[AT] Rain at last

[Indiana Robinson]

On 19 May 2005 at 0:59, Dean VP wrote:

> Ralph:
> 
> That brings back so many memories from the 40's & 50's when I was a kid on
> the farm. We were dry land farmers too. Rain or no rain, what is it going to
> do? Do we put the seed in and hope it rains. It's so dry they won't
> germinate anyway until we get a rain. But what if it rains just a little bit
> and they start germinating and there isn't enough moisture. Worry, worry,
> worry.
> 
> Then we will have to replant. What to do? Then an unusually heavy rain comes
> and washes most of the seed into the ditches, etc. Then hail hits and wipes
> out all the seedlings. Is it too late to replant? Do we need to replant?
> What kind of weather are we going to have? What to do??  Oh and those 400
> head of feeder cattle are going to have to go to market soon and the market
> is down, if we sell now we will lose a ton of money. The milk cows provided
> some financial stability and I hated milking. Especially by hand. 
> 
> I just don't understand how dry land farmers live with that uncertainty year
> after year.  Most of the time it all works out. I know my Dad's disaster
> plan was that he was going to get wiped out once every three years. It
> didn't happen that way but his finances were prepared for it. His parents
> got wiped out in the depression so failure once every three years was better
> than that I guess. 
> 
> As a kid I saw some really tense situations develop and it made a lasting
> impression on me. I just knew I didn't have the guts to live like that. I
> decided early on I was going to leave the farm. There had to be something
> better. Fortunately I was able to survive in a different world. But it too
> had its ups and downs. But not anything like farming. 
> 
> I really have a lot of admiration and respect for those of you who have
> lived under those types of stressful situations and not only survived but
> have made a good life of it. I congratulate you. 
> 
> I now just get to play like a farmer w/o the stresses. I'm rather thankful
> for that. In fact, extremely thankful. 
> 
> Dean A. Van Peursem
>



	I have been stewing this spring about not getting stuff in the ground... Here it has 
been too much rain and without good dryout between them. It gets within about 2 days of 
getting in and rains again. When I look at the fields that have been planted here I 
figure it is just as well some of it isn't planted. We have had quite a bit of late cold 
weather this spring. Many fields still have ponds in them. Corn that is up is extremely 
yellow and growing slowly. There is a lot of talk about replanting some. Next week it 
will probably get hotter than hell and the great drought of "05" will start...   :-)  


-- 
"farmer", Esquire
At Hewick Midwest
      Wealth beyond belief, just no money...

Paternal Robinson's here by way of Norway (Clan Gunn), Scottish Highlands,
Cleasby Yorkshire England, Virginia, Kentucky then Indiana. In America 100 
years 
before the revolution.


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana USA
robinson at svs.net