It’s been terribly dry.  So dry there is huge talk among farmers of what the growing season might bring.

The talk is also all about what to grow.  Corn prices are extremely low–due to many factors, but mostly because there is just too much corn stored —not only here– but in the whole world.

The cost of raising corn is outrageously high …the two don’t really go well together.

Still the urge to farm is there. Alive and well in the hearts of those who love the land and love to see the crops growing.

February is typically a very wet month.  Typically.  So, with that in mind, and the fact the earth is very dry Terry (and others) have gone out to ‘stir’ up the corn stalks.  Breaking them down in the hopes we have lots of moisture very soon.  The moisture will soften the chopped up bits and pieces help them dissolve; enriching the soil as they diminish.

This light disking (not a vigorous deep aggressive disking) will also stir up the fodder left over from the cows allowing those wonderful Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes to find more nourishment when they land on the fields.

(This is grand MEsa to the north of us.  Although, we don’t get IRRITATION or drinking water from Grand MEsa, Cedaredge and even Grand Junction, does)

So we prepare and get ready for moisture, if not right here, hopefully in those huge,

(This is a prior photo of the Paonia Mountains to the East of us…up there–somewhere– is the Taylor Park Dam)

magnificent mountains which surround us

(This is a photo from last year of the San Juan MountAin Range…to the west of us)

and for which the irrigation water

(This is an old photo of mine of the Blue Mesa Reservoir where our IRRIGATION water comes out of)

(This is the dam that is the beginning (the head water) of the water which helps fill the Blue Mesa RESERVOIR — thus the water, which comes to us for irrigation AND DRINKING WATER then on down the Colorado River clear to California)

comes from.

(Right behind us to the west and to the southwest of us is the Uncompahgre Plateau–this is a spring photo)

As you can see we are surrounded by mountains all rich is natural resources–which pass on down to town dwellers, people who live in subdivisions, gardeners, farmers, and ranchers.   The life blood of everyone and everything —-water.

All the product of melted snow.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda