Billionaire Candidates and Agricultural Ignorance

This is from a few years ago and is among my favorite images.  I find it interesting how the curiosity is strong on both sides of the fence.

Agriculture is something that is little appreciated by most people these days.  Social media has been completely crazy with how one of the current Presidential candidates gave a speech a few years ago to a group of highly educated, full-of-themselves individuals, in which he implied that it didn't take much intelligence to be in agriculture.  In fact, that speech (follow the link to see the article which includes the video) was given at about the same time the above image was taken.

The speech has been taken out of context in such a way that everyone in agriculture has gotten angry rather than thought about what was said.  Essentially, he indicated that civilization has evolved through time from what was, for most of history, an agrarian culture to an industrialized economy and now we are in the middle of a technology-based information economy.  He was correct, but his comments leave one wondering if he truly understands the amount of information and technology that are utilized in agriculture today.

Take that bunch of cows in the image above; they were from a registered herd of Angus that have been carefully selected for over 60 years to produce efficient, fertile, highly versatile animals that provide us with some of the highest quality meat in history.  Each animal is carefully measured in many ways, the data collected, collated and compared against their genetic scores which are developed from genomic testing.  They are rigorously selected based on stringent criteria so that only the best animals are allowed to produce breeding stock for future generations.

They are fed protein and mineral supplements that are carefully formulated to meet the nutritional requirements that the animals cannot attain from forage alone.  They are vaccinated to prevent disease.  They are cared for using scientifically-based methods that reduce the amount of stress to which they are subjected.  The forage they eat is also managed based on best scientifically proven practices.

That's just a small part of agriculture -- raising cattle on a ranch.  I won't even address what happens when they head up the production chain to eventual harvest and presentation in the meat case at your local supermarket.  Technology is everywhere.

When you look at farming it gets even crazier.  The tractors are guided by computers to precisely apply the correct amounts of seed, fertilizer, etc. based on satellite images.  The seeds which are planted are frequently the result of advanced breeding techniques -- including genetic manipulation to enhance disease, chemical and pest resistance.  We have more and better quality food than ever before in history -- thanks to the application of technology to agriculture -- and it costs virtually the same as it did 50+ years ago!

The candidate in question mentions the brainpower required to farm vs. work in a factory vs. create the technology which is so pervasive in society today.  I should introduce him to the rocket scientist I know who ranches in Arizona.  He truly is a rocket scientist -- used to work at NASA.  Or, maybe he should meet some of the scientists unraveling the genetic code which determines disease resistance.  Oh, wait, those are scientists.  Yep, I have worked with them most of my career.  They may be able to manipulate a gene, but most of them have no clue how their work impacts the real world.  They are isolated in their cocoon of technology of which they know much, but they don't know what to do with it much of the time.

I think, ultimately, that is the issue.  I call it intellectual snobbery.  It happens in every field of endeavor.  I've seen it in many, many scientific and engineering fields -- and I've seen it in agriculture.  It goes something like this: "If you don't have a PhD in blah, blah, blah, there is no way you can understand it.  You obviously don't have the intelligence to be able to comprehend it, or you would have a PhD in blah, blah, blah."  Sometimes it isn't just a PhD -- with Engineers it is simply a degree in Engineering -- and they have ranks.  I think Aerospace is at the top and Civil is at the bottom.  Each believes if you "aren't one of us, you ain't nothing."

Back to agriculture -- "If you try to learn how to ranch after a career in something else, you had better be prepared to fail."  "If you didn't grow up in it you will never be able to master it."  Those are incorrect too.

Getting back to the article:  I don't like the candidate mentioned in the article.  Period.  I think he would be worse for our country than most of the others.  Just look at the problems in his state and you should agree.  We shouldn't blast him for what was said, though.  Instead, we should realize that what he said is a symptom of something deeper.  The average person, or the self-proclaimed intellectual elite has no idea about what is involved in production agriculture.  Most of them don't even know what is necessary to get the food to their table.  Billionaire Presidential candidates probably have large staffs that take care of it for them anyway -- they don't even know their food comes from the grocery store -- let alone what it took to get it to the store.

