Merry Christmas!! "Peace on Earth and Good Food for All"

I would like to wish Y'all a Merry Christmas.

   I know all of you are Christians and many of you are not people of faith. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas because that is where I draw my hope and faith. For my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah. To those who celebrate Kwanzaa, Happy Kwanzaa. The message of the first Christmas was 'Peace on Earth and Good will to all People." I hope that is still a message we can all agree on.

Food and family are at the heart of many celebrations this time of year. What is it about food and celebration? Seeing friends and family is great, but there are just certain foods we don't have any other time of the year. For example, I only make fudge for the holidays.

   I know our doctors want us to eat our fruits and vegetables and I am not a nutritionist, but I have this theory that if we eat good most of the time we can loosen up once in a while. So I want to encourage you to enjoy visiting family and friends, enjoy good foods from our Valley's abundance.

The message of the first Christmas was, "Peace on Earth and Good Will to Everyone."

Merry Christmas Y'all

Christmas on the Farm

One of my radio bits this week-
[you can here it at http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68]

Christmas Memories

By Paul H. Betancourt
Copyright December, 2011

One of our Christmas memories from when the kids were younger was going to a Christmas tree farm, cutting down a tree and bringing it home.

Decorating the Christmas tree was always a full event at our house. We had Christmas music blaring, hot cider in the crock pot and cookies coming out of the oven. Decorating was a three ring circus, but we knew we had welcomed in Christmas.

I don’t know what your family traditions are, but I hope you have something similar to our memories of decorating the family Christmas tree. Our days, weeks and years are full of endless routines. One of the charms of the holidays is that we stop… and take a moment.

Yes, I know it gets hectic. I wish we could stretch the holidays into January. But, we don’t do that. We cram all the bustle- the food, the presents, the decorations, the parties, faith and family visits all together.

We cherish the time because these truly are special moments in our lives. We might complain about the hassle, but think about what our years would be like without the holidays.

Merry Christmas Y’all.

Bustin' Rocks

I don't know about you, but we have spent most of the week trying to bust rocks. We are preparing some ground to plant almonds next Spring. It has a strong hard pan layer. The rain leaches the minerals out of the top foot of soil and they seal up about a foot and a half down. Even though we ripped the ground two years ago, it was tough. Spent the week breaking ripper points and shear bolts. But, we got 'er done- for now.

We finished watering the first field of wheat. We'll finish the second field next week. We have never been done before Christmas. That feels good. The wheat is already sprouting. We have a long way to go, but we are off to a good start.

Joke of the Week-

I haven't done a joke of the week yet, but this is too funny. I wish I had it a few weeks ago when I wrote about why we continue to farm if it is such a tough way to make a living.

The Montana Department of Employment, Division of Labor Standards, claimed a small rancher was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent to investigate him.


GOV'T AGENT: I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them.
RANCHER:Well, there's my hired hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board.

   Then there's the mentally challenged guy. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here.
   He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night so he can cope with life.
   He also sleeps with my wife occasionally.

GOV'T AGENT:That's the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one.

RANCHER:That would be me.

I don't know who wrote that. I wish I could give him or her credit.
Ya gotta laugh once in a while. It's good medicine.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Independence, Inter-dependence & Dependence

I like the idea of rugged individualism. I think it made America strong. But, I also know I am part of a huge system. I can use a tractor to grow a crop, but I can’t make a tractor. Farmers are proud of mastering multiple tasks like mechanics, welding, hydraulics, agronomy, marketing and bookkeeping. But, no matter how many tasks I master I can’t do it all. I count on other people to make it on the farm.

     Modern civilization is a large and complex system.
     We learn interdependence from biological systems.

I like the idea of rugged individualism, but I am also part of a much larger system and I am OK with that. Independence is good, it is the foundation of our political system. Inter-dependence is part of our complex, modern society. Dependence is what we want to avoid. Being dependent is not healthy.
[you can hear my other radio bits on 940KYNO, or see them on the KYNO website,
http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68 ]

[No, that's not our farm. That is a farm in Germany last Fall. I enjoy seeing how the other guys do it.]
 
Meanwhile, back on the farm...
                    ...it's been another busy week- and windy too.
 
We would have been busy irrigating the wheat, but the irrigation district had to repair the lines. So we had to use the well. As frustrating as that is I appreciate the work they do keeping the system going.
We finished cleaning the equipment. We were also busy working cotton beds, spraying weeds and disking down the cornfield.
 
It got really busy last Thursday and it has gotten cold now. Winter is back in town.
 
We'll keep watering the wheat up. We'll try to get all the wheat watered before taking some time off for Christmas.
 
Hope y'all have a great week.
 
P
 

Why We Do It

I hope Y'all are having a great Thanksgiving Weekend. I know I am.

I often get asked- why do you do it? If farming is that tough why not get out? Those are fair questions.

This year's Agriculturalist of the Year for Fresno County is Jon Marthedal. At his acceptance speech last week he told us of a plaque on his Dad's desk when he was a child. The plaque had the Farmer's Creed from Sperry New Holland. I'll post it below. The Farmer's Creed answers the question of why we do it as well as anyone I know. I wish I had written it.

A Farmer's Creed

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.


I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.


I believe that farming, despite it’s hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth.


I believe that farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways that money can’t buy.


I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way.


I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth and maturity in such a variety of ways.


I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.


I believe true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feel the pride that springs from their shared experience.


I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honor that does not come to all men.


I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellowman, and by this standard I fear no judgment.


I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lived.


I believe in farming because it makes all this possible.

- Sperry New Holland

I hope Y'all have a great week.

P

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We got the ground bedded up before the rain hit.
Now we will try to get the wheat in in between rains.
We have much to be thankful for. It has been a good year. Below is the text of this week's radio bit on KYNO.

I wish Y'all the Happiest of Thanksgivings!

Reflections on Thanksgiving- 2011

When I was a kid Mom made us send Thank you notes when we got birthday and Christmas presents. At ten I hated it.

