Cut Out

The heat is finally starting to break, a little. You know it has been hot when the high 90's feel good. Talking to a dairyman the other day he said we had 12 days of 105 plus weather. That is just too hot.
   The first summer we were up here, the very first three weeks I was on the farm we had three straight weeks of 100 degree plus heat. I was driving a D8 Cat and in those days there was no air conditioning on the big tractors. This little ole San Diego boy was wondering what he had gotten himself in to. Trying to be helpful a neighbor kept saying there were usually only two or three 100 degree days then things cooled off. After the second week I was beginning to get suspicious that someone was pulling my leg.
   But, the heat is part of farming. We need sunshine to make the crops grow.

   Speaking of growing, what you want to see now in the cotton is what we call cut out. If we have managed the crop right it stop growing, run out of fertilizer and water and then next month we can start defoliating. The first step is to get it to bloom to the top, it is a sign the plant is maturing. In the picture above you can see we are right on schedule. The fields are blooming to the top right on time.
   Of course, the banker and my boss are asking if we have a three bale crop out there. There is a saying about counting chicks before they hatch. I think the same thing applies to cotton. It looks good, but there is still plenty of time to screw it up. We'll know when it is picked, ginned and baled and not before.

Hard to Explain It to Your Kids

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright July 2012

You want to teach your kids that If they work hard, pay attention to details and put in the extra effort you can succeed in life. And, I think that is true. But, it is hard to prove it in farming. You can work hard, put in the extra effort and pay attention to the details and… a hail storm hits or rain fall soaks your cantaloupes or it’s just a bad year and the weather for the season as a whole is not conducive to growing a bumper crop.

            Perhaps it is true that the successful farmers  who work hard, and pay attention to the details are more prepared  to take advantage of the good years and survive the bad years. But, it is hard to explain it to your kids when they are growing up.

            Please don’t get me wrong- I think farm kids have some great experiences and great advantages in their lives. The work ethic they learn growing up on the farm will stay with them all their lives. But, I think some of them leave the farm because they figure there just might be a more sure way to make a living.

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I hope Y'all have a great week!

P