If you don't like the candidate, talk about why you don't like the candidate; don't just blast him by taking his words out of context and failing to address the real issue -- ignorance.  Yep, brilliant people can be ignorant.  If you don't know about something, you are ignorant of that subject.  It doesn't mean you lack the gray matter to understand it given time and effort.  I wish all of the candidates would apply a little more of their gray matter to learning about food production.  Those in agriculture just don't add up to enough votes for it to make a difference to them -- at least in their mind.  We need to explain why it does matter.  Even billionaires won't live long without food.

Mud, Pottery and Food Production

Anybody for a facial?  This mud hole is a semi-permanent hog wallow on our place.  It is at a corner on our boundary which jogs around an adjacent creek.  This area has a clay soil on which the water will sit for long periods -- it doesn't percolate into the ground easily.  I suspect the Caddo Indians who once called this area home used this clay in their pottery.

The mud is now being used by hogs and other animals as a place to seek relief from parasites.  A good coating of the sticky mess is protection from biting flies which are a continual nuisance this time of year.  Fortunately, the nature of the soil is such that the damage to the land is limited to this small area, unlike where the hogs dig for grubs and roots in the pasture.

There are many different soils on our place; they range from alluvial deposits from the creeks to heavy clay which underlays the area.  Erosion from past farming practices has left only thin topsoil in a few places with the clay exposed in an area or, two.  Those practices were ended many, many years ago when cotton was no longer a viable economic crop for the farmers.  The land was left fallow or, allowed to go back to pasture and woodland which is the natural mix for this part of the state.

The clay soils interest me because of their use in pottery making.  The most common is a dark gray clay, however, there are also pockets of red and yellow.  The gray seems to be best for pottery based on a few shards that have been found, but I also have seen some pottery made from the red; it seems to have more sand mixed into it and has a grainier texture.

Because of the poor quality of soils in this area, it is difficult to have a high quality garden.  I have not attempted to garden since we have lived here, but would like to do so.  I was visiting with a friend the other day and we were standing at the end of his very large Fall garden which was pumpkins and black-eyed peas.  I bent down and grabbed a handful of soil and worked it in my hand.  It seemed almost ideal for raising crops.

I asked him about it and he said it has taken a lot of years to get it that way.  He has hauled in sand, peat and composted manure to get it to the consistency that it now has.  He uses a roto-tiller to work the soil and always turns the plant residue back into the soil.  His flock of chickens were working hard to remove any bugs they could find among the young plants as we visited.  He had planted some older varieties of peas and we talked some about heirloom plant species.

Once again, I have taken a wandering path in my post.  What I want to convey is that ranchers and farmers care about the land.  When working within a natural system there are many areas of knowledge that require attention.  Today, there are many who want to move away from traditional agriculture.  I have posted previously about skyscraper greenhouses clinging to the sides of a building and about the use of robotics and artificial intelligence.  Those things have a place, but I hope we never lose the general understanding of how to grow our food utilizing the resources within a natural system.

The Caddo Indians understood the land.  They raised crops, hunted wildlife and were able to find all they needed for survival as provided by nature.  They cooked their meals in pots made by their own hands from the soil that supported the wildlife and plants that went into it.  I fear much of that knowledge is disappearing in our technology-focused world. 

Living to the Next Paycheck

Today is sale day for this group of calves.  They will be sold in the NETBIO (Northeast Texas Beef Improvement) sale.  It is a special sale of pre-conditioned, weaned calves that are certified to have been properly vaccinated and taught to eat from a feed bunk and automatic water system.

I'm proud of this group.  We have been working for a number of years to get our genetics to where we wanted them.  This is a very uniform set that will hopefully do well in spite of a market that has been disappointing recently.