Today my illegible, hand written notes are famous among family and friends. I have my fountain pen and sealing wax… When I send a thank you note I want my friends and family to know I appreciate their gift and thoughtfulness.

There is something healthy about saying Thank You.

Considering the daily headlines we sometimes forget we have much for which we can be Thankful. We live in the Land of the Free, Because of the Brave. We forget, that warts and all, we live in a time and place with the most freedom, prosperity and peace for the most people in the history of the world.

We also have someone to whom we can be Thankful for our blessings. I know many people get squidgy about religion and I understand. But, the very freedom to express our religion- or not, is another blessing for which we can be Thankful.

I like Thanksgiving.

The weather has cooled.
The crops are in.
And it is a good time to take a moment out of the rush of daily life, and take a deep breath.
I have much for which to be Thankful and someone to whom I can give thanks for another great year.

Now the Demolition Derby Begins

We finished first pick on Tuesday. Not as good as it looked, but much better than last year.
We are second picking and following with ground work.

The first step is shredding the stalks. Then we have to loosen the roots and start discing.

   I told a few neighbors we had begun the Demolition Derby and they laughed. "Yeah, that pretty well describes it." said one neighbor. The reason I call this demolition derby is that we try to get this all done before the heavy winter rains set in. We have heavy clay soil and once it gets wet it can't be worked without causing compaction that will hurt next year's crop.  It is usually a race to get all the work done before we tear up all the equipment. We have time later in the winter to work on equipment, now is the time to "whoop and scoot."
   We deal with repairs like a NASCAR pit crew. We all gang up on it, fix it and send it back into the race. I admit, not all repairs are to factory specks. Sometimes we hokey joe things so they are good enough to finish the job. Again, we'll have plenty of time later to fix it up to look pretty too.

I wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to thank our Veterans and their families.
Here is the text for one of my radio pieces for this coming week.

Veterans’ Day- 2011
by Paul H. Betancourt
Copyright, October, 2011
We are approaching Thanksgiving Day in a few weeks. We have much to be thankful for and many to be thankful to.

I would like to start by thanking our Veterans and their families. Ladies and gentlemen as I grow older I have a deeper appreciation for what you have done, not only for our nation, but for me personally.

I have been fortunate enough to travel a little and I have read a bit of history. Through that I have gained a deep appreciation for what we have here. Warts and all we live in an amazing country at an amazing time. We truly live in the land of the free because of the brave. Thank you. If you would allow a civilian- I salute you all with the deepest respect.

I also want to say thank you to the families of our military and our veterans. Our son has served two tours in Afghanistan. Until he left on his first tour we never really understood what the families go through waiting, worrying and praying for our soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen while they are gone on a deployment. I want you to know how much I appreciate each one of you.

We really should be thankful every day, but in this season of Thanksgiving I want to give you a special measure of my deep thanks to you all.
I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Indy on the Radio

For those of you who don't get to hear me on the radio, here's the link to my radio bit on Indy.
It's one of my favorites so far.

http://www.940kyno.com/mp3_files/FARM/10-31-11_Indy.mp3

Hope y'all are having a great week.

P

It's Picking Time Again

One week down. So far, so good.
   This picking is a lot more fun when you are not losing your rear. Yields are up almost a hundred percent over last year and prices are up nearly fifty percent. [We'd rather forget last year. That was ugly.]

That is not to say there haven't been moments this past week. Raul Jr. was sick for two days. Being one man short had the rest of us hopping.The grease pump on the picker gave us fits.
   Some of you may remember me saying I am only one broken bolt from disaster. Well Friday afternoon it hit. The big red machine in the picture above is called a module builder. We dump cotton in there. The cotton is then picked up and hauled to the gin to be baled. Well, we lost an hour and a half Friday when one little bolt, on one chain broke. We had to un-jam the chain, install a new master link and then re-align the tamper. I hate when that happens. no matter how well we prepare these things happen with old equipment. I seem to remember a saying about Mother Nature siding with the hidden flaw. We try to make most of our repairs like an Indy pit crew- get 'er fixed and back out in the field. We stock the parts and tools for common things that break. In this case I did have a chain master link ready to go.
   I would really freak out if we were picking under the threat of rain. But, I gotta admit the weather has been fabulous and the weather man is on our side for the coming week also. So, break downs are frustrating, but they don't give me the heartburn they usually would. We still gotta 'whoop and scoot'. We should finish first picking this week. Then we have to second pick. Then we have to work in the stalks, disc the ground down, bed back up and get the wheat planted before the heavy winter rains hit. So, while we are enjoying the warm weather we are not relaxing at all. There is still plenty of work to do. So, we have taken a Sabbath rest. We had a great Sunday afternoon dinner with our daughter and her family. Tomorrow, first light, we'll be back in the field getting the picker ready to go back at it.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Fall Colors

I am usually too busy with harvest to stop and see the Fall colors. Sure, we are not the Northeast with their fabulous Fall foliage. But, there is beauty here too. The weather has begun to cool and the trees around the Valley are changing color. I love Fall weather.

While the Fall colors of the landscape ornamentals are beautiful there is one color I have been looking for- white,

Fluffy white cotton bolls. This picture was taken last Monday. You can see there are still a lot of leaves on the plant. That is why we haven't picked this week. The plants have opened up a lot since Monday. It is really hard to not look every day. If I look every day I can't see the differences. But, if I skip a few days I can really see it. I'll post a picture next week.

  Defoliation has gone really well. We have rarely had Pima cotton open like this. The warm weather has been great in opening the crop. Now we just have to get it in.

We will start picking on Monday. The equipment is ready. The weather man is on our side.

We had all the equipment ready as of last Monday. Then late yesterday the grease tank on the picker cracked. A new tank is $900, so we were motivated to patch this one. Ruben had a heart attack when I told him the price of a new tank.

