Handlines, Handlines, Handlines

Growing up, moving handlines was one of the least enjoyable jobs on the farm.  It ranked right up there with picking rocks.  But, it had to be done.

For a lot of children, work is used as a punishment.  As a result, the word 'work' has a negative connotation attached to it.  This is a factor that arguably contributes to the rising generation of lazy people.  Work (especially hard/dirty jobs) is something fewer and fewer people want to do because it is looked down on as bad or not fun.

One goal we have with our kids is to teach them that work can be fun.  That is actually not as difficult as we thought at first.  It is really all about the attitude you take with you towards doing a job.  Since there are still handlines that need moved/started on the farm, we decided that this would be a good opportunity to teach our kids that working can be fun.  A few times a week, some (or all) of us will go out to start a handline on the pasture.

One of the most liberating things for a child is doing a 'grownup' task all by themselves.  So, when we go out to start a handline on the pasture, they are in charge of putting the pipes together and hooking them.  The best part is that this is the one time where they get to tell me what to do.  As we put each pipe together, they tell me when to push, and after they get them hooked, they tell me when to pull to take the slack out of the line.  Once the line is together G and R each get out a little 6 inch piece of wire and walk down the line to unplug any nozzles that are plugged up.

G. recently became aware that he's strong enough to carry one end of the pipes.

Following my orders of "in in in in in........ PULL!!!"

Moving on to the next pipe.

R. being the 'hook man'

Putting pipes together.

R. coming dangerously close to getting water down his boots.

R. and A. waiting to help hook the next pipe into the line.

Unplugging a nozzle.

Success!  Each unplugged nozzle is accompanied by a cheer and a happy dance.

After the line is going, that's when the fun really begins.  Last year one of their great Grandmas bought them some umbrellas.  Since we live in a desert climate and only get 10-12 inches of annual precipitation (if we're lucky), it was very unlikely that those umbrellas would ever be used in the rain.  So, we found another way to get some use out of them.  As we head toward the opposite end of the pasture, the kids get out their umbrellas and have a great time playing in the water.

A pipe with a crack in it is better than a splash pad at a water park.

Her interests lie mainly in picking flowers and stomping in puddles.

Whether we like it or not, a large portion of our lives is spent working.  The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to find work you can enjoy, and find a way to enjoy the work you are doing.  I realize that this is not always possible.  However, with the right attitude you can enjoy more of the work you do, more easily tolerate the unpleasant jobs you can't avoid, and set a good example for the little ones who watch everything you do.

The Crooked Wheel Lines of Our Lives

In the life of a farmer, irrigation systems are both a blessing and a curse.  When they work the way they're supposed to, they can make your life much easier.  When there is a problem, however, it can cost a lot in both time and money to get the problems rectified and the water flowing again.

A few weeks ago my family and I went out to the field to work on getting the wheel lines straightened up and ready for irrigation season to start.  A wheel line is an aluminum sprinkler line that has a 5 or 6 foot tall metal spoked wheel on every 40 foot section of 4 inch pipe.  In the center of the line there is a mover, which is a metal frame mounted on 4 wheels with a 6 to 8 horsepower motor that will roll an entire 1/4 mile line back and fourth across the field.  They work well, are easy to move, and grow excellent crops.  Wheel lines have but one [giant] flaw.  They do not travel straight.  Even if they are exactly perpendicular to the main line (which supplies the necessary water) a slight slope or gradual hill somewhere in the field can cause the entire line to shift one way or another and become crooked.  If the proper steps are not taken to straighten the line and get it to follow its tracks when it comes back across the field again, two things can happen.  After going back and fourth across the field a few more times it can move so far away from the main line that the hose or pipe used to connect it will no longer reach.  It could also get a bow in the line that becomes so crooked one of the pipes will break under the pressure.

While we were in the midst of straightening out the above pictured wheel line and re-attaching the end pipes, the thought crossed my mind that fixing a crooked wheel line is a metaphor for life.

