prices but if it rains too much or doesn't rain enough, he simply can't do a thing about it.  His success is subject to drought, floods, bugs, disease, oill prices, labor prices, market prices, and just plain luck. 

Why do all these smart young men and women risk so much?  Because they love it.  It's born in them to work with the land and produce for the populace. 

Thank you farmers everywhere..