For those of you who worry I just wander around without supervision I want you to know I do have an inspector to keep an eye on me.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Almost ready for harvest

All the cotton harvesting equipment is ready. Repairs have been made and everything is serviced. The weather man is on our side. The forecast calls for sunny, warm days. The cotton is opening up nicely. So we wait. Like those old commercials- we will pick no cotton before its time.

Meanwhile we have some odds and ends to deal with around the ranch. The corn was harvested this past weekend. So, we will disc that field down. We will tidy up the orchard by mowing the centers and spraying the berms. One year I didn't get that done before harvest and the weeds were knee deep when we got back to the orchard to prune after harvest. It was a wet winter to boot, so we had a soggy mess. That was all the motivation I needed. We clean up now and when it comes to pruning time everything will be ready. [That reminds me, I should make sure the pruning saw blades are all sharpened. It never ends.]

No, the squash is not from our farm. But, it is a reminder that it is Fall. My favorite weather of the year. That is fortunate since this is the time of the year when I spend the most time outside.

Below is another one of my radio bits. It is an expression of one of those mysteries I have never been able to figure out.

Farmers and Enviros-

I have never understood why enviros are so crabby about farmers. We work in harmony with Nature. To survive as a farmer you have to understand the natural world and learn to work in harmony with the rhythms of nature.


Everyone’s got to eat. The only way this is going to happen is for us to find ways for us to produce food in an environmentally sound way. The end goal is a healthy economy and a healthy environment.


I teach my students “either/Or” is a logical fallacy and either a healthy environment or a healthy economy doesn’t work. We need to find a balance. That is why I am surprised the enviros are rarely helpful in basic research to grow food and care for the environment. They would rather lobby lawmakers and file lawsuits.


I would think there was a natural alliance between farmers and enviros. I have been trying to work with them for years. They seem stuck in the Either/Or fallacy. Hopefully some day they will get past whatever bugaboos they have so we can work together.

I hope y'all have a great week.
 
P

Fall is in the Air

     Ahhh, Fall is in the air. It is still warm, but the summer heat has broken. I hope you are all enjoying it like I am. This is my favorite weather of the year.
     We are still busy in the shop getting equipment ready for harvest. We are also getting ready to put some fertilizer on the almonds. This helps with the growth of the new fruit wood for next year's crop and makes sure the trees have a little food when they come out of dormancy next Spring.

    It is also time for the Big Fresno Fair. Here's a little radio bit I did about the Fair.

An Unusual Sight at the Fair
     If you want to see something truly amazing when you go to the Big Fresno Fair take a peek inside the Ag building. Yeah, I know you have seen it before. Stacks and stacks of golden peaches, purple plums and sun kissed nectarines. Boxes of grapes of all types and colors. But, I invite you to see it with new eyes. We think this is normal. We grow three hundred different crops in Fresno County. Do you realize how unusual that is? It is truly amazing. There are very few places on earth that do what we do here. When you drive through Iowa or Kansas you see miles and miles of corn, or miles and miles of wheat.

     But, when you come to Fresno County you drive through grape vineyards, cotton fields, orange groves and dairies. We’ve got it all.

     And there in the Ag building, in one glimpse you can see it all, you can see what few people on earth see. So, when you go to the Big Fresno Fair I hope you have a great time. But, I also hope you take a peek inside the Ag building and remember how unusual that all is.

I hope y'all have a great week!

The Fall Rush

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Fall is a busy time on the farm. On top of that I have been waiting to get a picture to post and I haven't seen anything that really captures my attention as a photograph. A friend took this picture of Indy.

My buddy.

     In the cotton we have cut off irrigation water. Now we are waiting for the bolls to open. This warm weather has been great. We have had some bug problems. But, I am riding that out. I am hoping the good bugs are eating the bad bugs. The plants are lush and green so they can take a little damage from mites and worms. But, if we get any significant white fly or aphids we will have to spray again. Quality is everything in a global market and the honey dew secreted by white fly and aphids makes the cotton sticky and hard to spin. That is a serious problem.

    The last of the almonds have been harvested and the trees have gotten another drink of water. They will also get some fertilizer. The trees are forming next years fruit wood and we want them to be as strong and healthy as they can be. A little food now and when they wake up from dormancy in the Spring they are ready to go.

     We are working in the shop to prepare our equipment for harvest. I'll attach two recent radio pieces I have done on maintenance below.

     My radio work has been absorbing some time also. Thanks to everyone who has heard me and sent words of encouragement. I appreciate hearing from you. Occasionally I will post the text from my radio bits as appropriate. Remember, if you miss me on the air you can always find us at-

http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68

A Lesson Learned: The Importance of Maintenance

By Paul H. Betancourt
Copyright August, 2011
     My uncle was a New York City Transit cop. My uncle was also an avid hunter and a crackerjack mechanic. When I got my first car, Dad and I too it over to Uncle Charlie to get it serviced. While we were talking about parts and tune-ups, Uncle Charlie laughed and said, “You don’t have to be a good mechanic, you just have to learn how to change the oil and do the maintenance. Oil is cheaper than parts.”
     You can bet this is a lesson I use on the farm. When I first started farming I kept buying bigger and bigger toolboxes. Then I realized I’m not that good of a mechanic and I don’t have to be. I got a smaller toolbox and a cell phone. We service all our own equipment and do the minor repairs. When we get stuck we call for help.

     You’d be surprised how many people, including farmers, don’t check and change their oil. A little tender loving care in the way of oil and grease goes a long way to keep things running smoothly.

Maintenance II- Annual Inspections

By Paul H. Betancourt
August 2011

     A pilot friend told me his plane was in the shop for its annual inspection. When I asked what mechanics check in an ‘annual’, he said, “Everything.” Mechanics go over the whole plane inside out, from tip to tail. Any equipment that is even close to the edge gets changed out.

     That makes sense. Sooner or later, every piece of equipment I have owned or driven needs to be pulled over to the side of the road to have something checked. Up in the sky there is nowhere to pull over and park.

