Irrigation

Here in the dessert water is critical to get anything to stay alive. On our farm we have added challenges with poor soil types and obstacles like rocks. Not to mention our desire and need to use as little high priced diesel fuel has made us work a little harder this year. The kids spent countless hours and I mean that fully this year on this field. These rows weren't deep enough, the soil is so dry from lack of snow or winter rain means the water just soaked in. So they walked each row of water down the field. Removing cornstalks and clods making sure the rows held their shape and allowed the water to keep flowing full force down the long rows. This was tedious and dirty to say the least. 

While it is good to be outside and we all enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors it was long. Thankfully there are a lot of us and this is only 38 acres.

After 2 years of asking Greg set up the cultivator to shield the corn while digging the rows deeper. I told the kids this is what hope feels like. The deeper rows held the water and we made it halfway downt he field in a little over an hour instead of 4 hours helping the water flow. A spectacular relief and a promise that we may in fact succeed at watering the entire field. 

Because the rest of the farm is primarily pivot irrigated. And this year we even upped our precision with a water point electrification system. This little box provides a charge to the water which in turn allows it to better soak and stay in the soil. We are very excited by this sales point. Oddly enough it can not get wet. So we had to set-up a better drainage system at our pump station. A kind neighbor came with his backhoe to help.

While the backhoe digs efficiently it also digs a lot and we found pipes and wires we didn't know were in the ground. In short the big dig created big problems. This is Tueday afternoon for reference. 

The broken pipe. Greg found 2 drain pipes however they were silted shut as our ditch has grown cat tails which back up the water and stop the outflow. 

Thankfully we have a pump to help keep the water down while figuring out solutions and fine tuning the dig. 

Some dads play with their kids, some never see their kids. This dad works with his kids all the time. Bruce is resting in the mud this is probably 10:30 at night or later. 

Oh we were so thankful for all the help digging Greg's legs were so cramped at this point all day shoveling mud and dirt is tedious. They worked all day Wednesday and Thursday to get this back together. Harold came one night and was an angel of Mercy for his dad. 

They installed new and old pieces only to realized the old pieces needed to be fully replaced and done right so this would last another 20 years. So they redug and replaced. Harold also suggested Greg take mustard after a sleepless night of cramping. We have watched the football players over the years guzzle that on the sidelines. It did in fact work well for Greg too. 

Jake and I going to check on kids or a pivot or both. 

Jake is pretty content in his stroller and the kids are happy to play with him for a while. I'm thankful for both. He will sit and wait for quite a while, while I work and do what I need/want to do outside. 

We live in  a beautiful country. We are able to experience the seasons in real time. We are always working striving to survive. I wonder and get extremely frustrated, tired, and angry at the difficulty. The pictures don't do justice to the raw exertion from most of the family during these days, and the days and days into weeks of irrigating that still has to be fought as few rows made it to the end. Farming is work. It is hour after hour of work. I wonder why we do this? I wonder what the point is of our life choices to be fighting nature still. I marvel how long lasting choices are. Fields that were never completely leveled. Choosing not to do a job- cleaning the canal. Many other choices that have long term consequences. Yet I hear the children come in after 11 pm running in the house laughing and smiling. And see the accomplishments of the older ones and think well they know how to work and not quit. They know you have to figure out solutions. They know what teamwork is. They are valued and able. They are strong, they don't have workouts they have daily living. I read their papers they write for school and they say they are loved. They are, I'm glad they feel that way. 

So we keep going. We keep working to grow little plants. We learn and teach lessons. The kids figure gospel truth out like there are right and wrong ways to do jobs. We have to remove obstacles from our life to feel the spirit or God's love. Life is better when we work together. So in spite of the trouble it is good. God is good, he does hear our prayers, he blesses us with inspiration, beauty and opportunity. We are blessed.