We opened the fields Friday — which means we started water. This is a big job as all the ditches have to be flushed, the weeds cleaned out.
Hank enjoys helping the water move through the mud at the bottom of the ditches. He gets the mud packed into his nose. Such a goofy dog! (said with love)
Then the water is set in the proper fields.
Boomer only likes the water to get a drink out of, most the time he is out scouting around!
The day started out cold, warmed up, and then cooled down again. Of course when you are working you warm up fast!
We had help, Misty and Tallen, Hank, Boomer, and Fuzzy.
Fuzzy didn’t want to get off the four-wheeler so I just let him stay up there. This is not normal for him as he loves ‘chasing water’. I guess, he has decided he is just too old now and will opt for directing the other dogs on what to do. The patriarch of the dog pack so to speak.
I would set him down and he would hang out in the shade, go over and get a drink and then head back to the shade. Sort of sad really, but at least he still like going with us.
Tallen really does help…we gave her a row of her own and she truly worked at getting the water down it.
These little grandchildren may never live or work on a farm, but they are getting a good taste of what it takes to make a row crop farm go. 🙂
This photo shows you the gated pipe at work. The little gates are nice in some ways, in others not so nice….like having to clean the trash out of them. You have to reach clear inside and pull the trash out, lots of bending over and getting your hands and fingers wet.
The end of the day we were all back out there.
When you open a field every end of the row has to be dug out so your water goes down the row it is supposed to be in. Corn is watered every other row. Lots of digging when you first open a field, lots of digging after you plant and after you cultivate.
Terry always waters the corn fields first so he doesn’t have to worry about cold weather coming along and causing the VERY EXPENSIVE corn seed to rot.
We will soak the fields, let them dry, then he will plant.
In the beginning your winter body doth protest loudly, by the end of the season you are ‘fit as a fiddle’ — as my beloved maternal grandfather would say.
Terry packed rows ahead of us so we didn’t have to walk the water through the field, sometimes packing helps sometimes not. Yesterday and Friday it worked great!
I hope each and everyone of you have a really nice Sunday…a day of just doing whatever you feel like doing!
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
So interesting to see how all of this works, Linda… You all are truly amazing!!!!! Hope you have a good growing season this year –and hope the water situation continues to get better and better…
Glad you have such a good little helper, Tallen… Too bad about Fuzzy—but like all of us, as we get older, we do slow down a bit…
Hugs,
Betsy
LikeLike
Linda, I’m just going to keep on saying it; thanks to you and Terry for hanging in there, putting in all that work to keep your family farm going. Your persistence (benevolent stubbornness?) in view of the challenges you face is truly appreciated. Also always appreciated are your well-expressed postings, and those great views of Grand Mesa and other surrounding landscapes in the background. It’s the next best thing to being there.
Thank you.
LikeLike
wow, that is a lot of work! bless you and your crops this year!
LikeLike
What a wonderful insight into the process (and hard work) of irrigation on a Western Slope farm.
LikeLike
Yaay – water. Lots of hard work but it sure looks great running down those rows. Hoping you have an abundant crop without mishaps this year. Laura
LikeLike
Things are moving along! Glad to see you have water and things are going smoothly. Happy Sunday to you too!
LikeLike
It looks as if you had a very busy day Friday, but it also looks as if you got the job done very well. I’m glad you had such good help. Tallen must be a very big help.
LikeLike
Boy, sure wish I could have been there to help. I used to love irrigating with my grandpa or my uncle over in Shavano Valley. It was work for them, but fun for me.
LikeLike
I love to see the little ones helping out. These are experiences they will never forget.
LikeLike
Busy busy you all are and I think Fuzzy has earned his time on the 4 wheeler supervising!
LikeLike
Very interesting! I’ve never seen fields watered that way. I’ve seen irrigation and giant sprinkler systems, but never the prep work. Your grandkids are going to have very fond memories of working on the farm.
LikeLike
Grr! The last post about the grandkids having fond memories was mine. I thought I was logged in.
LikeLike
This post explains more of what has to go on. The water has to drain down the rows and some of it soaks in. You don’t want it to get blocked up and make puddles or go some where else.
LikeLike
Through your words and photos I really get the idea of how much work goes into your crop, and I thought my allotment was hard work !!
LikeLike
You make it look easy, yet I can see it’s not.
Great photos.
*hugs* to you all and Fuzzy, too.
Have a blessed week. ♥
LikeLike
This was really fascinating LInda, to see how the system works… I couldn’t imagine it before, only having seen spraying… how hard you work… and expect you have to keep providing food and drinks for all the workers – and watchers, dear Fuzzy….
LikeLike
Wonderful post, Linda. Great visuals on the water…
Don’t count the grandkids out of the Farm Life picture – you just never know!
LikeLike
Poor Fuzzy..but at least he goes along. I enjoyed your photos..your irrigation system is lots of work..but look at how straight those rows are! It is a pretty field:)
LikeLike
Your grandkids will never forget what farming is all about whether or not they themselves farm. It’s a lovely picture of your gd working her row!
LikeLike
Pingback: Today | Life on a Colorado Farm