     That gave me an idea. Why not do an “Annual” on the tractors? We are not flying, but down time during harvest can be costly and may drive you nuts. So we have changed what we do on the farm. Every fall, in between the summer irrigation and cotton harvest, we perform an Annual inspection on each piece of equipment we have.
     It may seem a long way from an airplane hangar to a farm shop. But, you can learn a lot of interesting things when you ask questions. I learned how to take better care of our equipment just by asking my pilot friend one question.

I hope y'all have a great week.
 
P

Almond Harvest

and that is what a year's worth of work looks like. Pretty isn't it? And tasty too!

The first variety of almonds are up and on their way to market. The next variety will be shaken on the 29th. In the meantime we are sneaking a shot of water on the trees to keep them going.

This week we will work in the shop. No irrigating on the cotton. Next week we will put the last irrigation on the cotton.

Before I sign off, here's my recipe for roast almonds.

Roast Almonds
4 cups of almonds

1/8 cup of olive oil

2 tbsp salt

12 minutes and check

350F
Note- you can use any type of oil, I use olive oil
Also, be creative and try different types of salt. Garlic salt is yummy. I think I have tried Pappy’s. Zatarain’s Cajun salt is very zippy. I have my own creole salt I use also. Have fun.


Mmmmmmm. Yes, that is a yummy sound.
Fresh almonds taste great, but a can't eat too many. Maybe that is a hint.
Roasted almonds taste fab-u-lous, and I can eat them all day long. Again, maybe that is a clue of some sort.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

We're shaking my nuts,

that means it's harvest time! [What  were you thinking?]

The little brown flecks are the almonds being shaken to the ground.

The old joke is Al-monds on the tree and ah-monds when they are on the ground. Because they have had the 'L' shaken out of them. OK, corny, sometimes we get a little silly when we have been in the sun too long.

The nuts will lay on the ground for a week to dry out. Then they will be picked up and sent to the huller to be hulled and shelled. Then off to Blue Diamond for packaging. Remember, a can a week is all we ask.

Elsewhere on the farm-

We are starting our last irrigation in the cotton. We'll be done watering the end of the month.

The bugs got sprayed over the weekend. I hated the expense, but those bugs won't die by themselves. The crazy thing is the new generation of bug killers are softer on the environment, but they are much more expensive and don't last as long. I am left with this dilemma- do the right thing and pay through the nose, or go cheap. We do have good commodity prices this year. I hope it is enough to cover fuel, fertilizer and chemical prices. There is always something to worry about.

My radio work continues to go well. Last week the station posted MP3s of my pieces. You can find them at- http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68

   I do appreciate the words of encouragement some of you have sent along. Radio is a different critter. It is hard to create a conversation when I am in the studio by myself. Glad to know some of you like it.

I hope y'all have a great week.

The Plants Will Tell You...

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I have been busy. I'll explain later.

Plants will tell you when something is wrong. The corn leaf on the left is not lush and green. The yellow streaking tells us something is missing. Soils and leaf samples confirm the field is short of potassium. A friend who is a retired agronomist tells me the plant wants potassium, but there isn't enough in the soil. So it picks up the sodium in the soil which burns the leaves. I need to get some potassium out there so we can have healthy, happy plants. Of course, the corn plants can't be all that upset. You can see two healthy ears of corn in the background.

OK, like I said I have been busy. We have a new project. Those of you in the Fresno area can now hear me on KYNO 940 radio weekdays. They have asked if I do a little radio work for them. Eventually the owner at KYNO wants to do a full Ag news show, but we are not ready for that yet. So we have started with one minute spots about life on the farm. You can hear me 5:30. 6:30, 7:30AM, 12:30 and 5:30PM.  We are also tyring to link this blog with the station web page. We are being sponsored by a local fertilizer company, Actagro. Thanks guys.

Next week- almond harvest! We start shaking trees on Monday. I'll report back to you.

I hope y'all have a good week.

P

Wheat Harvest

Sorry about the late post. Last weekend we helped our daughter and her family move in to their new home. I am just catching up.

There are 365 days in a year. We have been waiting for the grain harvesters to show up for about two weeks. Of course they show up on moving day. Whew.
   This sure is a pretty sight.

Hard to believe this is the first step to a loaf of bread.

Looks like a good crop. Prices are softening, but that usually happens during harvest of most crops.
Once the straw is baled we will disc the ground and rip it. Then we will let it sit open until the Fall. We will work it and bed it before cotton harvest and it will be ready for next year.

And how about the weather? It is over 20 degrees cooler than this time last week.
   I was looking over some weather forecasts this week. The average temp in our area for the end of July is 97 on the Weather Channel. That's funny. Twenty five years ago I was working with the UC thirty year average temps and they had the last few days of July were pegged at 100 degrees. I thought we were supposed to be warming up. I know they probably had different methodologies, but my point is that at least over the last thirty years, in our area, temps are not going up.

Elsewhere on the farm-
   The corn is now officially as high as an elephant's eye. It really grew during last week's heat. It is tasseling out. It is getting another shot of water and fertilizer this week.
   Today we finished the second irrigation on the cotton. It is finally blooming. Some bugs started showing up last week. They are getting sprayed this week.
   We finally have hull split in the almonds. That is about two weeks late. Another reflection of the cool Spring weather. Almond harvest is next. We will start prepping the fields next week. Meanwhile there are always weeds to kill.

I hope y'all are having a great week.

P

Happy 4th of July!!!

Anotherr busy week on the farm. We are getting ready to irrigate the cotton again so furrows were built up, weeds pulled and ditches put in place.

Here's the view from the tractor as the cultivator goes through the field.

This cultivator is six rows wide. Those steel spiders cultivate the weeds and break up the soil which we through back up in to the bed. Ruben gets a good sixty acres a day in if there are no problems.

As you can see the cotton is growing fast. We make the crop in the next five or six weeks. Anything that blooms after the middle of August won't have time to mature as an open boll before harvest. So, keeping up on irrigation, fertilizer and bug control is very important for the next month or so.


