Merry Christmas Y'all!

That isn't Kerman. That is Maria Kyrka, 13th Century church in Sweden in the town where my Grandmother was born. Mom and I were able to go there a few years ago and meet the cousins. Samkta Lucia Day, on December 13th,  is the beginning of the Christmas season in Sweden. We were able to worship in this church for the evening service on Sankta Lucia Day on that visit. A very special night.

We hope you all have a very special Christmas, full of faith, family and good food.

Work goes on at the farm. There is always something to do. But, it is nice to be able to stop once in a while and put things in perspective. I'll check back with you after the New Year.

Until then I'll leave you with my recipe for Christmas cider and Swedish Glogg-

In a large crock pot add

2parts apple cider

1 part cran raspberry juice

2-4 cinnamon sticks

4-6 cloves

a dash of allspice

and let simmer for hours

Swedish Glogg

Glogg

1.5l port wine
1/4 cup honey
2 sticks of cinnamon
8 cloves
2 pinches coriander

heat in a saucepan, bringing it nearly to a boil.
Serve hot with blanched almonds and raisins.
Makes a wonderful after dinner drink on a cold winter night.

You can serve the hot cider to the kiddies. Obviously the Glogg is for the grown ups.


And a Merry Christmas to All!!

Winter on the Farm

The wheat has already started to sprout. There is nothing like seeing a new crop come out of the ground. There is always that uncertainty as we wait, and then...here it comes. By the ed of February you can here the wind whistle through the leaves. Later the Tri-color blackbirds move in. All Spring you can here them warbling in the field if you slow down and listen. I hear them when I and waling and checking fields.

It has been unusually warm for December. The upside is that cleaning equipment in the shop wasn't the finger freezing chore it usually is. The temps were up to 72 on Friday afternoon. Some years it hovers in the 40's. It is a lot more fun too run the pressure washer when it is 70 that 40, you'll just have to take my word on that. The tractors and equipment are all cleaned, serviced and parked. We survived the demolition derby.

   As you can see above the wheat is off and growing. We'll have most of it watered and sprouting before Christmas. We have started pruning the almonds. We should finish that by mid-January so the pruning scars can heal in the cold weather before the trees start blooming in February.

I got a live ware comment on how last week's blog posting was kind of self-exposing. Well, the whole point of this blog is to share about life on a farm. Economic reality is part of life on the farm. I enjoy sharing about the work we do. I hope you have enjoyed seeing the progression of work during the year, the little tidbits of family life and the recipes. But, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Farming is a brutally tough business. I can do everything right and still get my clock cleaned by the weather, global markets or other forces outside my control. There are a lot of us licking our financial wounds this year. Some of us won't make it. Others will shake it off and carry on. This is a reality every farm family lives with. I don't mean to be maudlin, I just want to share all the ups and downs of farming. I appreciate your reading along.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Changing Gears with the Seasons

Well, the tractors are parked. We have finished harvest and the winter ground work. The Wheat is planted. All the furrows are pulled and the ditches are up.

Of course the work never ends on a farm, we just change gears. We began irrigating the wheat this last week. In the shop we are cleaning all the equipment. Next week we begin pruning the orchards. The pace is slower and the stakes are lower than harvest time, but there is still plenty to do.

Begging worked, the bank lent us more money to for another year. But, 2010 was brutal. It will take me three to five years to make up the loss. I probably would have been better off if I just stayed hope and left he tractors parked. Of course, buying groceries would have been difficult. This can be a tough sport. Still, I would rather be here, now, with our little problems than anywhere else at any other time in history. These may be difficult times, but we still live in the Land of the Free, thanks to the Brave.

I hope you are all getting in to the holiday spirit, in spite of the traffic at the malls.

Fall Colors

OK, it's not Maine, but we do have Fall colors here. These are vineyard leaves. My personal favorite are the peach orchards. Pretty soon things we be cold and gray for a few months. Right now the sun is bright and clear, the sky is bright blue in the afternoon. The rains this week have cleared the air. It has been cold, by our standards. We have had frost a few mornings this week. On the days where the winds have been strong those 50 degree temperatures feel pretty cold.

We got another field of wheat in today. We are almost done with the tractor work. Should finish next week if there are no big problems. After that we we will start irrigating the wheat and pruning the almonds. That should keep us busy until after the holidays.

Marketing next year's crops is a big question mark. Commodity prices are high. Should we sell, or will they go higher? We'll keep an eye on the markets. Right now the Ag commodity markets are as volatile as other markets. Our whole family's income rests not only on how well I can farm, but on global markets that I have no control over. Sure grain prices are going up. That is good for us as producers, of course the last time this happened a few years ago fertilizer prices quadrupled over two years. That took some of the fun out of the whole thing.

How was your ThaThanksgiving? Ours was fabulous. We had family over for dinner. Just as food was coming out of the oven and Heidi and Will were driving up Jonathan called from overseas. It was 'O Dark Hundred over there, but it was great to hear his voice.

And yes, the peach cobbler turned out great. Not as good a fresh, but still a nice taste of summer as winter approaches. I have enough peaches left for one more cobbler on Christmas Eve.

We also tried something new. I cooked some turkey breasts on the smoker. Mmmmmm, did that ever work out well. Sheryl made a full roast turkey and all the fixings. That leaves me some room to experiment. The smoked turkey breasts were yummy and easy to prepare. We will be doing that again.

Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season. Tomorrow we are going to the Messiah sing-a-long. Lots of fun times in the next month. Kind of wish we could spread it over two months. It's not like there is a lot going on in January. Just a thought.

Hope y'all have a great week.

Thanksgiving Week

Now that harvest is almost done we change gears and start working ground right away. We will be running tractors day and night for a few weeks. The end goals are nice, straight furrows like the ones above. We work our ground now to bed up before the heavy winter rains hit us. Then we start pre-irrigating ground for next year. The fun never stops, just changes tempos.

We got 160 acres of wheat in the week before the rain hit. Nice to get something done right. This has been the kind of year that shakes a fellow's confidence.

THANKSGIVING-
Even with a rough year like this I know that we have much to be thankful for. We also have someone to be thankful to. I am always amused by the folks who want to address Thanksgiving Day with the person to Whom we are ultimately thankful. Even when things seem a little dicey it is comforting to know we are in good hands.
   Also, we live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave. I would like to add my thanks to the men and women who are away from their families protecting our freedoms. Jonathan- I thank you  and your fellow warriors from the bottom of my heart. I am learning with each passing year how much we owe you all. Thank you all. Thanks also to the families whoa re separated while their loved ones are out on the line for us.

Thanksgiving Dinner-
If you would like a taste of summer for your Thanksgiving dinner may I recommend Liz Hudson's Peach Cobbler recipe. Liz is a long time friend, whom I met through Farm Bureau. She and her husband Earl raise peaches near Sanger. While this is a peach cobbler recipe Liz admits you can use other fruits to make this cobbler. I have done it with berries and that was yummy too. For this Thanksgiving dinner I have some Faye Elberta peaches I put in the freezer last August. I will be using those little gems for dinner on Thursday. I did make one minor change to Liz's recipe. I am the one who ads the port wine.

