Summer crops provide much-needed break for growers
Memorial Day is observed to honor the men and women who died in service to the United States in the military. It is a day to reflect on what life would be like if these individuals had not made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Most of the early homesteaders and early farmers in Yuma County served in the military and are a source of pride to their families and their community.
Summer has arrived with a vengeance, I was not ready for 112 degrees this week, but I guess we never are truly prepared! After attending a meeting in Wellton, I drove back through Dome Valley to see what was going on. Wheat harvest is underway and I was happy to see the wheat stubble being disced back into the soil. Alongside many of the fields were tons of composted manure which will be spread on the wheat stubble to act as a source of nitrogen and microorganisms to help break down the straw and convert it back into nutrients for the next crop. With our intense heat, irrigation and multiple crops grown each year, adding organic matter yearly is mandatory. With the growing occurrence of soil borne diseases attacking vegetable crops, it is critical that the soil be as healthy as possible.
In addition to wheat, honeydew melons were being harvested, onion seed crops looked like fields of snowballs, alfalfa was being cut, cotton was beginning to bloom and several fields were freshly tilled, ready for the next crop. Planting of some of the vegetables needing longer growing seasons is starting earlier each year and with the use of transplants, lettuce is being planted earlier than ever. All the planting schedules depend on the contracts for the delivery of the finished product. Growers all hope that when their crop is ready, the market will be high and that there might even be a shortage, increasing profits.
None of the wheat fields I passed had been burned to remove the stubble. Burning has a negative effect on the soil by sterilizing the top few inches; leaving ashes, which are salts, concentrated on the soil surface; sealing the soil surface so water doesn’t penetrate easily and removing the needed organic matter. Hopefully burning wheat stubble will become a thing of the past. Bermuda grass fields, however, are usually burned on an annual basis to remove the heavy thatch from seed harvest and for insect control. The difference between wheat and Bermuda grass burning is that all it takes is water and fertilizer to bring back the Bermuda grass field into production.
Our summer crops provide a much needed break for the growers, allowing them to live a somewhat normal life. During the summer break, portable sprinkler systems need to be inspected, pipes straightened, sprinkler heads repaired and pumps maintained. Major equipment repairs, irrigation system repairs, installing new ditches and structures or field renovation also take place during the relatively slow time. Review of the previous season’s production costs, budgets and other economic information are examined to improve the efficiency of the farming operations.
Farming in Yuma County is a full time job to be successful, and for 95 percent of our producers, is the original family business.
Bobbi Stevenson-McDermott is a soil and water conservationist. She can be reached at rjsm09@msn.com.