Cyndi's Two Cents

Storms cause damage but rain is a blessing

Commentary.

Springtime at last! We received snow at our place last week. Snow in April? It’s not the first time. We also experienced a 22 degree early morning a couple of days later. The hyacinths and narcissus were hanging their heads a bit later that day.

The “toad strangler” that brought several inches of rain earlier this month forced the rushing water out of the creek channel and into our bottom hay field, leaving rocks and limbs and other debris in its wake. Another storm that moved through just a couple of days before threw hail stones against our house, damaging the roof and siding and pulverizing my window screens.

That same storm changed the grass in our yard and pastures from dull brown to lush green in a matter of days. We can rent a machine to rake the rock from our hay field, purchase siding and shingles and hire someone to repair our house. The rain is a blessing, whether it arrives in one day or over the course of many. It is an elixir for all that grows.

After poring over seed catalogs in the winter months, the orders were made and this year’s varieties have safely arrived, and have been started indoors for the commercial garden. I took inventory of saved seeds from last year’s flowers and vegetables for our personal wants and needs, then made a list of seed I’ll need to purchase. I’ve started to inventory the jars of green beans, peas, tomatoes, carrots, okra, and other vegetables I canned last summer, to determine how much we have left to use before I begin harvesting and canning this year’s harvest.

We are in the midst of breeding season, artificially inseminating cows in the herd. Cattle prices are much better than they were just a few years ago, but input costs continue to climb. Determining which bulls to use on our cows is always very important, but in these times of higher fuel and feed costs, easier fleshing cattle will be necessary for profitability. You might say there is a lot riding on those canes of frozen semen in the tank.

We are looking long and hard at those calves we saved from last year’s crop, determining whether the heifers we decided to keep are still the right kind to be a part of our herd. The steers we saved are growing well and will be harvested later this year for freezer beef for us or branded beef which we will sell.

Reaping what we sow is what farming is all about. It’s also what being a good friend, parent, partner, daughter, spouse, or “boss” is all about. You make sure the seedbed is properly prepared and that you apply the necessary nutrients. You’ll need to scout your crop regularly. There are treatments available, should you find symptoms of distress. Unfortunately, there are no guaranteed solutions for every problem, but not every rainstorm is a “toad strangler” either.