Patience on the Farm

Another busy week on the farm. We cut off water on the cotton. Now we wait for it to mature. 

Almonds are picked up and we started giving them some water. They are very thirsty. The last regular irrigation was July 15th. How would you feel if you hadn't had a decent drink in the summer heat since mid-July? Last year the almonds toasted. We are learning how to use the drip system. This year we gave them a couple of sips during harvest.

In the photos below you can see how much the almonds we planted in January have grown. All we had were sticks and eight months later here you go. The fact that I have two wait two more years before we harvest our first crop reminded me of a radio piece I did years ago.

Patience on the Farm

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright September, 2011

I’ll tell you a family secret, I am notoriously impatient. When it comes to making salsa, mine is always chunky. I don’t have the patience to carefully mince everything. But, there are other kinds of patience.

                  Most people think in terms of the work week. That is an industrial model, we think of the work before us this week. That makes sense when you work in industry or in an office. On the farm we think in terms of seasons. Sure, I lay out each week’s work for myself and the men who work for me; but, our real time frame is the year long season.

                  Last year was a bad year on the farm. Crops were a bust and prices were not that good. Last February my daughter asked me when I would know how this year was going to turn out. I told her, “November.” We won’t really know until the last bale of cotton is picked. Sure, the wheat was fabulous and prices are high. The almonds look good and corn prices are near historic highs. The cotton look good, but I have seen that before. Experience tells me I need to be patient. We won’t really know until the last bale of cotton is picked, ginned and shipped.