We had 84* yesterday…unheard of for April…that is more like July temps. By this evening a storm will be here (complete with 40 m.p.h. gusts of wind) and rain showers. It must be a fast moving storm as by Thursday we will be calm and settled once more.
The other thing with the storm is the temperatures are supposed to drop into the low 60s* and freeze.
We will see freezes from now until the snow is melted off the point on Grand Mesa….
Any who…I sure am enjoying all of this…the little Robin’s are waking up right after me and singing the day awake –I hear their cheerful little songs starting around 5:15. Lifts my heart up!
Terry is planting corn, in five days he will harrow the rows down so the little stalks can come through, then he will mark it back out and we will start water on it again. We have to be careful on when to start the water back up, if the seed is in one certain stage and you put water on it the seed will die and rot away.
Timing is everything.
We go out early, early and irrigate. We are in a field that has extremely long rows (think half a mile) which requires us to walk the water through…meaning we have to make sure the trash doesn’t plug up the furrow causing the ground to sub over before the water makes it to the end of the row.
We start the tubes and then start walking the water.
We are doing this three times a day, early light, 1 p.m. and then at 7:00 in the evening.
As time consuming and tedious this is I actually enjoy it. Which is a good thing, because I do most of this while Terry goes to the head gate (I’m rather afraid of the head gate) and cleans trash along the way.
Works out for both of us!
Have a lovely end of April day…tomorrow we will start MAY!
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
you truly give an idea of just how much work irrigation is… never ending.
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I hope the freeze doesn’t cause you any problems. You obviously get a lot of good exercise walking the water through your fields.
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Lots of work — but so beautiful. I didn’t understand the freezing at 60 reference…..but definitely believe yo about the changeableness of your weather.
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Wonderful partnership working together, yet separately that way. I like it.
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The weather has been great this week. I have been loving it. Hope we do not get too much snow tonight. I know we need the moisture but…..I am ready for the sun.
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It’s always better when we enjoy what we do.
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One thing about farming.. You two REALLY get plenty of exercise… Have you ever measured your miles walked each day? Bet they are ALOT….
Many people don’t realize what hard work there is in farming… I admire you all SO much. And thanks be to God for our farmers. Without you, we wouldn’t have any good food to eat!!!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
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so warm, it is 86 here today.. I’ll take it .. am off out in a minute to pick the asparagus again, and you are walking the mile every day, you must be so fit.. and this time i think I am beginning to get a handle on how your irrigation works, they are still not in the fields here yet, (still grizzling about the wet weather down at the store!!) .. have a lovely day.. love your new header! c
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Sure is hard to believe that May starts in the morning. Hope you have a great year with the corn.
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I always think long agriculture rows are beautiful – at all stages of crop growth. I used to love to run through sugar cane fields (which probably isn’t grown much there any more)
Expecting any snow? You side gets a bit different weather. They say Denver/east is – So weird this year. Sometimes we’ve been cooler than you guys! (that big front is headed here: Thur nigh 40’s – possible freezes a bit north)
That last pix is a nice shot
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I just read a post on the coronation of the new Dutch king and now I read a post about a hard working Colorado farmer. Cool. Timing is everything and you have to work very hard to make it work. Keeping the irrigation going looks like a very lot of work.
We’ve had three very cold , windy and nasty days.
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I have learned SO much about how you farm. It’s very different from what my dad did in Arkansas. Our weather is nuts, too. It was almost 90 today but OKC expects snow tomorrow night. Laziness at my house has been good this year. No petunias out yet but the irises are blooming. Have a good week
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Been hot here, too.
And we are battling starlings and red wing blackbirds to see if we will have any corn to eat.
I didn’t know that about watering. I should try to find out about that. Thanks for sharing your post.
God bless. ♥
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The buzz is snow is on its way again tomorrow. If WY dont get too much then we will head west and get to work for a few days there. Get the water turned on!!
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Beautiful, beautiful rows. We were in Durango for graduation this past weekend – western Colorado is wonderful. Expecting 6″ of snow in the next 24 hrs. in the Denver area. Wish spring would hurry up and get here.
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I had no idea this was how irrigation works … over here, they just seem to spray straight from the rovers … I think !!!
Hard work… you are amazing… no Fuzzy and Boomer helping out???
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Water is hard work..farmers in this area just turn the irrigators on and let them go until fall even in the rain…seems wasteful to me. Lots of exercise going up and down all those rows..however do you keep Boomer from messing up the rows of water? 🙂
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I always love your irrigation posts. That last photo is a stunner!
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