One of the things people outside of agriculture have difficulty grasping is that "harvest" only comes once or twice during the year.  To put it plainly, there is no income, only expenses, for the greatest part of the year.  Selling your crop has to pay all of the expenses required to produce it and provide an income above that to the farmer or, rancher.  It is just a "side gig" for us, so we aren't dependent upon it for our living expenses.

Most people can't imagine living on borrowed money for 11 months of the year and then hopefully, paying it back when you sell your crop.  It makes a person better at budgeting.

Right now, as we enter into the Fall Harvest season, keep the farmers and ranchers in mind.  For many, it has been a very difficult year with flooding, drought, severe storms that brought hail and high winds and it has been a year of "Tariff Wars" that have been highly disruptive of the markets.  Many of the farmers and ranchers won't be able to cover their expenses of producing a crop this year let alone covering their cost of living.

As you enjoy your abundant selection of foods at the grocery store, or in your favorite restaurant, think about the folks that produced it.   They're going through a hard time right now.

Flour, Farming and Food

The flour mill in the photo is a reconstruction from the 1930's built on the site of the first flour mill in Texas, which was constructed by the Spaniards at Mission San Jose around 1794, located in what is now San Antonio.  A small acequia, or canal, brought water from the San Antonio River into a chamber below the one you see here which houses the mill.  The flowing water turned a wheel which drove the mill.  This photo was taken a few years ago when we toured the mission.

This small mill provided flour to the communities which grew around the mission.  It was a part of Spanish efforts to "tame" the Indians by converting them from the use of maize (corn) to wheat for making bread.  It is interesting to me how the influence, to some extent, went the other way.  Today, corn tortillas (a primary form of bread) are preferred by many of the descendants of the Spaniards.

There is archaeological evidence that man has been milling wheat since almost 7,000 B.C.  The earliest mills were simple and the feat was accomplished by rubbing the grain kernels between two stones, or by pounding it with one stone against another.  The Romans are believed to be the first to utilize water power to mill flour around 100 B.C.  The industrial advances of the 19th Century caused rapid changes in milling because of the harnessing of better power sources. The early mill stones could be turned at faster rates and the friction generated too much heat.  Roller mills were adopted in the late 1870's.

The reason for milling grains is the the hard bran, or outer layer, which must be broken in order to access the endosperm which is the part of the kernel that provides the most easily digestible nutrients.  Purified flour has had the bran particles removed by a sifting process that leaves only the endosperm.

Flour milling is one of the greatest time-freeing inventions of mankind.  On a trip to Niger in 2009, I observed the women grinding millet into flour with a wooden mortar and pestle.  They spent a large part of their day just grinding enough flour to make bread for their family.  That bread was cooked in outdoor ovens made of mud bricks.  They spent the entire day working to feed their families with very primitive methods.

Today, we hear many people bashing modern agricultural practices and the way we turn those products into food.  Few of them realize that without those methods, they would be spending their days undergoing backbreaking labor just to eat.  The next time you go into a grocery store, take a few minutes in the bread aisle to view the huge variety of breads that are available to purchase.  As you do so, realize that the labor used to produce them wasn't your own.

I will readily admit that I prefer homemade bread.  I am thankful my wife loves to bake and enjoys bread making.  I am also thankful that we don't have to grow, harvest, thresh and mill the wheat in order to have flour to make that bread.  I appreciate the farmers and food technology that has freed us from those difficult tasks.

Make Hay While You Can

Cut it.

Dry it.

Rake it.

Bale it.

Round bales.

Square bales.

Horse hay.

Cow hay.

Hot summer day.

Dust in the air.

Sweet scent of grass.

It's that time of year.

Make hay while you can --

There's rain a comin'.

Ancient Knowledge, Big Data and Robotics in Agriculture

I think we all should be concerned about the loss of genetic diversity in agriculture.  The photo above was taken several years ago as I was crossing the Oklahoma Panhandle.  I stopped because it was an exceptional group of cattle and they weren't black.