Hudson Farms' Peach Cobbler Recipe


¼ cup, plus 2 Tbls. butter (must be butter!)
1-1/4 cups sugar, divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
¾ cup milk **NOTE: replace half the milk with port wine**
2 cups sliced and peeled fresh or fresh-frozen peaches (can use more!)

Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees. Melt butter in a two-quart baking dish in the oven. While it is melting, combine ¾ cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt; add milk and vanilla, and stir until mixed. Pour batter over melted butter in baking dish, but do not stir. Combine peaches and remaining ½ cup sugar; spoon over batter. Do not stir. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar mixture on top, if you like. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour (60-minutes). Makes six-to-eight servings. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for use in larger baking pans.

**NOTE** thicker pans need the full hour. Thinner cobblers are ready at 50 minutes. Watch top. When it’s golden brown you are good to go. Be careful. Our oven cooks it in 35 minutes-P

NOTE: Tastes best if made with fresh California peaches! But you can use fresh-frozen peaches. To freeze, take fresh peaches in season, peel slice, rinse in a “Fruit Fresh” bath or lemon juice bath to help preserve color. Drain, sprinkle with sugar, if you like, and place desired quantity in a freezer bag. Lay flat, and squeeze air out of bag and seal. Lay flat in the freezer. To use, simply defrost and eat immediately or use to make cobbler, pie, fruit smoothies, etc. Tastes great with ice cream! You can enjoy fresh peaches year-round!

Blackberry cobbler-
When you can’t find peaches use blackberries. Can use the brown sugar, cinnamon and port with the blackberries.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL. We have much to be thankful for and someone to be thankful to.

Cotton Harvest III

Well, cotton harvest is over. What began with hope ended with disappointment. All that beautiful Spring weather not only delayed the crop, but also lowered yields. It may take me five years to pull out of this setback. Ouch.

Now we will start ground work for next year. We will start running tractors around the clock next week. We have to get the ground worked and bedded back up before the heavy winter rains hit. We also have to finally settle on what wheat varieties we will plant for this next year. [ No, we learned our lesson this year- no garbanzos or black eyes.] So, it is still go, go, go on the farm. The men are ready, the equipment is ready and here we go.

I saw the barn in the photo above near the cotton gin the other afternoon. It is eye catching in this light. I have never had a phone with a camera in it until this past week. While I love photography, I like my camera too much to haul it around in a dirty, bumpy farm truck all the time. I never would have caught this photo without the camera in my phone. I like it.

This week's cooking tip? It is soup season again now that the weather has cooled off. I made some split pea soup last week and I tried something new. I put some fresh rosemary in the soup. I like it. So, if I may, I'd recommend a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary the next time you make some split pea soup. Rosemary is one of those Mediterranean plants that does well in our climate. I have five or six rosemary plants scattered around the yard. Once they are established they do really without much care.

Since everyone else has spouted off I will close with my two cents-

My Two Cents on the 2010 Elections

copyright Paul H. Betancourt
November, 2010

By now last week’s elections are ancient history, except for the candidates awaiting recounts. Most of the discussion has centered around who want which seats. I don’t mean to be crass, but candidates come and go. For example, many of my more conservative friends are crestfallen that we have the return of Governor Moonbeam in California. I try to assure them that the worst case scenario is that Governor Brown will only be in office for eight years. I think there were some things that happened this past week that have much longer lasting impact.

Prop. 25 Passed, Uh-oh-

Proposition 25 allows the Legislature to pass state budgets without the super majority required before. This sounds simple and more democratic. I would have opposed this even if my party was in the majority. This is not a good idea. The Legislature could not control spending even with a Republican minority able to slow the process down. Now it is ‘Katie bar the door.’ They will probably get the budget passed on time this year, and that is worthwhile. But, keep an eye on where they spend the money and how they raise our taxes.

The Federal Reserve is Printing More Money-

It has been no secret that the only way for the Federal government to get out of the mess it is in is to print more money. The problem is that printing more money is that it causes inflation. During the Carter years inflation was over ten percent, interest rates were nearly twenty percent and unemployment was over ten percent. Those of us 50 and over remember the 70’s as very difficult times. Even with interest rates at record highs it was hard to get loans. Inflation ate up our income faster than we could get raises or cost of living adjustments. People on fixed incomes were in a world of hurt. In the early 80’s the Federal Reserve, under Paul Volker learned that the only part of Keynesian economics that works is that when you lower the money supply you can lower inflation.

Today’s Fed Chairman is about to ignore that lesson, print more money and set off a new age of inflation. They have announced that they are going to print $660 Billion plus of new money to buy old Treasury debt with the hope of lowering long term interest rates and thereby boost the economy. It would be one thing if we weren’t sure of what was going to happen, but we do know. The Federal government and people with long term debt are going to be fine. They get to pay off old debts with inflated dollars. The rest of us are in for a rough ride.

The Loss of the Blue Dog Democrats in Congress-

No matter how the local Costa/Vidak race turns out the fact is that moderate Congressional Democrats took a beating in last week’s election. The ‘moderate’ Blue Dog Democrats, like Costa, lost over 25 members. What this means is that the US Congress is starting to look more like the California Legislature; more liberal Democrats and more conservative Republicans are getting elected. In California they have shown they are less likely to work together, much less compromise. This is not a good tend if we are going to solve the problems before us as a state and a nation.

There is no doubt leadership is important. I have written and spoken about the importance of leadership in our communities and our nation. But, as important as who got elected last week is, I think the neglected and important stories are the passage of Prop 25, the fact that the Fed is repeating failed policy and the loss of moderates in the Democratic Caucus in Congress. These are impacts that will affect us for years to come.

Still pickin'

We’re taking a break from picking cotton. That has never happened before. Usually we start and it is a combination marathon and demolition derby to get the crop in before the rains really start. This year everything has been so late due to the cool weather that the last field was too green to pick when we got to it Wednesday afternoon. Since the weather looked dry and warm we decided to wait. [Of course the next day they forecast rain for Sunday. My luck.]


I came across some essays by Wendell Berry this past week. One essay, “The Pleasure of Eating” caught my attention. After going on his diatribe about how and what Americans eat he asks the question, “What can one do?” Good question.

His first thought was “Participate in food production to the extent that you can. If you have a yard or even just a porch box or a pot in a sunny window, grow something to eat in it…Only by growing some food for yourself can you become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to seed to flower to fruit to food to offal to decay and around again.”

I like that. I think one of the problems we have is that people have grown too distant from their food supply. Growing even a small portion of our own food would bring us closer to a vital link with the natural world.

The snarky part of me thinks it would also help people realize how difficult growing food can be. If your little pot of tomatoes doesn’t make it you can always go to the store. Now imagine instead of a pot of tomatoes it is a whole field, and you family’s income depend on harvesting it and getting it to market while it is still fresh.

The other thing we can realize growing our own food is how much we actually eat. When I have grown tomatoes or corn in the yard it has been good as a garnish in a salad and a couple of ears of corn. Growing a ‘porch box’ of food should remind us all how much work it takes to keep us fed every day all year long.

Some of Berry’s other points are just as good-

2. “Prepare your own food” [Berry reminds us elsewhere that cooking and eating are some of the most basic acts of our daily lives.]

