This spring of 2011 has already put a damper on so many Indiana farmers! This is one of the times of year when farmers gamble with the weather to get their early crops in the ground, pray the plants they do get in survive the elements, and try to control the weed population around the crops they manage to get in. If they are unable to get things underway or lose what crops they do plant, it is like being unemployed and they lose their income too.
As soon as the weather breaks in the spring, many farmers have to wait until the ground dries out in order to get their equipment on it. If the ground is too wet, tractors mar down and get stuck. Certain crops, such as cabbage, broccoli, and brussel sprouts, grow better in cooler weather and it is important to get them planted as soon as the threat of freezing weather is gone. If the ground stays wet and cannot plant, then waiting until it dries out could cause plants as these to be delayed into hotter weather, causing bitterness to taste and more bugs to control.
In response to the question of getting his crops in before the rain set it, Jim Book, co-owner of Book’s Dairy & Produce of Starlight, IN responded, “Kind of like Joe (another area farmer); Struggling to get them going.” He said from the rain they got from Friday, April 22nd to the next morning, they got about 2.5 inches. He said, “Over at dads, we dumped out about 2.7 inches.” That is just one rain, but this spring has been non-stop raining and within a week or two before this rain about 7 inches had already fallen.
Books did manage to get their cabbage and earlier crops in for the most, but now it is a waiting game for the rest. Jim said, “It’s good to get the crops in early because once the summer heat sets in and with all of this rain, ground compaction can be a big problem. We are really behind on planting corn and all this weather is good for is hunting mushrooms and going fishing.” What a sport! God tells us in James 5:7 to, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.”
Many weather elements such as hail plays havoc on some crops. Jim said that maybe a few of his crops were hail damaged, but most were ok. Lucky for him because some of the other farmers were probably not as lucky in other areas where the hail hit harder. Also, with such up and down temperatures earlier this spring, many farmers were on edge about freezing. There was a little frost this spring, but no freezing temperatures enough to hurt the crops.
Along with the weather elements, controlling weeds during wet seasons is tough. Many farmers, such as Book’s Dairy & Produce Inc., use cultivators to both bring dirt in around the stem of plants and to smother out early small weeds that can take over crops if not controlled. With too much rain, they cannot get into their fields to work.
With too much rain, worrying about weather elements, and everything that goes with taking care of crops, many farmers deal with a lot of stress. They work hard at providing food for everyone in their area and beyond. Please take time to thank your local farmer and encourage them every chance you get! Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage on another daily…”
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