THE GAMBLERS

Hauling hay from the ranch.

     I married a gambler and have raised three others. they are addicted and so am I. Gambling gets in your blood and I'm sure that rehab nor counseling would be able to cure our family from this addiction. part of the problem is inherited maybe even genetic. My father and grandfathers were gamblers as were Boyd's father and grandfather.

     I'm not talking about going to Fort Hall or Jackpot or even Las Vegas gambling, but rather going out and working in the field all day from early spring to late fall. The gamble starts when the ground is ready to be broken up and prepared for the seed. Then the planting, the constant care of the plants as they grow: watering; fertilizing; spraying for weeds and insects; etc.

     Yes, there is money involved in this gamble, maybe more than what we would put on the tables in casinos. Time is also a big factor in this gamble also as we work, we watch, we pray, we hope, and we never give up hope. And, just like the card-playing gambling, we won't know if we win or lose until the game is over or in agriculture terminology - harvest time.

     This year the gable has been a bad one. We didn't get the winter snow we needed to give us the moisture necessary for our crops, especially at the ranch where we don't irrigate but are dependent upon ground moisture. In fact, we haven't received sufficient moisture the past few years.

     This spring the rains came, but the moisture was not enough. Then the hot weather that dries things out so fast and no more rain. August brought rains like we haven't seen in years for that month. These rains  can be lifesavers, but this year they brought tragedy to many farms up and down the Snake River farming areas: hay that had been cut lay in the fields getting wet and turning brown; barley and wheat, ready to harvest, began to sprout; late blight visited potato fields.

     Many farmers had contracted their hay to go to dairies. Dairies require high-quality hay to feed their cows. Hay that has been cut, rained on, raked, and maybe rained on again before being baled is not considered top quality. Therefore, the dairies have rejected a lot of the hay they had contracted for. Yes, this hay can still be used for beef cattle, but it still isn't top-grade and thus will have to be sold at a lower price.

     A lot of the barley grown in eastern Idaho is malt barley, contracted to Anheuser-Busch Company, and they require good quality barley. Barley that has sprouted as extensively as it has this year is not good quality. And I understand that as the barley kernel swells when it is sprouting, it loses nutrients. So there is a possibility this sprouted malt barley may not even make good feed barley.

     When we gamble in agriculture we realize there is always the possibility of losing. We always hope that if we lose, we won't lose everything. With many local farmers, that large of a loss may be the case this year. 

     When the farmers sell their crops, the money they get is not 100% profit. There are bills to pay: seed; chemicals; fuel; fertilizer; electricity;pipe movers and other laborers. Often a farmer takes out an operating loan from the bank to see him through the season, with the promise to pay it back after harvest. All of these bills have to be paid before any personal money can be claimed.

     Do you remember "The Gambler," the song that Kenny Rogers wrote and sang? I've taken that song and changed the words a bit to fit our agriculture gambling situation:

You have to know when to plant the seeds,

Know when to irrigate,

Know when to harvest,

And know when it's all too late.

One thing is important,

As you're working on the land,

And that is: don't count your money

Until the money's in your hand.

There's a secret to survivin'

This long-term farmin' game,

'Cause every crop's a winner and every crop's a loser,

So gamblin' is our occupation's name.

     Yes, farmers are big-tie gamblers and yes there will always be another year. But after a summer like this one, it might be hard to bounce back. For some of our local farmers the ball may have lost it's bounce. Most farmers and ranchers will do everything they can to reinflate their ball, get their feet back in the farming game, move on and face another gable next year. But there may be some that pull right out of the game.