Shortly after planting, the rain gods were good to our local farmers. We experienced numerous periods of rain and our Corn, Sorghum and Soy Beans shot up like the space shuttle lifting from it’s launch pad. My wife and I will swear, when things were silent, you could hear the corn grow.
Living in a very rural area, as I can attest by the lack of internet availability a lot of the norms that apply to urban areas just aren’t applied here. The tethering of pets, “Dogs must be on a leash” is not our norm. As the corn grows often animals of various descriptions roam through the rows as the awaiting silk tops reach to the sun. We have deer, fox, wild turkey, Beagles, Labs and mutts along with their feline friends using this area as their own Disneyland. They are so happy in the playground that abounds for five months each year. On occasion our local farmers lose a stalk or two when their ripped out by Mans Best Friend for something to chew on.
To give you a sense of the height, I’m 6′ even. I did take a tape measure to it a month before cutting and got a measurement of 14’3″. Those fields with the Sorghum looked about the size that the corn normally is. The Soy Beans are looking great and awaiting the first frost prior to them going off to market.
The great chicken mogul here on the Eastern Shore is Perdue Farms. Many a person feels old Frank, now passed on to the Great Chicken Coop in the sky, actually looked like a chicken. You be the judge.
Note: Franks picture from http://www.sodahead.com Thanks to my neighbor Jim Przybyla for taking the pictures of the crop cutting while we were vacationing in New England. All other photo’s on my iPhone 6.
If you are at all interested in Agriculture and commodity prices check out http://www.agweb.com/markets/futures/
I’ve had a working relationship with farmers for the 27 years I’ve lived here on the shore. For a number of years I managed a farm for a family from Bavaria in Germany with my former son in-law. For five years we lived in an old farm house, Circa 1733 on that farm located on a deep water creek that ultimately found it’s way to the Chesapeake Bay. About two hundred acres of that farm were leased out to a local farmer for grain production. That farmer and many others I’ve come in contact are hillarious to talk to about their crops. It’s either too hot, too cold, too wet or we’re in a drought. Yes, prices are good but the fields just aren’t producing, Yes, great crop, an abundent year but the prices are down. It always brings a smile to my face when I feel them out on “how’s things?” I’m sure they wondered about me, a come here from the the North.
The last picture you see is our local Car Wash. Actually this is an Agriculture Irrigation machine or apparatus, you choose the word. Around here we call it the Eden Car Wash. When the water is over the roadway the driver will either pull forward or backward with the water as it sprays over the roadway. If the pressure is good, you’ll have a clean machine when finished. And, you just can’t beat the price.
So my friends, now you know about the fence that has surrounded our home over the past five months. We will now awake to a plethora of White Tail deer out by the tree line behind our property where the local hunters have been leaving corn to keep them there for the coming hunting season. It is nice to be able to see more that 10 feet past our property.
The Geese are flying, fall is in the air and the window’s are open for sleeping. Life is Good. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Thank you Lord.
Thanksgiving dinner anyone?