3. “Learn the origin of the food you buy.”

4. “Whenever possible, deal directly with a local farmer, gardener or orchardist.”

Berry has some harsh criticism of modern agri-business, some of it deserved. What caught my attention is that fact that so many people are so disconnected from their food supply. I have written and spoken about this before myself, though not nearly as articulately as Mr. Berry.

I like his suggestions for reconnecting with our food. Bon appétit!

Well, tomorrow is a day of rest. After church I see siesta in my future. Then back to harvest on Monday, weather permitting.

I hope y’all have a great week.

P

Picking Cotton and Looking Ahead

Well, we are picking. Here's the view from the driver's seat.
   Mechanically things are going well and the guys are working heard. There is just not much lint out there. We had a cool, wet Spring and we never really caught up. We are about half a day behind because last night's rain. The cotton is still green so we are picking slowly to let things open up.

Here's the real question. While we are picking we are also preparing for next year already. Now, here is what farmers have to decide- what do we plant next year? I can forward contract Wheat t $240 per ton and Pima cotton at $1.50 per pound. So we now those are good prices. How many acres of each shall we plant? It is tempting to go all cotton with high prices like that, but we need the wheat as a rotation crop. Also, how much water will we get next year? Does anyone know how much rainfall we will get this winter? Oh, and the clock is ticking. I want to have the wheat planted by the first of December so we can start irrigating it up.
   Do you get the picture? I have to figure out the best crop mix based on things that haven't happened yet like next year's weather and next year's markets. Does it make sense why going to Vegas has no real appeal to me?

I hope you all have a great week. I am going to enjoy my day off, Monday morning we will be right back at it and try to get that crop in before the rains start up.

All the best.

P

Cotton Pickin' Time

Well, it's'cotton picking time-finally.

G. Gordon Liddy, former Marine and ex-Watergate co-conspiritor, has said that a
helicopter is ten thousand nuts and bolts all trying to go different directions at the
same time. That could also describe a cotton picker. Part of my job during harvest is to
keep the pickers glued together until the crop is out.

It's'cold and clear out here. The weather has definitely changed. Now we have the race to
get the cotton in before the rains hit.

Yeilds are down, we expected that. The cool Spring is a little rough on young cotton
plants. Prices are up. We didn't expect that. I know global cotton supplies are down.
But, prices are set by supply and demand-where is the demand coming from? Our cotton is
the high quality Pima for fancy shirts and sheet. Who is buying that in a soft global
economy? Oh well, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Witht the bills I have we need
every penny we can round up.

Remember to vote next week. Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, "The Revolution was
not fought for freedom, but self-government." There is an important difference. I
know many of your are frustrated with government and sick of the political ads. ( I enjoy
politics and even I switch stations when I hear political ads.) But, we have an amazing
system where we are invited to participate in our own government. Pretty amazing. It has
been a rare state of affairs in the history of the world. We tend to take it for
granted.

So, please take the time, pull out your sample ballot, and let them know how you want
'the government of the people, for the people and by the people' to operate.



Next week we'll talk about deciding what to plant next year. Can anyone tell me what the
rainfall this winter will be and what the global economy will be like next year?

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Waiting for the cotton to open

No, that is not what our cotton looks like-yet. Hopefully in another week. For now we just wait, work on equipment and pray. This is the time of year with the greatest uncertainty. I am broke. I owe everybody money and we don't know how things will turn out until we start picking, and we have to wait. There is really no rushing things. We had a late Spring so planting was late and here we are on the other end waiting to harvest before it start raining.In the meantime life is good. The weather is cooling off, which feels better. Of course, the heat the last week really helped the cotton mature.

We had a nice weekend. Visited with the kids and friends. Got some writing done. 

 Ready to go back at it tomorrow.

I hope all is well with you.

P

The Beginning of Fall is in the Air

Not much new on the farm this week. Working in the shop. Waiting for the cotton leaves to fall off. Does anyone know what the weather will be like in November. If I knew it wasn't going to rain until after Thanksgiving I could sleep better at night.
   I do love the Fall colors.

I think the prettiest farm fields for Fall colors are the peach orchards. They can really light up. We may not be in the great Northeast, but we can still see and feel Fall coming.

Hmmm. I mentioned BBQ last week. Just a few more weeks and BBQ weather will be gone. Last night I made Cajun shrimp. Here's the mix.

Cajun Seasoning Salt
1 TBS garlic salt
1 TBS onion salt
2 TBS thyme
2 TBS crushed bay leaves
2 TBS parsley flakes
1 tsp basil leaves
2 TBS black pepper
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 tsp Accent
1/2 cup salt

Mix together, sprinkle on the shrimp and on to the grill. I served it with Jasmine rice and roast red peppers. Mmmmmm. We served it with some local white wine. Great light meal for a warm day.

I hope all is well with you.

P

OK, we pulled the trigger and started defoliating cotton. Won't know until next month if that was a good idea. Last week's warm weather really helped the crop mature. Of course this week's cool weather will slow things down. Not that I am complaining- this is the weather of heaven, or at least England. Feels like a nice summer day in my beloved southern Sweden. Ahhhhh.

Busy in the shop. We have rebuilt on disc and will rebuild another one next week. The steam cleaner blew up last week. I could have done without that. Really don't need any more expenses right now.

We are putting a little fertilizer on the almonds. Give them a little snack before they take their winter nap. That way they wake up next Spring ready to go.

Found some great new wines up in Madera last weekend. Frank and Alice Saviez have a fabulous Zinfandel and a white wine blend called the French Kiss. Mmmmm, We'll be having some of that with grilled shrimp this weekend. Sunfire Winery in Fresno has an excellent Tempranillo and port also.

Only a little more BBQ weather left for this year. We should make the most of it.

I hope y'all are having a great week.

Fall Uncertainty

Can anyone please tell me what the weather will be for the next two months? I'm not kidding. I have to decide when to defoliate the cotton and that decision is balanced on if it is going to rain or not. Defoliate too soon and you lose yield. Too late and you get rained on. It's enough to drive a guy crazy.

The best advice I got from an old neighbor, years ago. John said, "Farm like it ain't gonna rain." He's right, but that is hard to do. There is so much at stake and there are so many variables that are out of my hands.

Below is a piece I did last year for the Fresno Farm Bureau-

Faith and Farming: Where I Find Strength
by Paul H. Betancourt
June, 2009
These days when people ask me how I am doing I often respond, “My son is in a combat zone, I have no water to farm and the economy is in the tank. But, me personally? I am fine.”

It is a brutal year on the farm. This time last year, fuel and fertilizer prices spiked. I thought surviving 2008 was going to be the challenge. I didn’t see this coming. There are no good choices. Almond prices are down. Cotton acreage has collapsed. The tree fruit guys have taken a beating. The dairy guys are losing big money every day.
I am not sure the world has any encouragement to offer. The State of California is essentially bankrupt. The gridlocked special interests have neither the will nor the ability fix anything, much less do the visionary and strategic work necessary to prepare for our future. The Federal government is following California’s example of ignoring the economic realities of income and expense. A three year drought is being aggravated by foolish water policy. I don’t see any help coming from the government. In fact, I would be thrilled if they just didn’t make things worse.
So, what gives me enough hope to get out of bed in the morning?