It is also the 4th of July.

Personally, my favorite clause of the Declaration of Independence is where Jefferson wrote, " He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance." Some things never change do they? To farmers at least, we can't seem to turn around without having some government agency or another showing up with a bill or a fine or a regulation. I make my living producing food and fiber, not filling out forms. The wealth of this nation was created by producing products and services, not filling out forms. Some day we will get that straight.

While I am on my soap box...
   Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, "The American Revolution was not fought for freedom, but for self-government." Think about that one for a minute. Our system was founded on the idea we can govern ourselves. We need to rise to that sort of expectation, because I can tell you, If we don't govern ourselves there are people that would like to rule over us. I, for one, would probably not like that.

And, of course- thank you to the men and women of our armed forces who have sacrificed so much for our independence. Thanks also to their families who have waited and worried while their warriors were gone. We owe you all a debt of gratitude we can never repay. THANK YOU!

Weeds and Hot Weather

Warm weather and water make the cotton, and the weeds grow.

Can you see the dark flecks int eh furrows? Those are pig weed seedlings that sprouted because of the water from last week's irrigation. If we leave them alone they will be three feet tall in a month. So, we fired up the tractor...

and started cultivating the cotton.
   Both of these pictures are taken from the same spot in the field. I didn't move an inch. In the first picture I looked down at the weeds. In the second picture I looked up toward the tractor.You can see the stems at the top of the top picture are in the bottom of the bottom picture.
   We are running two passes of the tractor. In the first pass we use a rolling cultivator to loosen up the soil. For the second pass we use a fixed cultivator to shape the beds for the next irrigation in a week or so.

It got to 111F this week. Fortunately it has cooled off. The old hands tell you cotton likes heat. That is true up to a point. The plant is a lot like me, it shuts down at 95F. University studies show the stoma on the bottom of the cotton leaves actually shut down at 95 to protect the plant. Ideal temps for cotton are between 65 and 95. Below 65 the plants won't grow and above 95 the shut down. See, just like me, I operate better when it is warmer than 65 and cooler than 95.

I y'all have a great week.

P

Happy Father's Day!

Another busy week on the farm- mostly watering.

As you can see, the cotton has gotten a little taller since last week. The weather warmed up this week. I could finally use the pressure bomb to measure the plant's water use and it was just right. We have long been able to measure soil moisture, but the soil moisture is not as important as the condition of the plant. That makes sense doesn't it? There could be a situation where the soil was OK and the plants too wet or too dry. So researchers found a way to measure the plant moisture. It is called a pressure bomb. When we 'bomb' the cotton we know exactly what condition it is in and we can schedule our irrigation.
   Of course it is one thing to say you want to irrigate when you reach such and such a level. The hard part is having everything coordinated to get there- furrows have to be pulled, pipes laid and ditches put up. Experience and preparation are important. Seeing the big picture is important. We also have to finish this irrigation, cultivate the weeds again, twice, consider whether to spray for weeds and/ or fertilize again, before the plants need their next irrigation in a few weeks. Just because we got one irrigation right doesn't mean we can relax. We have to stay on our toes. Oh yeah we also need to keep checking for bugs to make sure they haven't moved in and started eating their way through the crop.

Here's the corn-

It's not "as high as an elephant's eye", but you can see it has grown quite a bit since the last photo. That is my shovel on the left to give you and idea of the size. I can't take a picture of myself with this camera to give you scale and Indy doesn't sit still very well. When we are checking fields he is wandering around looking for squirrels or something new to smell.
   Having Indy along makes me a better farmer. He's a good motivator to take longer walks in the fields. It is too tempting when I am busy to just drive by. You can't really know a field looking through a windshield. So out we go. While he is sniffing around I can check for bugs, soil moisture, weeds and the basic conditions of the crop. Plus, a little exercise doesn't hurt.

I hope y'all have a great week.
HAPPY FATHERS' DAY to all the Dad's.
As the old saying goes, becoming a father is easy, the world of being a Dad takes a real man.

P

First Irrigation

Hi there. Sorry about the late post. Busy weekend. Saturday graded papers and cooked for a charity event at a local art museum. Sunday Church and a birthday party for little Persia who is 3 today. I needed to go to work today to get some rest.

OK, back on the farm-

The big question is when to start irrigating the cotton.

If you start too early it can cause the plant to go to all stalk and no bolls. Not good since we get paid for producing bolls.

If you start too late, or the weather heats up real fast- you BBQ the plants. That's not good either. There is a point called the Permanent Wilting Point and it is as bad as it sounds; if they wilt too much it is permanent and that is not good. Little toasted cotton plants don't produce cotton either.

We are big fans of research from the University of California and the California State University system.They do basic research on question s like this. The UC Farm Advisors have actually developed ways to measure the plant and the soil to tell us when it is the perfect time to irrigate. Of course, as with most things, it looks great in the textbook, but how do you translate that into field conditions? So, each June we spend a lot of time checking fields and checking with each other. We calculate how long it will take to get over the fields and look at the weather forecast. Sooner or later it is time to pull the trigger and begin irrigate.

As you can see in the photo above we began the first field last week,after things started to warm up. We will hold off a few days and begin the second field the middle of the week as things warm up some more. Of course, that is after checking the soil moisture and the plants one more time.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

So, how do farmers respond to goofy weather?

A short post this week, we have been busy visiting with family who came for Heidi and Will's wedding!

Thirty years ago this week I climbed up my first tractor here on the farm. Never expected to be here that long. It has been interesting to say the least.

I spent that first summer mostly driving a D-8 and working ground. The first three weeks it was 100 degrees plus. This boy, who grew up in San Diego was wondering what in the wide world of sports I was doing here.

