Crop Report

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Dayphoto

We only grow three products. That is all we grow. Back in the day…not so very long ago we also raised pigs, goats, and cows. As we aged the raising of the animals diminished. Every year Terry says this is his last year…we had a big laugh about that yesterday. He finally admitted that the only way he is going to stop farming is if there isn’t anymore water or the Good Lord calls him home.

He says there is dirt in his veins instead of blood 🙂 Probably. He’s been farming (helping his Dad) since he was tall enough. He tells a story of the first time he got to go help his Dad…his Mom drove he and his little brother and smaller sister out to the field that his Dad was working in –his job was to harrow the field behind his Dad who was on another tractor. He said he felt really big and grown-up —although he couldn’t sit on the tractor seat and could only stand.

His Mom drove up…he got out…got on the tractor….Mom, brother and little sister stood by the side of the pick-up and watched him…he turned and waved, they waved back ..he then gave the tractor gas and drove off…..leaving the harrow behind.

He was so embarrassed because he hadn’t even thought to check to see if everything was hooked up and ready to go.

They all had a good laugh at him…he backed up and his Mom helped him hook everything up and off he went.

Anyway, everything is looking good…the corn is almost as tall as MY kneecap, the pinto beans are growing taller every day and the hay is sold. The Delta Elevator told him they wanted everything he had, don’t even unload and stack up…just bring it right down to them NOW!

This is the last load to take — sure is nice to just move it once!

The heat is on here…early for this time of year BUT I’ll take this any day over winter! I love the long days, the warmth (heat) and the color that surrounds us.

I need to get outside and get the hedge clipped before the wind starts!

Have a nice day!

Linda

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

We are having our January thaw. Sure is nice. After last week’s -21*f and a slight warm up to -18*f at night…..this weather is outstanding!

The temperatures at 2 in the afternoon.

If the weather man is right it will be here for at least the rest of this week. I’m not going to hold my breath that it stays since this is, after all January. Our worst month for horrible cold is always February. Thank Heavens it is a short month….one/two days less than all the other months, but it does count.

By 4 o’clock in the evening

Usually we can start farming the middle of March. We will have to see this year.

The Uncompahgre Water Users are staying the Taylor Reservoir is 60% of it’s normal capacity. February and March can be our snowiest months….fingers crossed this holds true this year.

So saying, Terry is NOT going to plant pinto beans this year…maybe next year if the water conditions improve. But probably never again in his lifetime, he is saying…we will see.

Oh, yes…that reminds me….Terry has decided to farm one more year (are any of us surprised?!?!) The reduction in bean acreage will take off some pressure…it isn’t the growing of them, but the harvest of the beans that is so hard.

Anyway, enough our pondering on farming.

The 4 O’clock evening sun was delightful….I had to take many photos, hope you enjoy!

Linda

Water—-The Lifeblood of Life

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Dayphoto

We received notice yesterday by the Ditch Company that the irrigation water is to be shut off early this year and (depending on the snow levels over winter) to start later next year.

Although, we have turned our water off, there are those who have planted winter wheat and also those who have just cut their hay and will need to water the alfalfa field one more time before going into winter.

“Due to drought conditions and the heavy usage of stored water this summer, the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association –UVWUA- will be shutting the Gunnison Tunnel off two and a half weeks early this year. The shut-off date will be October 15th. This decision has been made to conserve Taylor Reservoir water for next year. Growers planting winter grains should plan accordingly. Pending the type of winter we have this year, there is a possibility water will be turned on later than normal next spring. For questions or comments call the UVWUA.”

You are looking upon our head gate for the irrigation water to our place. Our share of this canal (the Ironstone) is taken out at this point. It goes back in at the end of our farm.

We were watching the Rural Farm News (yes, we do things like that) and the report on there was this drought is the largest drought in years, and years, and years, encompassing most of the United States clear into Canada.

As much as I dislike snow and ice and the dark and cold of winter….I’m sure there isn’t a person out there that doesn’t want a lot of moisture this winter.

Finger crossed and toes crossed for moisture for drought stricken regions everywhere!!!!

Linda

The End of the 2011 Harvest

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Dayphoto

Finally we made it….done! Finished! The 2011 year of crops are harvested and sold. Even, what hay we save out to be sold is sold!

Now different work starts…repairs to the machines, fences and buildings. Always the fences need checked, but we have finally finished. This year was good. Nothing like last year that seemed to go on and on and on. The last of the corn wasn’t harvest until in December, then we couldn’t sell it until the end of March.