Bottom line? We are in good hands. I know it looks bad now, but we live in the Land of the Free, because of the Brave. I would rather live here now, with my problems than any other place at any other time in history. But, as much as I love my country and as much as I appreciate the blessings we have here, my confidence and hope are in my faith, not my citizenship.
To my friends and neighbors who have been up all night tossing and turning…

To my friends and neighbors who have that heavy feeling when they see all the bills piling up on their desk…

To my friends and neighbors who feel gut shot when a piece of equipment fails or the bugs move in…

…there is hope.
After thirty years I am finally beginning to understand the Book of Job. Job was a farmer who lost it all. In the first chapter of Job he learns that all his livestock, all his servants and all his children are dead. Unless we are aware of Old Testament practices we might miss the meaning of Job’s reaction. He tore his robe and shaved his head (Job 1:20). In Job’s culture tearing his robe and shaving his head were signs of extreme grief. Job was heart broken. That is a perfectly natural reaction to what had happened, and it is OK. It is OK for us to grieve loss like that. This ‘stiff-upper lip, real men don’t cry’ business is nonsense. Loss hurts. But, notice what Job did next, he worshipped. Job “fell to the ground and worshipped.” And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Wow, it takes a lot to say that in the face of complete loss. But, Job had his life in perspective. He wasn’t a Stoic who had dulled his emotions. Remember, a few moments earlier he had fully expressed his grief. But, in the face of grief he could still say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” How could he do that?

Edith Schaeffer, in her book ‘Affliction’, has a chapter on Job. Schaeffer writes, that the temptation presented by Job’s ‘comforters’ was not to ‘curse God and die’. The real challenge to Job was, “actually loving and trusting God when there is pressure being brought upon us not to trust Him.” (p.63). These are times when it can be difficult to trust God. As farmers our lives are more exposed to risk, more exposed to the natural elements than most other people. The markets are out of our control, the weather is out of our control. It takes faith in something to have the confidence that we will be all right. How did Job continue to “love and trust God” in the face of his losses?

The answer is buried deep in Chapter 19. Job responds, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, at the last He will take His stand upon the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet with my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-6). Wow. Can I say that when I hurt? That has not been my usual first response. But, I am learning the strength that can be had when that is my perspective.

There are four things I am learning from Job-

-It is OK to feel and express our grief. Loss hurts and God is big enough to take it when we cry out.

-Worship is a good response when we hurt. Job tore his robes and shaved his head in grief. His heart was broken. But, he could still worship.

-Faith is an anchor, a foundation for our lives. “I know my Redeemer lives.”
In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tries to encourage us, “do not worry about your life, as to what you shall eat or what you shall drink; nor for your body as to what shall you wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?...who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

Your Heavenly Father knows you need all of these things. But, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:25-33). I don’t live to farm, I farm to live. I live to seek His Kingdom.

What Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount echoes what King David said in Psalm 37. “The steps of a man are established by the Lord. And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the one who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old; Yet, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:23-26).
I love my family, I love my country and I love my community. I am proud of what I do as a farmer growing food and fiber and caring for the environment. But, those are not what I live for-those are not where I draw my strength. Things are rough on the farm right now. I can’t change the weather and the global conditions that are affecting my farm. Faith is not a band aid to make things better. Faith is a way of life that gives me perspective on times like these.

Some thoughts on immigration reform

Kerman Harvest Festival this weekend. Always fun to see everybody. Nothing like carny food. The weather has been fabulous. Cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. Mid-80's. I love Fall weather.

It's been kind of quiet on the farm this week. Busy, but nothing new. I thought I would post my latest op-ed. It was picked up in the local press. Immigration reform is not only an issue in the US, but around the world. The former UN Secretary General listed the current global migration as one of the great issues of our age. After I was quoted in the Economist a few years ago a German reporter flew out to LA and drove to Kerman to interview me on the subject. Voters in Europe are selecting more conservative governments on this one issue. Here's my two cents.

We Will Not Solve the Immigration Issue by Penalizing Employers
By Paul H. Betancourt
Copyright September, 2010

So the way to solve the problem of illegal immigration is to penalize employers? Are you serious?

The Obama Administration is suing Arizona for enforcing federal law.
Cops aren’t allowed to ask.
Teachers say they don’t want to be immigration enforcement officers, they just want to teach.
Doctors and nurses say they don’t want to be immigration control officers either. They just want to care for patients.

It looks like employers are the last ones standing.

There are advocates, journalists and academics that say the only way to control immigration is employer sanctions because jobs are what are attracting immigrants. OK, I’ll agree that jobs do attract immigrants. Will you agree there are other things that attract immigrants?


Citizenship for children who are born here?
Free education?
Free health care?

I’d be willing to support employer sanctions if we tighten up on these other attractants also. This is where things get sticky. It has been tried before.

1986-Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)

We started working the issue of illegal immigration over twenty years ago when the problem was a lot smaller. IRCA is behind the rule that you have to prove a right to work when you apply for a new job. Through IRCA many people received work documents. But, IRCA eventually failed because the only way to enforce it was to issue national identity cards and the ACLU and their merry-men went to war over that issue. They are right, to enforce anything resembling immigration reform we are probably going to have to issue some kind of national identity card. That is an unpalatable thought for some people.

1994- Prop 187

Many of you remember this one. California voters approved restrictions on social services for the undocumented. This was eventually struck down by the courts. What amazed me during this debate was the reaction of the people in the education and health care communities. Teachers were saying, “We don’t want to be immigration officers, we just want to teach kids.” Nurses and doctors were saying the same thing. What makes you think I want to be an immigration officer? I have a farm to run and a crop to bring in. I am not an immigration officer either.

This notion that employment is the only attraction for illegal immigration is nonsense. Yes, employment is a huge issue and it needs to be addressed. But, the fact is there are other attractants, free public education, free health care and opportunity for one’s children come to mind.

It is political suicide for conservatives to bring up the issue of the Fourteenth Amendment, but it is an issue that should at least be discussed. After the Civil War Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment to grant citizenship to the freed slaves who otherwise had no legal standing. It was a good move. However, it leaves us with the de facto situation where if a child is born within our borders it automatically becomes a US. Citizen. We assume this is normal in other countries, but it is not always so. We often talk about doing things like the Europeans. Well, one European country, Switzerland, does things another way. In Switzerland, just being born in Switzerland is not enough to be proclaimed a Swiss citizen, at least one of your parents has to be Swiss also. I am not saying that we have to follow the Swiss example on this, just a reminder that there are alternatives.

A Step Toward Solution-

The most reasonable solutions I have seen on the issue of immigration reform were proposed by President George W. Bush. His proposals were sliced and diced from both sides of the aisle, but they have the merit of being reasonable and practical. Bush started on immigration before 9/11 and might have succeeded if that attack had not changed our whole national agenda. In 2006 he brought up the issue again. President Bush had five principals in his proposal: Secure the borders, Temporary Worker Program, Hold employers accountable, Face the reality that millions are already here, Honor our tradition as the melting pot and embrace our common identity as Americans.

