fire roads | Life on a Colorado Farm

We have been working on the fire roads. This is a scary time of year for us.

As you can see there is lots of fuel, if a fire were to get away from someone burning off their fields.

Twice we had two different neighbors start fires below us and go off and leave them. The fires came just five feet from the barn and corrals at our rental. It was terrifying.

The photos here are of the one in 2012. (the second fire…was in 2011 from a different neighbor)

Then on March 16, 2012 the ditch company burned up the other two sides of our place.

Since that time we have been very, very careful! to keep fire roads open and well maintained. For years and years we never even had fire roads, nor did we need fire roads. It just all started about 8 years ago when people decided to burn instead of work the ground up.

Terry, also, disks around all the corn fields and the alfalfa fields. Having those fields disked actually stopped the second fire from swooshing across to our house and barns. Fire makes it’s own wind and with the wind blowing it can travel very fast, even jumping from spot to spot.

We feel the roads are in now good shape; so today he will start disking around the ends of the fields.

Usually I drive the tractor with the loader, but sometimes Terry and I switch.

He’s MUCH better at the scary stuff and than I am!

Honestly!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Terry and I spent yesterday sprucing up the fire roads. We lived here for years and years and never had to have fire roads, but in 2012 all that changed.

Our neighbor two miles from us started a fire on one of his fields and left for lunch. Didn’t check or stay with it or, well, anything. From 11 in the morning until around 2 in the afternoon he didn’t even know what the fire was doing.

We did! We knew! And so did the other people in the path the fire. The whole thing was frightening. It took several fire departments to put out the blaze, which didn’t occur until evening…in the process we almost lost a barn and all the farm equipment. Thankfully, Mr. Davis’ cows and calves were okay. It was a nightmare day.

Guess what…the next year he sat his fire again…I just don’t get people who use fire to clear the farm ground….put it back into the soil…it’s better for the soil and the air. Not to mention safer.

After the first fire we built fire roads, because you see, this man STILL burns off his land every spring, he says he likes the results better. 😦

This is the tractor I drive, it has the loader. The loader and Terry’s has the blade, we make a good team. After years and years of hand signals, I think I am FINALLY figuring them out. 🙂

While up there we checked for calves, nothing yet. I think those girls are going to all pop at the same time! One day we will look out and see 60 babies on the ground. There are 80 cows out there, but surely not all 80 will lay down a calf as the same time. 🙂

Off today to look for a wood chipper and log splitter. I would like the wood chipper for the two yards for mulch and Terry is tired of splitting wood by hand. We may not find one we like but at least we will start the process of looking!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm

Linda