There are several reasons the cattle industry has become dominated by black cattle -- notice that I say black and not Angus.  One is that Certified Angus Beef has done an amazing job at promoting the quality characteristics of the beef produced from Angus cattle.  A second is that the Angus breed truly does typically marble more easily and therefore, the beef is more flavorful and tender.  Because the market favors those characteristics, ranchers are often paid more for black-hided cattle that exhibit the phenotypic Angus traits.  Less profitable breeds tend to fade away, or become extremely small niche opportunities for breeders seeking uniqueness and finding profit in a boutique market -- or the they find more effective ways to market their product.

The same thing has happened in almost every aspect of agriculture.  We now see only a few basic types of most species dominating their market -- whether it be corn, soybeans, fruits, vegetables, pigs, chickens, or whatever.  Agriculture moves toward the most profitable.

The narrowing of the gene pool comes at a price.  Along with more productivity based on market-driven factors we often see susceptibility to disease or, weather-driven factors such as drought or extremely wet conditions.  That susceptibility adds to the use of chemicals, drugs, or other high-cost inputs to combat the problems.

A different approach, especially in countries that are less industrialized in their techniques, might be through the utilization of multiple strains of a plant across a field, or the varying of strains based on specific conditions unique to a location.  Ancient civilizations did this through a collective wisdom garnered through trial and error and close observation.  Today, with the information gathering capabilities we have, data banks could be designed with a focus on what I might term "species intelligence" that allows the farmer to better match genetics to current conditions of soil, weather and other factors at his specific location.

We need to re-think species diversity.  Uniformity is not always the answer.  We have moved that direction, to some extent at least, to accommodate industrialization of the farming processes.  It is easier to plant, cultivate and harvest the crop when it is uniform.  Varying species across a field would mean that the needs of the plants would not all occur simultaneously.  Diversity might add to the necessity for robotic farming.

It is interesting to me that in order to gain efficiency we moved away from ancient knowledge and techniques but, in order to reinstitute that ancient knowledge we may be challenged with developing even higher forms of technology in order to reap the benefits of that knowledge and wisdom.  Have you ever noticed that we seem to "evolve" in circles?  The pendulum swings....

Fallacies, Farming and Food

There seems to be a growing movement of young people -- well, not all of them are young -- who are becoming "experts" about agriculture.  They scour the Internet for information on everything from the evils of industrial agriculture to the destruction of our health with processed flour.  Their certainty of "right and wrong" is based on, "I read it, therefore it is correct," without ever questioning the source of the information.

Along with this desire to become "experts" on subject matter which requires a lifetime to master, they need to develop a little wisdom.  We have tried to instill in our children and to a lesser extent, our grandchildren, the discipline of questioning what they read.  Just because someone has a PhD after their name, or is considered an expert in their field, doesn't mean they don't have an agenda driven by less-than-pure motives.  It is important to question and dig deeper.

There is no doubt that there are better ways of doing things.  In my lifetime I have observed significant changes in agriculture that are more focused on conservation while still increasing production.  While still in college I spent some time working for an irrigation company converting sprinklers from high-pressure "rainbird" type sprinkler heads to low-pressure emitters on "drops" that used less water, less energy and placed the water closer to the plant so there was less evaporation loss.  Many small grains farmers have switched to minimum, or no-till planting and cultivation systems that leave the land almost undisturbed.  It increases the amount of organic matter in the soil, reduces loss to water and wind erosion and saves energy in the farming operations.

Some farms have switched to "strip-till" methods where they alternate crops in narrow bands.  It is a method to help reduce insect infestations because of the variation in plant species.  It also changes the soil health by utilizing nitrogen-fixing plants alongside nitrogen-depleting plants.

We see more and more farms that utilize grasses to slow runoff from fields and create "filter zones" to catch silt before it enters a stream or river.  Streams are bordered with trees and grasses rather than the crops being planted right up to their margin.  Such practices protect our water supply and provide habitat for wildlife.