Yes, I see that holding employers accountable is one of Bush’s principles. Can you see there are also other issues? We are not going to solve this issue by trying to balance the whole equation on the backs of the employers.

Life on the farm can be busy and quiet at the same time. I don't have much new to report this week. We have been busy with field work. We haven't even really got to servicing equipment in the shop yet.

We have been polling the almond trees to knock down the nuts the shaker left behind. We also picked up the irrigation pipe left in the field. That's heavy work. Glad the weather cooled off for that. Built up a road so we can get it oiled. Once it is oiled well it will give off less dust when cars drive by. Less dust in the almonds means less mites in the trees. The trees stay stronger and I don't have to spray for mites. A win-win-win.

We do have to spray for aphids in the cotton. We have had a small population for the last month. Most bugs don't go away by themselves. This last week the aphid population has exploded right as the bolls are starting to open. The honeydew from the aphid can ruin the cotton fiber, so it is time to smoke the little buggers.

There are two issues at play. One is IPM, Integrated Pest Management. we have talked a little about pesticide use. I think pesticides are an important tool in growing food, but I agree we shouldn't go off will-nilly. IN fact, I can't afford to go off and spray at the first sign of trouble. Some of this material costs $500/gallon. And we thought gasoline as high.
Those fabulous folks at our universities have developed what we call Integrated Pest Management. IPM is a combination of understanding your crop, the pests, the chemistry, the ecosystem and the economics of the situation. We don't spray when the first bug shows up. We monitor the fields regularly. We keep an eye on bad bugs and beneficial insects. Researchers have worked out the economic thresholds. One lygus bug in fifty sweeps of a hand net is not going to hurt us. Fifteen lygus bugs in fifty sweeps will kill us in June, but not in September.
So, with the aphid- a few aphid in early August, not a problem. A lot of aphid in early September is a problem. I would really rather not spend the money, but it impacts the quality of the cotton fiber.
This leads to the next issue, globalization. In a globalized world quality counts. I compete with cotton growers all over the world. The relative cost of transportation is cheap. So mills can be fussy and choose cotton from where they want. I found out long ago there are few premiums for good quality but the deductions for poor quality are immediate and large. Fortunately we have had a reputation for good cotton in California since the 1920's. But, we earn that reputation by being careful with our crops. I'll write more about globalization and how it affects me on the farm some other time.

We had a great dinner last night. Heidi, Will, the kids and Sheryl's aunt and uncle came over for dinner. Getting to the end of the BBQ season. So along with the burger we made sure to have fresh roasted corn on the cob. One thing we have in the area that is hard to find in other places are grape stumps. The smoke form the grape stumps even flavors the corn roasted on the grille. Mmmmmmm. Dinner was followed with another peach cobbler. A little port wine really brings out the flavor of the peaches. A noisy, rambunctious evening filled with good food and good conversation. Great way to end a week.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Fall on the Farm

Ahhhh, summer is almost over. Cooler weather on the way.

We have cut off water on the cotton. Now we will see if the bolls fill out.

This season on the farm is for working in the shop. Servicing and repairing equipment before harvest. I have mentioned before how my uncle said you don't have to be a great mechanic if you service equipment. Grease is cheaper than parts. That advice has driven us for a long time.
A few years ago I was riding with a pilot friend and we were talking about how airplanes get an Annual, where they go through every detail of the plane thoroughly. They, of course, can't pull over to the edge of the field or the side of the road if they have problems. I thought, we need to do that with the tractors. So, that is what we do- an Annual on each tractor and piece of equipment. Questionable hydraulic hose? Change it. The first year Ruben mentioned a dash light in his tractor- change it. Our repair costs are still the same, but our downtime during the season is way down. We still have some problems, but we prevent a lot of simple problems and we get a lot more done each day once the tractors start rolling. If you are going to have something, you are going to have to take care of it. This is a case of taking care of the tools by which we make our living.

Elsewhere on the farm-
The blackeyes have been cut and they are drying.
Also, the almonds at the house have been shaken and they are drying. This is unusual. We have never shaken this variety before the 20th of September. This year it is three weeks early. Most crops are ten days to two weeks behind normal. I am not sure I understand. But, they were ready. Good thing we don't just blindly follow the calendar. There is a value to checking the fields and understanding the crops. If we had waited till the normal time for harvest we would have had a lot of nuts stuck on the tree because they had dried out.
I can't take credit for this. We were getting ready to water again and Raul asked, 'Are you sure?' The nuts seems open and ready to be shaken. I had been looking down, at the soil and weed conditions. When I looked up I could see he was right. Thanks Raul, good job.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Some thoughts on the weather

The Weather is not really casual conversation for farmers. Not only is our ability to make a living dependent on the weather, but each week's work is driven by the weather-when to plant, when to irrigate, when to harvest. I know we are going to pick cotton in October, but the starting date can swing two or three weeks depending on the weather. Sometimes it is hard to plan too far ahead.

Almond harvest affected by the beautiful Spring weather.
The first variety of almonds came up. That was a little disappointing. I talked to one neighbor last March. He estimated that yields were 40% off because of the rain and the wind during the bloom. Looks like he was about right. Hopefully the prices will come up since the supply will be low.

This week's spike in temperatures was a little nasty.
The weather has been fabulous the last few weeks, mid-90's. Perfect cotton growing weather. Cotton doesn't start growing until it is 65 and stops growing at 95. So this has been right on the last few weeks. [We'll see if the plants caught up from the cool Spring.].
That little burst back up to 110 was a reminder of what summer in the Valley can be like. Plants and people wilted a little bit in the heat. Me, personally? I have I have met my lifetime quota for sweat. If I can I his indoors on hot afternoons. Usually work in the office or go visit folks. This week I had some writing to do. Get my field work done in the morning and then look for shade.

Years ago a friend was leaving the area to go to law school in LA. He said he was going to miss the summer weather. I was thinking to myself, are you insane? The only people who like the summer weather here are the ones who work inside when it is baking outside. He explained he was going to miss the warm summer nights. OK, you got me on that one. It is nice to sit on the back lawn or patio in the evening. You can do it in LA and San Diego, but you gotta button up. Our summers may be too hot, but they have that crazy So Cal traffic all year long.

We are headed into my favorite weather of the year-Fall. Cool mornings and warm afternoons.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Why Gambling is boring for farmers

This is the time of the hisgest uncertainty and anxiety on the farm. All our money is out there, invested in the crop. We have bills piled up on our desks and we are not sure if our income is going to cover the expenses. That is why going to Reno or Vegas is no big thrill. That is a few hundred dollars, it's over in a few minutes and they serves drinks. You don't even have a chance to lose a night's sleep over it.
Try borrowing a million bucks, laying it out in the field for bugs to eat it or the weather to get to it. Lose some sleep for at least a few nights- now you're gambling.

President Kennedy is quoted as saying, "Farmers are the only ones who pay retail, recieve wholesale and pay the freight in both directions." Pretty good observation for a city boy.

They are picking up the almonds. Biy, the squirrels sure nibbled the south end of one field. [Our nighbor there is the county.] Squirrels are so cute. We feed them in city parks when we are traveling. But, at home it is hand to hand fighting all summer long.

