Flooded Fields at Planting Time - Guest Blogger Ashley Reding

Last week I mentioned the 10 inches of rain we received the first weekend in May. While this was not the highest water on record, the older locals saw water where they had never seen it before. My first pictures are of one of our “flood victim” fields – you can see how the corn is nice, green, and tall (relatively speaking) where the water did not reach. Then see where we had to replant and start again. Amazing. I am also including a picture of the trash left behind from the flood. While this picture wasn’t taken in a field, it is a good representation of the sticks, limbs and more limbs that had to be cleared before any replanting could begin.

This last week has been warm and wonderful for planting. We are drilling beans and planting (and replanting) corn. Kathryn (9) got out of school last Friday, so she has been a farm helper three days already. Andrew (4) is on his third day in a week – and that’s only because I won’t send him out every day! Andrew and I rode with Aaron a couple of nights ago and it is amazing to watch Andrew’s concentration. He asks about everything he sees and repeats to you what he’s already learned. Andrew was planting with Aaron for over eight hours last Friday, and he still didn’t want to come home. That is amazing for a boy who can’t sit still! Aaron is beaming with pride as his children’s love of farming grows.

Without the flood, we would be nearly finished planting; however, we are still about one to one-and-a-half weeks from being finished due to the rain and replanting. At that time, wheat should be ready to harvest. So there will be no break this season. Maybe next year…

Last week I mentioned that I learned quickly that “but NEXT year” is a common farmer motto. Another thing I learned early on is that when asked “Will you come lead me to the next field,” one should prepare to be gone for three hours. More than likely, the initial request is simply step one in the plan. What it really means is,
“Will you come lead me to the next field…then drive me back to the first field to get the truck….then come back to this field and wait until so-and-so gets here with the such-and-such and then take him back to the farm?” It didn’t take long to learn that I’d better stick in some snacks for the kids and get on my tennis shoes. Perhaps my next endeavor should be writing a guidebook for new not-from-the-farm farm wives!