Precision farming methods now vary fertilizer application, seed population rates and therefore, plant densities across a field based on the needs and capabilities of the ever-varying soils.  Such methods reduce soil depletion while also reducing, or eliminating fertilizer from being carried off the field by runoff.  It allows the maximization of production with the optimization of inputs.

Yet, the cry is louder each year that farming is "bad" and we need to re-think everything we do in agriculture.  I wish more people had the opportunity to actually spend time with farmers and ranchers to see what they are doing to protect our environment while growing more food, more efficiently, so those very people who complain will have plenty of inexpensive food to eat.

There is always room for improvement, but there is much that has been done and many who are working diligently to make those improvements happen.

Race Against Time

Ripened fields of golden grain
Bend
As the waves of moving air
Flow
Quietly o'er the heavy heads
Waiting
For the giant machinery to
Harvest
The bounteous increase of man's
Labor.
While struggling furiously against
Time,
As looming masses of vapor
Bloom
In the western sky which
Threaten
To delay or possibly to
Destroy
The fruit of many months
Invested,
The farmer sends clouds of
Dust
To smudge the darkening
Sky
In a race against the violence
Nature
Has sent to thwart his
Effort.
Tiny kernels of the
Harvest
Heap in growing piles of
Gold
Where churning wheels
Transport
Them to a future turned to
Bread;
Sustenance for the growing
Masses.

Gardening: A Love/Hate Relationship

I like gardening.  I hate gardening.  Okay, let me start over...

I love fresh produce from my own garden.  I want to grow those few vegetables which I enjoy such as squash, okra, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn (I want it cut off the cob) and potatoes -- even a few onions.

I also want fruit trees and a vineyard.  I want cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, plums and grapes -- all grown by my own hands.  If I lived in a tropical climate I would add oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit to the list.  I would even try growing bananas, mangoes and pineapple if given the chance.

All of those things are "wants" that come with a lot of hard work.  I love the fruits of my labor, but sometimes am not too thrilled by the labor itself.  Is it a lazy streak?  Not really, because when it needs to be done, I do it.  I'm just not excited about a day in the hot sun with rivulets of sweat making tracings in the dust on my face.

I suspect that's why so few people are involved in agriculture.  It requires a lot of work -- even with modern farming techniques and the application of advanced technology.  The hours are long, the sun is hot, and it seems like everything is out to destroy your hard work -- like a hail storm, or insects, or some exotic disease that you didn't know existed until your plants had withered and died.

I suppose agriculture provides the perfect metaphor for life in general.  We work hard so that we might enjoy the fruits of our labor only to see them stripped away by some unexpected event such as illness, or accident.  Sometimes its just a matter of timing in a volatile economy.

I once had the opportunity to visit with a "past-his-prime but well-known" country singer who owned a ranch in my neighborhood.  He said, "Can you imagine?  I spent my whole life working my tail off so I could get off the farm only to buy one when I finally made it."

Agriculture is in our DNA.  It brought us civilization and wealth.  It is the foundation of every successful economy.  It takes a lot of work, but the rewards are worth it.  Now, I'm thinking a perfect summer southern meal of fried pork chops, fried squash, fried okra, mashed potatoes and cream gravy would just about be perfect....(I know fried isn't the healthiest, but it tastes fantastic.)

Around and Around

Long summers past and after school
There was a never ending rule
That I must have a way some funds to earn.

I "chopped" some cotton, stacked some hay
And lots of other things for pay
And even useful skills were there to learn.

But, one I hated way back when
Is even now like it was then,
That's driving a tractor around and around the field.

It was a thing I grew to hate
From early dawn to evening, late
It never to my drifting thoughts appealed.

I just got bored and had a lack
Of staying on the narrow track
Defined by rows laid out so carefully.

My mind would drift 'long other ways,
A tangled and unending maze,
And my mistakes were there for all to see.

So mostly I was sent to plow
The fallow ground as needs allow
In endless circles cutting weeds right down.