Often times we can see where we want to go in life and we may even see how to get there.  It can even seem like a simple and easy path to follow to reach our goal.  But, like a wheel line moving across a field, as we travel an unexpected bump in the path can, over time, throw off the whole journey.  If you ignore the bumps in the field and challenges you need to face in life, they will only become larger problems that will be harder (and more costly) to deal with later on.  They might even make it impossible for you to get to where you want to go.

So, how do you get a wheel line (and your life) back on track and headed in the right direction?  When you notice that the line is starting to go off course, you steer it back to where it needs to be.  Starting at the mover, you walk down one side of the line and move each wheel forward (or backward) a foot or two.  Day after day, as the wheel line continues on across the field, it will gradually move back into its tracks from the previous trip.  When it starts to move out of line again, do the same thing again and bring it back to where it should be.

The same approach can be taken in our lives as well.  When as a problem or dilemma arises, do what it takes to take care of it right away, so you can move on.  Then you move on.  Dwelling on the troubles you've had in the past does no good.  You look back only to see where you've been and to help you know where you are heading.

If you take those simple steps to keep your wheel lines straight, sprinkler lines (and lives) can travel smoothly and grow some beautiful things as the journey continues.

A straight wheel line is a happy wheel line.

2016 Sweet Corn

We're growing some sweet corn to sell again this year. We tried it last year and it turned out pretty good (in spite of my wife having a baby the first day we were selling it).  This year we are going to plant a few more rows and hopefully improve on last year.  I'll update this post as the growing season progresses.

In March, when things started turning green, I went and marked out the corn plot and sprayed it with a non-selective herbicide.



4/16/16 (3 weeks after spray was applied)

R. and I went out on the Mule with corn seed and a single row planter to plant the first 15 rows of corn.



It had been long enough since area was sprayed that the Field Bindweed (a.k.a. Morning Glory) and some volunteer wheat was coming back nicely.  After the corn was planted we put the 8 foot spray boom on the 4-wheeler and sprayed the plot with herbicide again.  The soil in this field is heavily populated with dormant Mourning Glory seeds, which can remain viable for up to 50 years (http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/detail.asp?weed=39).  It is a weed that is nearly impossible to get rid of.  Seeds can spread by hitching a ride on farm equipment, be blown about by the wind, and can even pass through an animal and still sprout.  If given a chance, this noxious weed will take over and almost completely choke out a crop.  We are trying to keep it at bay until the corn comes up and can establish itself in the soil.

Once the corn is about 3 to 4 inches tall we'll plant our second round of corn.  We will do a total of 3 staggered plantings to spread the corn out so it won't all be ready at once.

A very proud helper.  He was in charge of refilling the planter and raking dirt over any seed left exposed behind it.

April 24th.

Watered for the first time.

G. cleaning out corrugates.

May 14th

Re-corrugated and planted second round of corn seed.

Saturday, May 28th

Watered corn for the second time. 

Friday, June 3rd

The family went out and pulled weeds.

Pulling weeds, or looking for worms?

Saturday, June 4th

You have probably noticed in some of the pictures that there is a large variance in the sizes of corn plants in the rows of corn.  Also, there is no uniformity in spacing in between plants.  Some are so close together they form their own little forest, while others have almost 2 feet between them.  

While it is possible that these inconsistencies were caused by the person who planted the seed (me), I believe that the problem lies with the Earth Way single row planter I used to plant the seed.  It works great in a garden, but is lousy in a field.  It is too lightweight.  The corn seed gets caught in the little hopper and stops the plate from turning, and it has a hard time dropping only one seed at a time.  It is, however, still a step up from planting by hand.  

Thinking ahead to next year, we have been looking for a tractor driven 2 or 4 row planter to buy.  On June 4th we went to a farm auction in Meridian to try and pick one up.  This was a 6 row John Deere 71 Flex planter. We weren't really looking for one that big, but for the right price we could make it work.  Between an auctioneer my wife and I have both known since we were little helping us out and other bidders taking pity on me as I stood there with a bunch of clingy kids that were bouncing all around, we ended up getting that planter for a fraction of what we expected.  Unfortunately, since our corn is already planted. now I have to wait a year before we can actually use it.

At the farm sale, just got our planter loaded.

Tying down the planter.