For my Facebook friends- I'll leave you a link to a John Denver song about eating peaches. Remember that one?

I hope you all have a great week.

P

Yes, it's almond harvest time. You can see the almonds falling. [They are the little tan flecks on the right.] We will leave them on teh ground to dry down for a week. Then they will be swept in to the center and picked up.

There is nothing like fresh almonds. But, I like them roasted too.

Roasted Almonds

4 cups of almonds

1/8 cup of olive oil

2 TSBS salt [I usually use garlic salt. I also like cajun slat. Whatever floats your boat.]

Stir contents in a bowl and then spread on a cookie sheet.

Set overn for 350F

12minutes and check. If you like them cooked more send them back in for three more minutes..

Elsewhere on the farm this week:

We cut off water to the first two cotton fields this past week. We also cut off water on the black eyes.

We are working the wheat and garbanzo ground so we can bed it up before cotton harvest.

Hope y'all have a great week.

P

OK, I know that's cheating. It's harvest time, not bloom time. In my defense I wasn't blogging during bloom and these kind of pictures are too pretty to save until next winter. I'll post a harvest picture in a week or two.

We should start shaking trees by the end of the week.

It's been a quite week on the farm. Just getting the orchards ready and keeping the cotton wet. The weather has been perfect. Cool in the morning and not too hot in the afternoon. We couldn't ask for better.

One teensy, weensy frustration- Thursday night someone came in and stole the batteries out of two tractors in the other orchard. Why can't they leave things alone? They'll get $30 for the batteries. It will cost me $300 to replace the batteries and the cables they cut. What a pain. We were raised, 'if it isn't yours leave it alone.' Some of these guys seem to have been raised, 'if it isn't nailed down it is fair game.'

I have been thinking some more of the idea of a San Joaquin Valley diet. Not only should it feature the fresh fruits and veggies we produce here, it should also feature the diversity of foods from the many cultures that have settled down here. Of course there is the Mexican food. But, that in itself comes in many styles. Michoacan and Sinaloa are well represented here. There are also Armenian, Chinese and Japanese communities with long historical roots. There are many other groups here who brought some fabulous recipes with them.

This week's literary gem comes from Walt Whitman.

"Now I see the secret of making the best persons, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth."
from 'Song of the Open Road'

Farm life may not be fancy, but many of the most real, honest, wise, reliable and solid people I have ever met have been folks who spent a significant part of their lives out on a farm. Thankfully there are enough of them left to grow our food and fiber.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

You Pay for Your Education on the Farm

Well, the garbaznos were a bust-
We grew the garbanzos to see if they would be a better rotatation than wheat. They are not, at least for us. Wheat is a good rotation and it makes money when wheat prices are up. Wheat prices have been down the past two years. So it seemed to make sense to look for another rotation crop.
Starting a new crop is always a hassle. You are unsure of what to do. You fiddle with the equipment. We probably spent more time tinkering with 40 acres of garbanzos than we will with 160 acres of ctton. But, isn't it always that way when you learn something new?
This one didn't pencil out, meaning it cost more to produce than we will get for the crop. As Sheryl's Dad says, "You pay for your education."

For those of you who don't recognize the photo- those are cotton blooms and squares. The cotton blooms yellow or white, depending on the variety, then they turn pink.This is the time of year to set bolls. It takes 60 days from bloom to open boll. So we need to set a crop by August 15 if we are going to harvest in October.
We try to keep the plants watered and fed. We also try to keep th bugs off them. The current weather has been almost perfect. Cotton won't grow well if ti is cooler than 65F in the morning or warmer than 95F in the afternoon. We are just about right in that department.

We are getting ready to harvest our first variety of almonds in a couple of week. This week we will cut off the water and start prepping the fields.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

P

How this famer learned the value of pesticides...

Sorry I am late with this week's post. We were taking motorcycle safety lessons with our daughter Heidi. One of Heidi's crusades is to expose us to new experiences in our old age. It was a blast, and it was fun to learn a new skill.

Meanwhile, back on the farm...

We laid by another cotton field this week. One more field and we can park the tractors for now. Speaking of tractors, we finally got our tractor back from John Deere late Friday. Ruben was so excited he said, 'Thank you' and shook my hand. He was glad to be back in his old tractor.

Below is an column I did years ago for the Fresno Bee. I still stand by it. I know people are concerned about pesticide use. I can assure you that the people who prepare and process your food are just as concerned. When I talk with restaurant owners about food their first concern is not flavors and recipes, but food safety. When people ask me if I think our food supply is safe my answer is, think about it- one child getting sick can make national head lines. Is our system perfect? Of course not. Should we remain on our toes? Of course. But, I still think we have the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply in the history of the world.

How this farmer learned the value of pesticides.
September 17, 1996.

No one could want to farm without chemicals more than I do. When I came to the Valley from San Diego in 1981 I had dreams of small-scale organic farming and all the city dweller's prejudice against pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
While I may not like them anymore than before I had learned that used properly, farm chemicals can be safe, effective and indeed one of the foundations of our modern society.
The 'fear industrial complex' of professional worriers has done a good job convincing the public that their food is poisoned and all farm chemicals cause cancer. No one stops to think, "If our food is poisoned, then why are we living longer, healthier lives than our ancestors?" The question each of us needs to ask ourselves is, "Are we better or worse off by the use of pesticides and the other tools of modern agriculture?"
Dr. Bruce Ames, a biochemist in Berkeley says, "I think pesticides lower the cancer rate." Ames bases his position on the fact that a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will do more to prevent cancer than any risks from the chemicals used to produce that food.

Ames also notes that our food is full of naturally occurring carcinogens. A peanut butter sandwich is 100 times more carcinogenic than a fish full of DDT. A glass of cola, coffee or wine is a thousand times more carcinogenic than water form wells in the Silicon Valley that were shut down due to groundwater contamination. This doesn't mean we should ignore the health concerns from using pesticides. But, we must put our fears in perspective. As Dr. Ames says, "...the price you pay for living in a modern, industrial society is a few parts per billion of something in the water...Just eat a good diet and don't worry."

Real concerns about the use of pesticides are clouded by the nonsense of the fear mongers. It is appropriate that we assess farm chemicals for their safety to ensure public health.But, it is not reasonable to be prejudiced against or afraid of pesticide use.

The industry must continually show the public, its customers, that these chemicals can be used safely and that we take the public safety very seriously. The public must acknowledge that farm chemicals are one of the basic tools of modern society. As Dixie Lee Ray, the former Governor of Washington State says, "Sometime in the distant future, when the accomplishments of the 20th Century are recorded for posterity, it may finally be acknowledged that our greatest achievement, by far, has been the introduction of high-tech, high-yield agriculture."

High-tech, high-yield agriculture is at the foundation of our modern society. Those who believe we can have all the benefits of modern agriculture are wrong.

Summer Heat and Growing Your Own Food

Summer's back in town!
Hard to miss the 100+ days. I used to really complain about it, but then we had a chance to visit Florida and Virginia-that's hot. Here, no matter how hot it gets in the afternoon, it's always 30F cooler in the morning. In the hot and humid places it is always hot and humid. We would leave the hotel at 8am and be dripping sweat by the time we got to the car. Back to our summer heat...
Summer is not my favorite season. It is easier for me to warm up when I am cold than it is to cool off when I am hot. I endure summer and I look forward to Fall. I am extremely grateful for air conditioning, and for our blessed, cool mornings. I try to get my field and shop work done in the mornings and save office work for the afternoon.