Terry was thinking of getting out of farming…but guess what?! He said he thinks he will go another year. (Then there will be another year…when you have dirt for blood I don’t think you ever really want to give in and stop.)

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Have a nice Sunday everyone!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday —Farming

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Dayphoto

Well, here it is! The end of the farming season! Boomer and I have been helping Mom do all her chores while Dad harvests the last of the crops. He is combining corn, even as I speak.

As for Mom and Boom and I well we are in charge of ditches.

Sometime in the afternoon we all head off to one of the ditches…Boomer has decided that he likes to run, sometimes ahead of the four-wheeler and sometimes beside and even sometimes following. He rides when he gets tired, but only then, he doesn’t really like to ride.

Following isn’t very good; I don’t think….it’s the spot where you eat dust all the time.

I used to run alongside….sometimes I feel really good and run a short distance alongside Mom and bark, but mostly I don’t. I really like to go, though, so Mom always takes me. Since I can’t jump anymore Mom picks me up and puts me on the back of the four-wheeler. She has a really neat carpet there that I can lay on or stand on however I feel like doing.

Sometimes I don’t even want to get off, but when we are at the ditches she makes me get off and at least sit by the four-wheeler. She says there might be a mouse or two to chase.

Yesterday was a big day…Dad had a bolt break on the tail gate of the big truck…he lost lots of corn,

but the good thing was he was still in the field when the tail gate broke.

We all went over to help him.

After he got it fixed and he left for the elevator, we picked up most of the corn and put into buckets to dump back into the truck. We had to leave some because the elevator doesn’t like rocks in the corn.

Mom said the wild creatures will enjoy the corn anyway.

After that we went to the corn field Dad was getting ready to start on and Mom started picking up and a stacking the irrigation tubes.

I stayed by the four-wheeler

and Boomer ran around sniffing stuff.

Once Boomer found a really cool poop to roll in but Mom yelled at him…I ran over as fast has my stiff back legs would take me, but Mom beat me too it and buried it.

Darn it!

Both Boom and I agreed it was a really cool poop, even had hair in it…smelled of coyotes. If we could have rolled in it and peeped on it the coyotes would have known some really tuff dogs live and work on this farm.

Mom was busy picking up the tubes and stacking them when suddenly three field mice ran out of the tubes. She didn’t really like it because she was carrying the tubes at the time.

I was on them in a flash! I forgot all about my stiff legs and hard to move hips…

Boomer was way down a corn row but I barked at him and he came running.

I got the first one of the three, and then we kept following Mom and waiting for her to drop another one out of the tube. She got smart and started shaking the tubes before she put them into her arms.

What a blast!

We caught several mice.

Then Mom started picking up the dams…..NESTS! NESTS OF MICE!!

Oh joy, joy, joy!

Tomorrow we are going way up to the upper end and doing the little hay field, then after that is the bean field. Boomer and I can look forward to at least two more days of catching mice, err helping on the farm.

Have a nice weekend everyone, I sure plan too!

Fuzzy

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Dayphoto

more-old

And

old

And

new-babies

(Tuesday was turn the bulls into steers day)

Step Two of Our Western Colorado Farming

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Dayphoto

If you are opening up corn ground or tearing up an old hay field, all the farmers in our area plow.

I know that plowing is a dying process back east, but we have heavy clay soil and must plow.

So after disking we Terry plows

shinny-plow-shears

BUT if a farmer is going from a former bean field he can rip the field open because of how the beans grow causing a much loamier field.

ripper-002

Terry plowed all the old corn fields, and today he is ripping the old bean field.

I’m really glad he has retired, before all of this would have taken place after 7 at night and before 6 in the morning. Now, while I am at work, he is at work “playing” in his fields.

Marking out the Hay

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Dayphoto

Our other hay field is three years old, and still looks good. Once weeds and dandelions take hold then it will be time to plow out the field and start over.

Terry is marking the hay to start the water.

Planting Alfalfa Seed on a Bitter Cold Day

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Dayphoto

The Alfalfa seed is being planted. Alfalfa seed is one of most expensive seeds to purchase-$200 a bag. The seed is very, very tiny, smaller than a mustard seed; so it takes lots of seeds to cover the field.

Once the seed takes hold, a farmer can get from 3-5 years harvest of hay, but the first year is critical. We won’t see any harvest this year, except maybe one in the late summer or early fall.

We are Opening up a New Field

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Dayphoto

Since Terry retired he has time now to do the things he was always going to get too. This little field hasn’t been working in 20 years, so the fence is coming down in preparation to enlarge the area and plant it. Alfalfa sounds like a good crop.