While that first summer had three weeks of 100 plus weather, this June is beginning with cooler than average weather. Yesterday was perfect for the wedding. Today was ten degrees cooler and rainy. The newsies have called to do interviews asking how this goofy weather affects the crops. Well, the cooler weather slows crop development on all crops. Some like it better than others. My grape growing friends are saying their vines think  this is Napa weather. Of course, as soon as this rain passes by they will all be applying to sulfur to control mildew. The cherry guys have to be hating this rain. A little rain on the cherries and they will start splitting.

People ask what we do, as farmers, about the weather. We adjust. Normally we start watering the cotton the first week of June. But, since it is cool and raining we will wait. We have the fields ready to irrigate, the beds are ready, the ditches are put up and the pipe laid. If it warms up the end of the week we will start watering. Hopefully, we know our crops, our fields and the weather enough to make intelligent decisions. That's part of what makes this job so interesting. You can't just farm by the calendar.

I hope y'all have a great week.

Why We Irrigate and a Memorial Day Thank You

Which wheat field would you rather have?
You can't hurt my feelings, neither field is mine. But, both fields are within a mile of each other near our farm.

Or, this one?

   I hope you can see the difference. All the top field received in the way of water was this past winter's rainfall. The bottom field belongs to a neighbor who raises consistently excellent wheat.

   Can you see the difference? The top field is much sparser than the bottom field. If you could see the individual kernels, they are no more than 2/3s the size of the kernels in the bottom field. And that, dear readers is why farmers in my neighborhood irrigate. Even with 160% normal rainfall there isn't enough rain to raise even a decent wheat crop. Last year's dry land wheat fields in our area, again that was a wet winter, yielded only one half to three quarter of a ton per acre. Farmers who irrigated their wheat had yields of three to four tons of wheat per acre. Why wouldn't we irrigate. We can take a hundred to two hundred dollars of water and turn it into seven hundred to twelve hundred dollars worth of wheat.

Memorial Day

This weekend is Memorial Day. In spite of what many people think it is not merely the opening of the summer BBQ season and an important annual motorcar race. The celebration of Memorial Day goes back to just after the end of the Civil War. With Jonathan's deployments we have learned a new appreciation of the price of our freedoms. It is not only time to honor our fallen soldiers, but a good time to thank our veterans, our soldiers and their families. Waiting for your soldier, sailor, Marine or airman to come home can be very hard. My hat is especially off to the spouses who wait at home during long deployments. THANK YOU ALL!

I saw an important reminder a few years ago-

It is the Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier,not the campus organizer,

Who has given s the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer,

who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag,

Who serves beneath the flag,

And whose coffin is draped by the flag,

Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Father Dennis Edward O'Brien

USMC

Again, Thank you all. I have not always been the most patriotic person, over the last ten years I have learned a new appreciation of the special country we live in and the price that has been paid for us to live here.



Fresh fruit season!

This has been a weed killing week. Once the weather dried off and warmed we got back in the field.
The corn may look short in this photo, but by the time we water it one more time and it dries out the corn will be too big to get the tractor in the field again. So this is our last chance to cultivate the weeds and form the furrows.

Now, people often ask why farmers use herbicides. Trust me, it is not because we want to. I am cheap and lazy. I would avoid the work if I could. But, when you have weeds you have to do something.

When you have weeds like this a hoe won't do. That is field bind weed, or perennial morning glory. It is a nasty little bugger with roots that can go down to eight feet. If you whack of the top it will just grow back. With Roundup we can kill the root.

Now we are careful, we don't just spray willy-nilly. In the picture below you can see our  hooded sprayer. We only spray over the pant where the cultivator can't cut the weeds out mechanically. By spraying a band on over the pant we can spray ounces where we used to have to spray gallons.

I don't know why the enviros get so crabby about genetic engineering. They fight us for decades to use less chemicals in our fields. We find a way to do it and they complain about that too. I guess some folks will never be satisfied.



 Well, there is more than work on the farm. I had dinner with some friends last night. Evelyn has been to Spain recently. She made paella and I brought fresh made Sangria. That was yummy. But, we have another treat for you this week.

Recipe of the Week-
Some of you think it is Spring and that is true. But, it is more than merely Spring, it is fresh fruit season. In our area fruit stands are springing up all over. I bought strawberries and the first peaches of the season. Yummmmmy.

Not that fresh fruit is boring in any way, but there is more than one way to eat fruit. I grilled some apples on the BBQ this week. That was fab-ulous. I got the recipe from a chef we met in Monterrey last week at the Rotary convention. This week's discovery was at least as tasty- fresh fruit margaritas!

I can't take the credit for it. I got the recipe from a friend, Moises.

Moises' Fresh Fruit Margaritas-

fill your blender with the fruit of your choice
[ I have used strawberries and peaches, works either way]

pour in a cup of tequila
[actually Moises uses vodka]

pour in some citrus to but the edge of the alcohol in the tequila
[Moises uses orange juice, I used triple sec]

put in half a dozen ice cubes and blend.

Pour and enjoy. Great on a warm afternoon.

I would think that should count as at least one serving of fresh fruit don't you?

May Wind and Rain?

Not only are we busy on the farm with the Spring Rush, but the weather gets crazy as we shift from winter to summer. The wind is crazy. We lost 18 trees in the wind last weekend and they are predicting more wind this weekend.
   It is hard to organize work in this weather. One year we had to wait three weeks to spray for weeds in the cotton. It was just too windy. When we finally got going Ruben finished the field in two and a half days- it just took three weeks of waiting.
   This was the day before hooded sprayers. Now we have hoods to cover the spray nozzles. We can spray in moderate winds and keep the material from drifting where it shouldn't go. Adapt, Innovate and Overcome. I am not much of a engineering, mechanical kind of guy, but I have to admit that the innovation of agricultural equipment over the past century is pretty amazing. We have taken a lot of the drudgery out of farm work and we have made both our people and our crops amazingly productive.

Some of my newer readers haven't met Indy, my co-pilot.

