I dug out a camera I had purchased awhile back. It wasn’t a real expensive one, I think I got it for around $90, since I knew my other dear old battered and well-loved camera would someday bite the dust. This camera doesn’t seem to take too bad of photos so I shall continue to use it.
We finished watering our largest field. Which means it was time to move the water. We had to take the water from that field down to the one by our house.
Therefore we had to open the ditch. (Winter is not good for my body, but I’m fast getting into shape.) We only have to open the ditches once, but, oh my, is that ever a job!
Even though Terry makes the ditches with the ditcher there is still lots of trash in the ditch, he turns the water down and then leaves and goes on down to the trash gates, I stay behind and fork the trash out of the ditch.
It starts small, but by the time I make it to the trash catchers I’m hefting huge wads of wet weeds out the water. ( I couldn’t get photos of the wads — I think Terry would have been a tad upset to see me taking photos while massive amounts of weeds were heading toward him.)
Weeds plug up division gates and get caught in the pipes causing floods. Floods are never good as they always go where they are not supposed to go.
By the time I get to the trash screens Terry is already in the field flushing the pipe. This field by the house is set with gated pipe, trash in that pipe is one major pain. It plugs up the little gates and backs up the water. You are looking at a screen that has stopped trash.
We like gated pipe for some fields and cement ditches and siphon tubes for other fields. We even have dirt ditches with siphon tubes for even other fields. Terry is thinking of changing out some of the gated pipe back into a dirt ditch, they (dirt ditches) really are lots easier to work with than gated pipe. You wouldn’t think so, since it would seem all you have to do is open a gate and the water flows out. Pouring another cement ditch is financially not feasible so if we change it will be to dirt.
Trash is the main reason. Here in our part of Colorado when the wind blows heavy it always blows in weeds and icky stuff which lands in the water and then get caught in the gates. With a tube the weed will usually flow on by since the tube is under the surface of the water. With a gate the weed runs right to the gate and tried to get out with the water and plugs up the gate. You then have to put your hand into the water and dig out the trash. For every gate that is open all 20-30 gates.
Anyway, I could lift and toss an 80 pound bale of hay now if I had too. Three weeks ago I don’t know if I could even pick it up.
The pear trees are blooming! They sure are pretty. We’ve had three nights of bitter cold (18* one night) and another cold front moving in by Friday. I remember these days from my youth and how my Dad and my Grandfather would stress out during spring.
Being and orchardist isn’t for the faint of heart that is for sure.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Linda, I was wondering if the cold night time temps ruined our fruit crops for this year. Was great to see your trees in bloom! Gives me hope! Sue
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Not sure I’d want to be a large scale farmer either but I would like to get into better shape.
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Isn’t it amazing how we quickly get back into summer fitness, and i am boggled at the amount of hard work you have just getting water into the fields..c
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That work does get you in shape, doesn’t it, Linda???? That’s one reason I love working in the yard… Even though my yardwork is nothing like yours, It is good for me and helps keep me in shape…. Great job!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
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That’s the pear tree? Wow that is lovely and looks quite similar to crab apples. You are one hard working lady, spring is always super busy though and hope you and Terry plan at least a day off now and then to play (I know, he’s a farmer that isn’t a word he knows – haha).
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You should get people to pay YOU to come and ‘work out’ on the farm…who needs a gym! 🙂 I remember helping Jeff one spring with all the gated pipe and ditches. It was so much work I remember being exhausted, and then I would go to school or my real job. I don’t think I could do that now.
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Such hard work! That is the problem here in Texas. It gets so warm that the fruit trees bloom early and then we get a frost and it zaps them!
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I am pretty sure I have never been able to pick up an 80 pound bag of anything so you have my respect!
Congratulations on getting the ditches set up. :o)
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Excellent description of the irrigation process. I’ve had no experience or exposure to irrigation. Sounds like a tough job.
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Linda, I hope you and your wonderful family enjoyed a lovely Easter together. I am impressed 80 pounds? you go girl!!! And I thought you had retired! LOL. Happy Spring, it is still wet and cold here in southern Maine, eventually spring will fine us. Greetings, Julie.
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Lots of work. But it sounds like its good for the body and soul. Too bad you can channel some of that Boomer energy.
Your ditches look super and the soil looks like it could grow about anything. Well done.
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When I was little, opening the ditch was a real process. Ours even had a board of directors and there were rules about using it, etc..
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Your pear blooms are lovely. You work pretty hard for a retired ( or tired) woman:)
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Linda,
I grew up on a farm in Southern Idaho. Our farm was gravity irrigated, very similar to yours. I remember turning out the water and setting tubes and cleaning ditches on my grandpa’s farm. Lots of work, but I loved it as a kid. I live in the city now, but really enjoy reading your blog as a way to keep in touch with my roots.
Anyway, I was reading about the trash problem you have with water going into your gated pipe from your ditch. Do you have bubble-up screens in your area? We had to use them on our farm to keep trash out of the ditches and keep our gates clear on our pipes. Here is a link to the USDA website with a couple of different designs.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2userfiles/place/53680000/presentations/trashscreen/trashscreen.html
They have to be cleaned from time to time, but certainly easier than cleaning the gates. They can be built with fairly low cost too, which is why we were able to have them. The only down side might be that they require enough pressure to go up a couple of feet, which might limit them for use in your fields.
-Branden
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