Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Feeding America, 1st day of Spring Work, March, 2010



Today Joe headed down to the Tammany farm which is located 37 miles South of our Genesee farm to spray out the weeds in preparation for the spring wheat to be planted. It is an important step, as with anything, to have the proper foundation bed to get optimal productivity. If you garden, you know how pesky weeds can be and you do not want them to compete with the what you want to grow and we are the same, we do not want the weeds to compete with the wheat for water and nutrients. So farmers try to give their crops the best start they can and will continue to monitor the various crop stages to help eliminate weeds and insects that will harm the wheat plant. "Farmers strive to be agronomicially sound, economically smart and environmentally safe." This quote says it all, just wish I'd thought of it, instead it came from Frank Lussetto from a publication called "The Furrow" published by the John Deere company.

Brother in law, Jay stayed around the home place to do odds and ends before he will head down and begin helping Joe.

The location of this farm allows us the opportunity to get into the field about a couple weeks earlier so logistically it is a good fit for our farming operations. Our days will now start early as the drive time from the home shop to the Tammany shop is close to an hour each way.


This morning as I packed Joe's lunch I could feel his excitement as it is the beginning of the official "farming season". The farming season for us is usually mid - March through the end of October. It encompasses prepping of the ground for seeding it, planting (seeding) the crops, tending the crops throughout the growing season, harvest, Fall work and ending again with seeding winter wheat. Once the fields are ready to be seeded and weather permitting, we will work 7 days a week and the our guys will head out the door around 6:30am and return after dark, which in PDT is around 7:30pm ish.


The spoiled pooch named Josie is also excited that lunchbox season is here. She likes to sample the lunch meat and her job is quality control to ensure that the contents of the sandwich is of the best for her "dad".

While I was making Joe's lunch, it sort of reminded me of the times when I would pack our daughters lunches for their first day of school when they were little and how eagerly they were to begin the school year. So heading out the door with a big grin, he says, "I'm off to feed America!" With that my friends, this farmer and all the rest of the hardworking farmers will continue to provide everyone with safe and economical sources of food.


If you want to read more about the personal commitment of this farmer, go to the next page on the At Home on the Farm titled "The Commitment of a Farmer".