It sounds like we are currently under attack.
The crop dusters are back.
As I sit here on this devilishly hot day, my girls and now
little guy are running from one side of the house to the next, watching the
crop duster as he (or she...but I'm assuming he) dive bombs our house in order
to dust the field across the road. The girls are giddy, saying thinks like,
"The pilot has to see me! I'm waving!!!" and "Remember
last year when they came, they were awesome."
Jack is loving this, as his new trick is making a motor
sound for anything that is mechanical and moves, i.e., cars, semis, pickups,
tractors, lawnmowers, earth movers, bikes, motorcycles, and now planes.
While I thought that by my sixth year of living amongst the
corn and soybeans I would become desensitized to this method of applying
fungicide, but I'm not. I still jump. I still run to the windows like the kids.
Even though I know that I should be snapping pictures of the plane and its
proximity to my rooftop, I find myself just standing in the window or on the
deck in awe of the precision these pilots must execute to get just the right
distance to apply just the right stuff to the field.
It is fascinating.
And, for those of you who are wondering, it's necessary. This
is our livelihood. This is our bankroll. This is our preschool tuition and
shoes and groceries next year. While I know that some folks out there are still
questioning the application of anything, be it fungicide, herbicide,
fertilizer, nitrogen or manure, please know that a lot of thought, time,
effort, and in a crop duster's case, training, goes into the planning of the
health of our crop. We're helping to keep the plants as healthy and happy
as they can be.
We're fighting an uphill battle currently, as we have missed
many of the good rains. There's a lot of sighing going on from the office in
the morning as Joe checks the radar and its lack of water. Worried, furrowed
brows crease many faces in our community. We're better off than some, but we're
no
It never ceases to amaze me that the question, "How
much rain did you get?" is one of the first ones farmers ask each other,
whether the year is wet or dry. This year the answer is generally, "Not
enough."
While you can control decisions from whether or not to
utilize crop dusting (a.k.a. aerial application) and what brand of seed you can
buy, when it doesn't rain, your controlled decisions go out the window. This is
something about our livelihood that could drive a control freak like me to
insanity. I don't fight uphill battles without a fight, and my rain dance
currently is not working.
Sigh.
However, tonight, we'll put the thoughts and what ifs about
the drought out of our mind, and try to enjoy the novelty of the crop duster,
because that never seems to get old.
t out of the woods yet, and it shows in my husband's conversations with
friends and relatives.
We love the crop dusters, too... except when we are trying to run to the car before they come back across the field. :) I hope you receive some wet relief soon. Our corn went in nearly a week later than it should have, we're just hoping there is enough moisture in the ground to sustain it until we can flood the field. Happy 4th to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteAmen & Yay Agriculture!
ReplyDelete