Indy is a little over a year and a half old. His Mom is a Golden Retriever. His Dad was a sneaky, neighbor dog. It is a common breed. For the past few months Indy has not wanted to come out for pick up rides. He's kind of big. He weighs 105 pounds. So I thought maybe he just wasn't comfortable in the pickup any more. I missed him, but you sure can't force 105 pounds of puppy into a pickup. One morning, last week he acted like he wanted to get in when I left in the morning. I stepped back from the door and he hopped right in. He's been out with me every day. I enjoy his company.
I have be re-inspired. At the Rotary conference this weekend there was a cooking class with a local chef from the Monterey area. Mmmm yummy. With Spring and summer come fresh fruits and vegetables. Time to start paying with my food again. He had some great ideas for grilling vegetables. I will share them with you after I have done some experimenting. His tow best words of encouragement was 'don't be intimidated to try something new' and 'sometimes less is more.' We have such an amazing selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Let the natural tastes of the food come out, don't cover it up. I am inspired.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Busy Spring Work on the Farm

We have been busy irrigating wheat, cultivating cotton, fertlizing corn, killing weeds and irrigating almonds. Whew. Oh yeah, we also started irrigating the corn too.

On top of that the weather is all over the place. It got to the mid-90's during the week. Now it is back down to the mid-70's and it has gotten windy. Welcome to May. The first year we were here Sheryl's aunt said the wind would blow until high school graduation and that is just about right. Then the wind dies down and the summer heat begins. But, for now it is cool and breezy.

Now, to most of you that may not look a lot different than last week's picture of the cotton seedlings. But, look closely. Do you notice the leaves in the center? Those are the first true leaves of the cotton plant. The first leaves you saw in last week's photo are seed leaves, or cotyledons. After the plants are out of the ground the next thing we look for are the first true leaves, that is a sign the plants are healthy and growing.

A number of you have asked about commodity prices. You have heard that prices for our crops are up and that is true. But, here's how I look at it- I hope the higher prices will help us pay our fuel and fertilizer bills. You may have noticed fuel prices are up over a dollar a gallon since last year. Remember I buy a lot more fuel than most of you do. On top of that fertilizer is up over $150 per ton. We buy fertilizer by the truckload. So higher prices for our crops is a good thing. But, please remember our costs are up also. I am not complaining. It is always a lot easier to look at higher production costs when we have high commodity prices.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

The Cotton is Out of the Ground

Well, the cotton is out of the ground.

With the warmer weather that is forecasted for the coming week it will really start moving. It is a pretty sight when you can see it 'shinning' when looking at the field cross ways across the field. It doesn't photograph well, but it gives you confidence that you have a stand and we are off to a good start.
   Two years ago we were still planting in late April. It is comforting to know we have cotton in the ground and now at and growing like it should be.
   If you look below the surface you can see things too. In the photo below look carefully at the roots on the plants on the right.

Can you see the roots hairs? These plants are much happier. They really like the soil where there the garbanzos were last year. We couldn't make a crop of garbanzos, but I think we will see some benefit in plant health and hopefully yields there this year.    Last week I mentioned how I like seeing the Red Wing Blackbirds in the wheat. Another sight I like to see is a wind blown wheat field. There is something poetic in how the wind blows the wheat in waves. The video clip below shows the wheat blowing the in the 25mph winds on Friday. [Pretty amazing technology. I shot this video with my phone. I remember when we used phones to make calls.]

There is a John Denver song titled 'Matthew'. He sings,
   "Joy was just the thing he was raised on,
   Love was just a way to live and die,
   Gold was was just a windy Kansas wheat field,
   Blue was just a Kansas summer sky."
Well, our wheat fields aren't quite golden yet, but I think you get the idea.

Spring has come to our yard too. The roses are blooming and the Amaryllis are glorious. The sunshine and warmth feel wonderful. It is nice to be able to enjoy the sunshine when it isn't a hundred and fifty bazillion degrees. That is coming too soon.

This past week we got the orchards mowed and we kept watering the wheat. This coming week we will fertilize the corn and furrow it out to start water there too. Right now it has been a quiet afternoon reading on the back porch. After I post this it will be time to head off to our daughter's for dinner. Will promised something tasty for dinner. I sure am glad God called for a Sabbath rest.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Seedlings

One of my favorite Spring sounds is the sound of the Red Wing Blackbirds in the wheat fields. They just sound cheery. The males look beautiful with their black feathers and red shoulders in the green of the wheat. I have to say though, they are camera shy. I no sooner whip out the camera and they hop just out of range.
Well the corn is up...

...and growing fast. There few sights that feel as good to a farmer as seeing the seedlings come up. Basically you have one shot to get it into the ground. It can take a couple of weeks for the seedlings to come up out of the ground. The weather might be nice when you plant, but it can turn to crap as soon as you are done. You have no control over what it is going to be after you plant. There is nothing you can do but wait. So, it feels good to see healthy plants poke their little heads out of the ground.

   We will cultivate it next week, then put some fertilizer on while we can still get a tractor in there. Then water, water, water all summer.

We got the caps off the cotton this week---just in time. It hasn't been hot, just nice Spring weather. But, boy, oh boy, did the cotton come up fast. We started dragging the caps off on Wednesday. By Thursday morning it was all ready to go and we can only de-cap a hundred acres a day, or so. Ruben turned on the jets and set a new land speed de-capping record. He had everything uncovered by Saturday morning.

I couldn't leave you without one more picture.

My exercise program consists of taking the dogs for a one mile walk nearly every morning. This is Toby. He is Sheryl's puppy and he is a water dog. He cannot resist. Whenever he finds a puddle he finds it and lays down in it. When we cross the canal he is in in a flash.He loves it when I irrigate the trees, then there is water all over the place.
I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Cotton Planting

Well, the cotton is in the ground. Now we wait. When it is warm enough we get cotton up in 8-12 days. So, hopefully I can show you pictures of cotton seedlings in two weeks.

   We actually pull a dirt 'cap' over the cotton seeds when we plant. We farm heavy clay soil and it tends to dry hard. This cap of dirt lets to seedlings come up with out having to push through a dry clay layer. They can literally break their necks trying to push through the dirt.

