A Time to Sow

Tulips blooming in spring

      Published in Intermountain Farm and Ranch on April 1, 2011     

 Spring is really a time of hope, of working on the goals that were decided on during the cold winter months when the ground was frozen and unworkable. Time spent in front of the fireplace, or in the kitchen over a hot bowl of soup and rolls fresh from the oven is planning time. Pencil and paper or maybe just conversation, but goals are set forth. Should we increase the cattle herd? That new hay sounds promising. What about our irrigation system? Then as the snow starts to melt, the corrals become muddy, robins dare to return, those goals gradually become workable – step by step.

            Spring brings forth optimism. Our thoughts are positive as we enjoy warm spring days after a cold white winter. Surely things will mature and produce. We already talk of the harvest, of what needs to be done and what can be done.  But there is a lightness of spirit in the talk. The outlook for the availability of water for irrigation is good. We haven’t faced the hot summer days, threatening our crops with devastating hail, or drought.  We are looking at a new set of guidelines in the spring. Everything, yes everything, will be okay!

It is good to see the tractors out in the field, the land being readied for spring planting. As the first soil is turned, there is a rejoicing of the spirit as the new beginning starts to unfold.  The smell of the soil as it is worked for the first time brings a feeling of hope, a feeling of rightness, a feeling of thankfulness of having a job to do and being able to do that job. Seeds are sown and the ground is watched daily for the green sprouts to immerge from the brown soil. It’s a birth of the plants, the birth of dreams. 

            The new crop of calves play tag out in the pasture while the mama’s peacefully graze and watch their offspring. I see baby lambs in a friend’s pasture that are also enjoying the warmer spring weather. Oh life is good when the trees start to sprout green leaves, when the rhubarb peaks its head out to see if it is safe to come forth from its winter sleep. You can’t help being optimistic when you are greeted each day with the song of the meadow lark.

            There will always be challenges. The price of fuel and fertilizer has risen this year to the point above raised eyebrows. How do we continue farming when the expense is more than the income? Yes, there are good prices for cattle and grain right now but will those markets last until harvest when we have some produce to sell? The fence lines at the ranch need to be evaluated as to what repairs need to be done before we move the cattle to their summer pastures. Is there winter-kill damage on the winter wheat? Even with these challenges to be faced, there is a feeling of anticipation as we load the pickup with fencing material, or hook the disk on the plow.

Farming is probably one of the biggest gambles that anyone ever worked with. I have often suggested to Boyd that we take our farm/ranch operating money to Jackpot in the spring. We would then know in a few hours whether we had made a profit or not. But what would we do with the rest of the spring, summer and fall? It’s probably best that we spend those months working and wondering if we will make money, or if we will have a crop to harvest.

Even with busy work schedules, we seem to have the time to become excited over the grass turning green, the daffodils daring to bloom when the nights are still cold, the buds on the trees and bushes. Yes, life is good on the farm. We love it and appreciate the opportunity that we have of being part of that life!