And if by chance my mind would drift
The next time 'round my track would shift
To fix mistakes before they caused a frown.

Those years thought long since in the past
Came back just like a sudden blast
Today as I commenced to cut some weeds.

I hooked the shredder on three points
And greased up all the moving joints
Then filled the diesel tank to meet its needs.

The goat weeds and the nettles grew
In many places old and new
Where pasture grasses were what I should see.

And there I started around and around
As they succumbed to the chopping sound
And my mind drifted to this memory.

Country Dogs

Dogs have been called man’s best friend. I’ve never really figured out why unless it is because of their devotion and loyalty – even when treated like a – well, uh, a dog.

Dogs are a part of living in the country. Rarely do you drive by a farmstead where there aren’t one or two dogs present. Sometimes they just lie on the porch or the yard and watch you drive by and at other times they chase you.

Country dogs are frequently treated very differently than city dogs. They are often left to roam about the farm with little impediment. Their city cousins are usually impounded within a yard or kennel or even more frequently, in the house. This difference in treatment must have an impact on their personality.

I have owned a number of dogs through the years. The first that I remember well was a Bassett/Beagle cross that used to accompany me as I trekked the pasture as a youngster. My father insisted that I always have the dog with me as protection against the occasional rattlesnake that I might stumble upon. She proved herself more than once in that capacity. Eventually she was bitten on the jaw by one of the snakes – although not while in my company. I was amazed at her recovery after a few weeks.

Some years later I acquired another dog while working as a Veterinary Assistant. She was a young Australian Shepherd who had been kicked in the eye by a cow. The owner gave her to me rather than “putting her down.” I removed the eye with the assistance of the Veterinarian and enjoyed her company for many years. She was a very intelligent and very gentle dog. Apparently, she also had a long memory. She never would go near cows again.

My one-eyed cow dog gave me a litter of pups one year. The father must have been a coyote – literal, not figurative. I kept one of those pups for a few years. She was one of the best hunters that I have ever seen. That hunting instinct was also a failing. She thought the neighbor’s cattle were game and had to be destroyed.

One of my favorite dogs was a Redbone Coonhound named Beauregard. He was a beautiful dog when grown, although extremely awkward as a pup. We lived near the Republican River in Nebraska and tried keeping him and our Chocolate Lab in a pen when they weren’t hunting. Beau was a master at escape though. If he got a scent in his nostrils he became obsessed with pursuit and would manage an escape. We always knew when he was out because he would start baying as he pursued the scent. I thought it was some of the most beautiful music in the world. He would take the Lab on his hunts. They made a great team. He would chase down the game and she would retrieve it. They constantly provided us with “offerings” left on the porch.

My newest dog is a tri-colored Australian Shepherd. He is extremely “intelligent” as far as his ability to learn tricks. That intelligence makes him a handful as well. He seems to have a mind of his own and requires constant vigilance to keep him out of trouble.

So, what do dogs have to do with agriculture? I think they are so deeply entrenched into the agrarian world that we overlook their usefulness. First, they keep us company. Often the lonely workday is eased by the company of a faithful companion riding along in the pickup. Second, they provide protection. Their alertness acts as a sentry for things that we often fail to notice – such as snakes or approaching strangers. The sometimes isolated nature of country life occasionally attracts individuals with malicious intent. Good watch dogs are important when you live a good distance from your nearest neighbor. Third, they work for us. If you have ever seen a good dog work cattle or sheep you know exactly what I mean. It is amazing to see the obedience as the dog responds to the commands of his handler.

I guess after reflection that it certainly is true; dogs are man’s best friend --especially out in the country.

The Sunbelt Exposition

The Sunbelt Exposition in Moultrie, Georgia, may be the largest Farm Show in the country. It is certainly the most diverse that I've ever attended. There was equipment and services represented for poultry, swine, dairy, beef, bees, alpacas, cotton, soybeans, corn, vegetables, peanuts, tobacco, pine trees, catfish, shrimp, pecans, hay, grass, large farms, small farms, red fish, blue fish -- wait, that's Dr. Seuss -- anyway, maybe you get the picture. I have posted a few of my favorite pictures from the show below. Maybe you can figure out how they fit into Agriculture.