   The forecast is for mild to warm temperatures which is great. Like I mentioned last weak, cold temps cause all sorts of seedling diseases that can hurt the plants so badly they never recover. Yes, if they get sick now you automatically limit your yeilds in the Fall even though there is six more months to the growing season. That is why planting time can be so full of stress. You get one shot to plant. If you blow it, and have to replant, you lose precious time to make a crop. We need a full season to make a cotton crop. Any time lost now cannot be made up. But, if you plant too early and it gets cold you get in trouble too. This, ladies and gentlemen, is another reason I do not have to go to Vegas or Reno. There is enough high stakes gambling in my life as it is.

The corn has germinated. That rain last week hardened the dirt above the corn seed like a three quarter inch layer of concrete. We should have put a cap on the corn too. But, you rarely ever have to put a cap on the sandy soil on that ranch. We have been running wheeled spikes over the beds to break up the crust. It will be fine. Just takes extra work and burns up diesel.

Next week we will put on the final irrigation in the wheat. We will also water run some fertilizer in the wheat. The heads are fully formed. They are empty now. Next they will fill up with the 'milk'. When that dries down it becomes doughy and then drys to hard wheat. That will be in June. We will harvest in late June or early July.

  Will will also water and fertilize the almonds next week. We split our fertilizer applications so the trees get a little food at a time. It doesn't do us any good to stuff our selves then starve either does it? So, we spoon feed the trees and give them four or five applications of fertilizer during the season. This also keeps the fertilizer from leaching down away from the plant roots. Fertilizer is way too expensive to lose any to leaching.

I hope y'all have a great weekend.

P

And we thought March weather was crazy???

We started the week off warm and sunny. We had rain and hail on Thursday. This morning we had frost. That was a surprise. I rode the motorcycle home from a friend's last night and it felt cold. If it had been November I would have thought frost. But, it is April and I "knew" it wasn't going to freeze. Wrong. I hope the little basil plant in the herb garden survived that.

Now what do we do? We have been busy this week. The corn is planted [ Finished that as the rain started on Thursday.] The cotton beds have been worked. The planter and harrows are ready to start planting on Monday. And it is cold.
   There are only two things I know for sure about growing cotton: if you plant it cold it will get sick, and if you plant it in the dry it will not sprout. Cotton likes a minimum 58F soil temperature. It was 52.5F this morning. The University of California has a really cool website that calculates degree days for cotton planting. You need a minimum 15 degree days for the five day forecast for good planting. Last week it was 30DD. Today it was 7.
So, we will wait. We'll check on Monday morning and go from there.

FLOOD RELEASES

What you are looking at here is a picture of flood release water going by us near Tranquillity, California. A neighbor tells me the water district told him that they are running 4,000 cubic feet per second [cfs]. That is enough water to fill a football field a foot deep in ten seconds. That is 8,000 acre feet of water A DAY! They told him they would run 4,000cfs for sixty days. THAT'S A LOT OF WATER GOING OUT TO THE SEA!
   Sorry, that kind of drives me nuts. We all hear about California's continuing water shortages. We fight over a few feet of water here and there and then we let nearly half a million acre feet run out to the ocean. In 2006 we let 27 million acre feet go out to sea in flood releases. That is enough water for every home, every business and every farm in California for a whole year, and we flushed it out to sea.One year later my water was cut by 90%! Are we crazy?
   The reality is there are wet years and dry years in California. I have looked back over the records from the 1860's to present. In every twenty year period there is a two or three year drought. We are fools because we do not prepare for this. The politicians and the environmentalists don't want to build any more dams. They want to use groundwater storage. OK. Does anyone know how much groundwater storage potential there is in California? I cannot find anyone in Sacramento or in the water community who knows the answer to that question.
   The next time you talk about water in California please think about this picture. On one little stream, in the middle of nowhere half a million acre feet of water were flushed out to the ocean.

OK, I got that off my chest. I feel better.

Actually, it has been a great week. The weather is beautiful. I am on the back porch with a cup of coffee. The sun is out and the birds are singing. The wisteria, lilac and star jasmine are blooming. I am going to rest, visit with friends and family and go to church this weekend. Monday we'll see if we can plant some cotton.

I hope y'all have a great week.

P

Spring on the Farm

What a difference a week makes. A week ago we had just survived three inches of rain and half an inch of hail. This week has been warm and sunny.You can see it in the fields; not only are the crops growing but the tractors are out and working. Cotton beds are being worked and planted. Tomatoes are being planted. Everybody is Go, Go, Go.

When I ask a fellow almond grower, "How are your nuts?" it sometimes raises an eyebrow. I am not trying to get personal. I am asking about their crop.
    Can you see how fast the nuts have grow in the photo above? A month ago these nuts were pinpoints inside those beautiful blooms. They are growing fast.
    Of course the trees are shedding also. Nature is so abundantly fertile she puts a lot more blossoms on the trees than the tree can ever hold on and produce as full size nuts. So there is a natural shedding process. It gives me a heart attack when I see it since I don't know how much of the shed is natural and OK, and how much of the shed is caused by bad weather or bad management. We won't know the answer to that question until the end of the season and we harvest.

As you can see the wheat is heading out. It is a beautiful sight. The next two weeks we will plant the corn and the cotton, then we'll water the wheat one more time. Then the wheat will dry down in May and June and we'll harvest the end of June or beginning of July.
     If you look carefully at the next picture you will see a lady bug. The field is full of lady bugs. I love them because they eat bad bugs. I haven't seen any bad bugs so I don't know what they are eating but it is always a pleasure to see them. To me seeing good bugs is the sign of a healthy field, it tells me the natural system is in balance. I'd much rather have the lady bugs patrolling the field and taking care of the bad bugs than me either spraying or squishing bugs with a couple of boards.

I hope you all have a great week.

We'll be busy making the most of the sunny days.

P