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