I think this last one is the one that I want. An air boat would be a blast. The only trouble that I see is that in West Texas it would have to have wheels!

Advertisement: Yokes by Jesus

In biblical times plows were pulled by oxen. Usually the oxen were yoked in pairs. Often the pair would consist of an older experienced ox that was well trained to the plow along with a young ox that still needed to learn. One of the keys to the oxen efficiently pulling the plow was the yoke itself. The better that it fit the oxen -- the more comfortably it fit -- the more efficiently they could pull. This was because it was a comfortable fit that allowed the pressure to be evenly distributed without chaffing or galling the animal.

Jesus was a carpenter. Among the many things that he made I'm sure were yokes for oxen. Often farmers would bring their oxen in to the carpenter to be "fitted" for the yoke. Basically, they were custom made to fit the specific animal. Can you imagine how well a Jesus-made yoke would fit? I suspect they were the best made yokes around.

The yoke on an ox is a little like a job or career for a man or woman. If it is a good fit they are efficient and effective. If it is a poor fit, they are constantly fighting against it and are frustrated and ineffective.

Each of us is uniquely suited to a particular career or job. That is what we should be doing. When we find that niche we are happy and productive. Often we enter into a career because of the money we will make or because of the expectations of others. We should find and do what we were made for.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."__Matthew 11:28-30

(adapted from our sermon this evening)

Cultivating Cotton

A handful of soil trickles through his fingers
As he looks across the ground
So recently covered by the massive
John Deere tractor and plow.
Squatting on one heel
He digs into the loose soil
Testing the moisture
And the depth of the cultivation.
A smile creases the weathered face
As he heads back
To the pickup,
Cellphone pressed to his ear,
Directing one of the hired hands
On which field to cover next.
The blooms are setting well
And the promise of fall is heightened
By good rains that have fallen.
If it doesn't hail
And there's not an early freeze
And nothing breaks down
He might make a little money this year.
The banker will appreciate that.
They aren't too happy
When you have to carry the note over
Into the new crop year.
Let's hope the price holds...

More on Ethanol

This article from CattleNetwork.com is interesting (at least to those of us who seem to be obsessed with Ethanol)....

The Efficiency of Ethanol Production

The efficiency of ethanol productionhas long been questioned. Critics would argue that the industry could not survive without government subsidies and that it takes more energy to produce a unit of ethanol than the energy derived from the ethanol. There might have been some merit to these arguments, given the technology that existed at the time, both in terms of agronomic practices and the processes for turning feedstocks into fuel ethanol.
However, a study published in July 2006 by the University of Minnesota concluded that there is a net energy gain with the production of ethanol from corn. Researchers tracked the amount of energy used to grow corn and to turn it into ethanol, and they factored in the cost of transporting the raw product to the plant.
Researchers also factored in the cost of how much fertilizer and pesticides were required to grow the corn, and the greenhouse gases, nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide pollutants that were released into the environment. They concluded that corn-based ethanol yielded 25% more energy than was expended in producing that unit of ethanol.
The cost of producing ethanol varies with the feedstock being used and its availability. In the U.S. and Canada, corn is the most widely used feedstock because it is generally the cheapest, both in terms of the cost of feedstock and the processing costs. In Brazil, sugar cane is the most cost effective feedstock, despite the relatively low ethanol conversion factor. The low cost of sugar cane and the associated processing costs make Brazil’s ethanol producers very competitive in the world ethanol market.
Processing costs, for corn-based ethanol production, depend on the type of milling process. For very large plants, the economics of production favour the wet milling process, despite a lower conversion rate than the dry milling process and higher processing costs per gallon.
The value of by-products derived from wet milling more than offsets the lower conversion rate and higher processing costs, resulting in the lower cost per gallon of ethanol. The by-products of the wet milling process are normally corn oil, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed, and carbon dioxide, but some larger plants have developed the ability to also produce vitamins, food and feed additives from the same feedstock, by-products which help to reduce the cost per gallon of ethanol.
Dry milling accounts for most of the ethanol produced in the U.S., and the main by-products of this process are distillers dried grain with soluble (DDGS), condensed syrup, and carbon dioxide. DDGS is a high-protein feed ingredient, but it is low in amino acids, including lysine.
The low levels of lysine limit the usefulness of DDGS in hog and poultry rations. However, the abundance of DDGS in the U.S Midwest, where ethanol plants are concentrated, allows nutritionists to incorporate this relatively low cost feed ingredient into feed rations, provided that the customers for the DDGS are within a certain radius of the ethanol plants.
Currently, the U.S. ethanol industry appears to be less dependent on government subsidies than in the past. That move to self-sufficiency can be attributed to several factors, including record high prices for crude oil. High crude oil prices and the market price of ethanol have made its production much more profitable. In fact, ethanol production might be profitable enough to allow producers to operate without the US$0.50/gal subsidy they currently receive from the U.S. government.