We eat lots of cool meals like pasta salad this time of year. We also enjoy lots of fresh fruits. The yellow peaches are coming on now. Mmmmm yummmy. I love watermelon too. I have been drinking my coffee iced also.

Growing Your Own Food-
Summer gardens seem to be the topic of discussion this week. One book I was reading talked about it, I saw some newspaper articles and a Facebook friend lamented some problems in her garden. Last month I had a discussion with a community advocate about the virtues of urban gardens.

I'll be the first to admit there are few satisfactions like eating a home-grown tomato. I don't know about you, but I was never able to grow anything more in my gardens than a few salad garnishes.
The lesson I learned with my little garden plots when I was growing up in San Diego is that I eat a lot more food than I can produce in a garden patch. I started then to learn an appreciation for the system that produces our food. There are hundreds of millions of us and just a handful of farmers. Less than 2% of us live and work on farms, producing food for everyone else and enough to export too. That is pretty amazing. [Dixie Lee Ray has an amazing quote about that. Maybe I'll share that with you some other time.]

Too all you home gardeners- my sweat stained hat is off to you.

BTW- an update from last week's post on curve balls: I still don't have my tractor back from the shop. We are going to replace the engine [ ouch, that wasn't in the budget.] We hope to get the tractor back this week, which would be nice since we are almost done with our summer tractor work. The cotton is growing fast in this heat and it is time to lay the cotton by and park the tractors until Fall.

I hope y'all have a great week and I hope you can find a cool place to rest.

Curve Balls

In 2005 I wrote an op-ed about the curve balls I get on the farm. The opening paragraph said-

"We all get curve balls in life. We're busy enough dealing with the fast balls that come our way. It's the surprises, the curve balls that make life challenging. Some times they come so fast and so close we think they are all bean balls.
Just like in your life I get curve balls on the farm. It takes just one broken bolt or one flat tire to change my whole day."

Well, it is still true about curve balls on the farm. While I was driving cross country two weeks ago I got a call from Ruben that there was a noise in the tractor engine. I got the news late this last Friday- the crankshaft bearings on pistons one and three are both spun. That probably means an engine overhaul.
I can't tell you how much I would rather not have to do that right now. Engine overhauls are expensive and I need that tractor in the field this week. Actually, I needed it two weeks ago, I needed it last week and I need it this week. We have been on Plan B for two weeks now. At this rate I will get the tractor back about the time we are done with tractor work until October. Arrrgh. I hate curve balls.

Actually some of the best shop advice I ever got was from my Uncle Charlie who was a retired New York City Transit Cop and a great mechanic. He laughed one time and said you didn't have to be a great mechanic, just be good at service your vehicles. He said oil was cheaper than parts. I have been very diligent about servicing my cars, trucks and tractors since he said that years ago. Ask my kids- part of their getting their driver's licenses was learning how to change the oil in their cars and learning how to change a flat tire.
I guess I can't avoid curve balls like a down tractor when I really need it to be in the field. I am frustrated about the downtime and the expense right now. But, I did learn my lesson from Uncle Charlie and I am confident that all the servicing we do on our equipment has helped prevent more problems than we will ever know.

So, what are we doing on the farm this week? We'll keep water on the cotton. We'll also spray growth regulators on the cotton to help it mature a little faster since everything is so late this year. We'll kill grass in the blackeyes and water them again. Now that the wheat has been harvested we'll start working the wheat ground and get that ready for next year.

We did have our first cotton bloom this past week. That is always a good thing. The next month is when we really set the cotton crop. Cotton is two to three weeks behind average in our area. It was nice to see blooms in one field almost on schedule. We also had hull split int he almonds. That was only about a week late. All that beautiful cool weather this Spring did delay the crops. We should be harvesting almonds by the middle of next month.

Well, be careful out there- watch out for curve balls.

Fourth of July

Sorry about the late posting. I was on the road last week moving my son's truck from New York to California. Had a great road trip with an old college roommate and his seventeen year old son. Well, it was more like a cannonball run- we made it cross country in four days.

Here you can see Jonathan's truck parked in front of a restaurant in Texas. Crazy Texans, gotta love their style. I always love their hospitality.

We took the old Route 66 from St Louis on. Driving through the Midwest we saw a lot of corn, wheat and soybeans. Lots of dairies also. What I didn't see was a lot of fruits and vegetables either in the field, in the stores or in the restaurants. Just a reminder of how good we have it here in California. Hard to eat your fruits and vegetables if they aren't around.

I am not sure of what to make of something I noticed on the road. We had more bugs on the windshield between Bakersfield and home than we did from New York to Bakersfield. What's up with that? California farmers are accused of using all sorts of pesticides. I know it is not a scientific survey, but there is a huge difference. I think it reflects that California farmers actually use a minimum of pesticides and we leave a lot of bugs out there. Hopefully there are lots of good bugs eating all the bad bugs. Just something I noticed on the way.

Back on the farm the guys did a good job keeping the crops watered. The blackeyes have really bounced back after we knocked the aphids down. We have our first bloom in the cotton. That field is almost on time. The other fields are a bit behind. Almond hull split is behind also.

For the Fourth of July Sheryl and I were asked to post on another blog as parents of a soldier overseas. Sheryl did a great job. She brought a tear to my eye and I know the story. You can find the post at http://abc30.typepad.com/abc-30-blogs

Hope you had a Happy Fourth of July. Just a reminder, Ben Franklin was quoted as saying, "The American Revolution was not fought for freedom, it was fought for self-government." Think about it. Thank you to all who have served to preserve our freedom.

Wheat Harvest and Summer Heat

Wheat harvest this week. The neighbors have already started.
For those who wonder about the value of irrigation- yields on irrigated wheat are averaging around three and a half tons per acre. One guy rented a lot of open ground and panted dryland wheat. Even with all the winter rains his yields are averaging one quarter to to one half ton per acre. With last year's dry weather and water problems we were a ton an acre off average. Good water policy is important.

This week on the farm-

We had aphids in the black eyes. Got that sprayed. We waited a couple of weeks, hoping the aphid population would cycle out. But, they ballooned this week.

The new well seems to be running OK. The increased pressure blew and underground line and we had to fix that. It was old and due to be refurbished. The new well settled that issue.

Two of the three cotton fields are doing well. That third field is still struggling. Usually we have blooms in the cotton by Fourth of July. I expect it will be at least a few days late this year with the cool Spring. I am not complaining mind you, I really love the weather we have been having. It is the end of June and we are getting our first 100 degree days. Very nice. It's just my poor cotton does best with 65 degree nights and 95 degree days. We haven't had many of those this Spring. Just goes to show how we are at the mercy of the weather.

Last week I talked about food. We will talk about it again soon. One thing I have long said we ought to do is create a San Joaquin Diet featuring the local produce. In addition to 300 different crops there is quite a bit of ethnic diversity here and they all brought their recipes. There is some outrageously good food around here.
My goal is tasty, easy to prepare, affordable food that is good for you.

