fall is here | Life on a Colorado Farm

Today we turned the water off. Unless something happens…like extremely hot weather…the irrigation water for this year is turned off to our farm. From April to September the constant changing of water has ruled our lives.

Terry called our Ditch Rider, Bill, around 6:30 this morning and told him we would be shutting our water off at seven. He said yesterday five other farmers on his canal watch turned off and today (counting us) he has two so far.

So from here to today the Irrigation season has come to an end. (This is what opening day looked like in 2011)

Bill said the water will stay in the canal until November 1st, allowing those who use Uncompahgre Water below us (Grand Junction, Loma, and on down the Colorado River) to finish up their crops. This is a little later than when they turned if off last year because of the shortage of water. Last year they turned off the water the middle to the third week of October.

The rain is still strong today …we are socked in

Thankfully we have been rather wet starting in July.

Terry and I feel really bad for those who have beans pulled and on the ground, and hay laying getting soaked and ruined. The onion guys are starting to worry, even though the onions have not been pulled — rain this late in their growing season will cause the bulbs to rot. The pinto bean guys are worrying that the rains will cause the dry bean to take on moisture swelling the bean…then when the sun does come back and the dry returns the bean will dry out and crack…it seems like there is always something to worry about isn’t there?

We will only (ONLY) turn the water back on if the alfalfa fields start to show stress, then we will give them a quick drink so the roots stay nice through the winter. Once we have a hard killing frost the worry is over until spring work begins again.

The two fields are looking nice and lush and green so (fingers crossed) we won’t have to start up the irrigation again this year.

My hummingbird feeders are down to three and I think I can reduce that to two today. I only saw three little birds eating breakfast in the rain this morning.

“Summer gathers up her robes of glory, And, like a dream, glides away.” –Sarah Helen Whitman.

Fall is here,

Linda

Our third cutting of hay has been hauled in and stacked for sale.

The Delta Elevator has called and wants ALL that we can sell him, which works out fine for us.

We were very concerned we wouldn’t be able to get it in before the rain starts. But we made it….50% chance this afternoon. FINGERS CROSSED FOR IT TO COME!

The smoke is still here, which means people are still experiencing horrible wild fires. My heart goes out to them. Maybe our potential rain will actually come from there and the fires will be put out.

Every evening we go to sleep with the smoke and every morning we wake up with the smoke….I keep hoping that rain, and more rain, and even more rain will help everyone effected by the terrible fires but helping put them out.

Everyday is showing more and more yellow leaves on the trees.