It's the old adage about too much of a good thing ... first there was no rain, then there was one half inch rain, and then another .... and today the heavens opened up and we've nearly had two inches since 11:00 this morning - and the Weather Channel is predicting at least another inch. True to form, there are already farmers that are crying the blues about too much rain. It's no wonder that they have their whiney reputation.
Not that they don't have legitimate long term concerns, but this one big rain is only part of the picture. The crops went into dry ground; it was easy seeding, with no sloughs to go around, and lots of acres for the same reason. The rain eventually came, but dry was only one worry - this spring has been cold. Not long ago you could still dig down and find frost - this is not good for germination. Some crops have come along - slowly, albeit, but coming, while others have had very spotty germination. Sometimes it's a case of seeds just not germinating at all, cutting down on the plant population and harvest potential, and sometimes it's uneven germination where all the seeds eventually come through the ground, but their life stages are different. They need spraying at different times, and they don't ripen for harvest together. Farmers who have literally hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in the crop year so far spend a lot of time wandering around their fields and worrying about stuff like that.
We spent the weekend two weeks ago sorting the cattle to go to the various pastures. The cows and their calves are already out on green grass, but the bulls have to wait one more week. There will be no babies born in the winter next year! Some farmers believe that calves born in January or February bring them more money in the fall but we're not convinced. Their checques might be bigger for the bigger animals that they sell, but how many did they lose in blizzards and freezing temperatures? It's cold, miserable, and unhealthy for all concerned to be out there at 40 below, and more and more cattle producers are deciding that it's just not worth it.
This rain should help the pastures. We were out moving the cows on 21 over to their next paddock on Sunday night and were checking out what there was to eat. Last year when we put them out, if the calves laid down you couldn't see them in the grass and hay. This year there is no losing them - the crop is only at one third of a regular year. This was partly due to the lack of moisture, the rest is the lack of heat and sunshine. Glen baled everything in sight last year and I was beginning to think he was nuts, but he did say that you can never count on next year's hay crop so take what you can when you can ... Is that the same thing as saying you have to make hay while the sun is shining? At any rate, we have a good start at next winter's hay rations already stored - and I'm thankful that my husband tends to go a little nuts from time to time.
I spent last weekend putting all my bedding plants out - and worrying if there would be enough water to water them for the summer. Now I sit in here and wonder if they'll survive the root rot all this water is going to give them. At the moment a big chunk of the lawn I mowed two days ago is under water - we're living in the land of feast or famine.
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