This week's recipe is Roast Garlic Tapenade. It is great for hot summer days. I served it at a celebrity chef night at the Fresno Art Museum a few years ago. It was well received. [I am not much of a celebrity. I have a friend who was doing PR for the Museum.]

In our kitchen we have a saying- 'roast garlic improves just about anything.'

Roast Garlic Tapenade-

Two cans black olives
One can green olives
One jar Greek Kalamata olives- 6.5 ounces.
One head roasted garlic [if you don't have a garlic roster- run, do not walk, and find one. I got mine at Cost Plus]

Put black olives, roast garlic and Kalamata olives together in the blender and chop. Don't over do it, but make sure they get blended together well.

Chop green olives by hand.

Mix together in a bowl.

Serve on crackers or baguettes.

Buon apetito.

I hope you all have a wonder-ful week!

Summer Fruits and Vegetables

It's still kind of cool for a summer in the Valley, but the summer fruits and vegetables are here!

Peaches, plumbs, nectarines, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions squash- that's just the farmers market at one of the elementary schools in Kerman. Watermelons and cantaloupes are coming on. It's fabulous.

The health guys all want us to eat more fruits and vegetables and if you can't find something this time of year, you are being way too fussy. And here in the Valley, we have over 300 different crops being grown all around us. Yes- I said 300.
With all due respect, you can drive through the Midwest fro hours and all you see corn, wheat and soybeans, or soybeans, wheat and corn. Here we are surrounded by dozens and dozens of different crops. I have a neighbor growing three types of onions on one side of our ranch and a field with dozens of different lettuce plants on the other side.

I'll leave you with my favorite fruit salad recipe. A friend named Albert shared this with us.

Albert's Fruit Salad

1/2 of a watermelon [ I use the round seedless kind, less muss and fuss ]
1/2 of a cantaloupe
1/4 of a jicama
1 mango
1 pear
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 TBS lime juice
1 TBS Mexican chili powder. Yes- I said chili powder. No, not the kind you make chili with. I use
Tajin chili powder. You can find it in the grocery store where they
Pico de Gallo spices.

I use a melon baller and scoop out the water melon and cantaloupe and put the melon balls in a large bowl. Peel and cut the mango and jicama in to quarter inch cubes, add to the bowl with the melons. Core and slice the pear, add to the bowl. Add cilantro, lime juice and chili powder. Stir it all together and you are good to go.

This makes a very different fruit salad. Frankly it is not everyone's cup of tea. Sheryl doesn't like it that much. I can eat it by the bucket on a hot summer day. If you are tired of everyday fruit salad then you might want to give this a try.

Buon apetito.

I should probably introduce Indy. I haven't had a pickup dog for twenty years. He's the best. His Mom is a Golden Retriever and his Dad was a sneaky neighbor dog. (It's a common breed.) He's nine months old and weighs 90 pounds. Very mellow temprment. He's the perfect dog for me.
My son, Jonathan, suggested the name. Do you remember that we find out in the third movie that Indiana Jones is named after the family dog? Well, there you go.
Indy goes just about everywhere with me. Yes, I do let him ride in the cab. I got him last Fall and he was too small to stick in back during the winter. Now he is obviously fairly comfortable riding shotgun. He does like riding in back, but prefers in the cab with me.
If you haven't seen it I love the poem 'GoD and DoG"by Wendy Franciso. www.youtube.com/wath?v=H17edn_RZoy

This week on the farm? Thrips in the blackeyes, mites in teh almonds and weeds in the garbanzos. It's always something.
It was cool and windy ealrier in the week. Now it is warming up again. We'll start the next field of cotton irrigation next week.

This week's cooking tip- Basque marinade for hamburgers. Adds a nice touch on the BBQ.

Hope you all have a great week.
Puppy kisses and tail wags from Indy.

Sorry I am behind schedule. I was sick last week. Spent Memorial Day Weekend on the sofa with a fever. Took it easy last week so it wouldn't turn into something worse.

Summer's back in town. Temps are up into the 90's. It will get warmer. I shouldn't complain, we have had a fabulous Spring. Lots of sunshine and cool weather. Of course, that has confused the poor plants. I have not checked any degree day records, but it looks to me like the cotton is about two weeks behind.
The old timers will tell you that cool, wet Springs lead to cool, wet Falls. I'll check back with you in October. I could use a warm, dry Fall to catch up on some of this lost time.

We finished fertilizing the cotton last week. Some of the almonds looked a little light. Leaf analysis showed they were short of nitrogen, so we gave them a little more food too. Mites are starting up in a couple of blocks of almonds. We'll have to spray. It's always something.

This week we will start water up in the cotton. Irrigation brings up the question of how we use our natural resources. You can see below a recent op-ed I wrote on the subject. I think utilization of natural resources is one of the big unresolved natural resource issues of our day. Here the issue is water, elsewhere it is other resources. No one is asking permission to rape the environment. But, current policy is so restrictive as to be unreasonable. We definitely need a safe and sane resource policy. We don't have one yet.

I hope y'all have a great week. Please, if you haven't already, take a look below at the op-ed on Job Creation and Natural Resources.
Ciao,
P

The View from My Office

My environmental friends will remind us that the sign of a healthy ecosystem is the presence of wildlife. We'll I must be doing something right. We live on a twenty five acre almond orchard. I have one family of cotton tail rabbits in the back yard and another in the pasture in front yard. You would think that with three dogs and two cats we wouldn't have rabbits. But, once again this morning, as I was doing some writing one of our little bunny friends was hopping right outside my office door.
In the last year I have had a Cooper's Hawk in the wisteria outside my office door and we had a Bald Eagle visit our orchard also. Pretty cool.

Wine Tasting

It's not all work on the farm.

We spent the afternoon wine tasting with our daughter, Heidi, and he boyfriend, Will. We met them at Appellation California at Avenue 7 and 99. (App Call is a wine tasting room where the smaller wine growers in Madera County can bring their wares. You can find them at www.appellationcalifornia.com ).

Fabulous afternoon. We sat out in the garden and enjoyed wine, cheese, crackers and each others companies. It has been a long week for most of us. We started with a Pinot Grigio blend from Mariposa Wine Company. Yummy. Heidi and Will brought some amazing cheeses. The Bravo Farms garlic cheese is a real treat.

We also found some Spanish chorizo at App Cal. A few years ago I found a recipe for Spanish chorizo and scallops. Since I couldn't find Spanish chorizo here I substituted with linguica. THat works very well. Dinner tonight will be scallops with our newly found Spanish chorizo, a salad and perhaps a little more wine.

Spring Planting

There is a deep sense of satisfaction watching seedlings come out of the ground. This week it is our black eye peas. When I see the first cotyledons come out of the ground there is a great sense of relief- we are off and running.

Planting seed is such a miracle to me. I could do all the same work preparing the ground and if we planted pebbles nothing would happen. The fact that there is life in those seeds is still amazing to me. If they are planted in the right conditions of temperature and soil moisture they can truly yield a hundred fold.

You will just have to take my word for this, it is truly a great feeling to see the seedlings come out of the ground.

P