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Obviously the profitability of ethanol is dependent on the relative price of gasoline. The subsidy for production probably is just an offset against reduced farm subsidy payments due to increased corn prices in the market so it isn't a real loss to the taxpayer, however, I'd like to see our "all wise and powerful government" end this subsidy for ethanol and let the market take its course.

Rural Commuter

There's not much left of the old place now;
The house is there no more.
Junk equipment lays in piles
Where corrals once stood before.
The windmill tower is still in place
But the wheel and rod aren't there.
Nothing but a stump is left
Of the gnarled and ancient Pear.
The old stock tank can still be seen
Piled high with baling wire.
Where once there was an apple tree
Is just a worn out tire.
The garden's just a patch of weeds;
The chicken coop's caved in.
Where used to be a Quonset barn
Is just a pile of tin.
The old home place just ain't the same
As it was in days of old,
The remains have lost their life it seems
They're just so gray and cold.
The neighbor's farms are changing too
The houses are run down
And weeds have taken everything
Since they all moved to town.
The farmers have all left the farm;
They up and moved away.
Most prefer the city life
And commute to work each day.

Signs of Spring

There are definite signs of spring beginning to show. This morning I noticed the buds on my hybrid poplar trees were swollen and ready to open. The temperatures have been starting to reach into the high 70's during the day and some nights are staying above freezing. Some of the late winter weeds are beginning to show themselves. Today, as I drove across the Panhandle, I noticed that most of the geese had already moved north. There were very few left on the playas or in the corn fields.

The farmers are beginning to show signs of wanting to get into the fields and plow. I've seen a couple of tractors working the ground this week. There's always someone who wants to be the first to get the soil ready for planting. I guess it's time. In just a few short weeks they will be running full time to prepare the soil for the seed.

Spring Break from school is only a couple of weeks away. The kids are getting excited about what they will do and where they will go. I find it humorous that some families will use it as a last opportunity to go to the mountains to do some skiing. I'd rather go south where the flowers are starting to bloom, the days are warm, and the fish are ready to be caught.

Winter isn't over. We'll likely have a few more cold spells before spring truly arrives, but it is nice to feel the hint of it in the air. I'm sure the "hollyacademedia" will say that it is too warm, too early and that it is a sign that global warming is upon us. I suspect that it is just the natural rhythm and cycle of the earth.

Someone today told me that one of their greatest fears was global warming. They also thought we needed to get out of Iraq. Isn't that a sign of backward thinking? They are terrified of something that is a slim possibility for the distant future, but oppose proactively preventing terrorism on our soil (by attacking it at the root) which is a much more likely immediate threat if left unchecked. How did the people in this country get so confused? It would take volumes to address that question.

I think for now, I'll think about the coming spring.