crunchy

There is only one way to describe the condition of the farm right now, and that is crunchy. We had a huge rain a week ago followed by high temperatures every day, yesterday it hit over 100. A tiny and short thunder storm hit here last night, it was so hot that the rain did not cool anything down, and the moisture did not penetrate deeply, where the roots need it.

During the day animals seek shade and pant. The chickens, turkeys, pigs and dog find the lowest shaded spot and get in it.

The pathways crunch under foot. Growth is shorter there, and usually soft under foot. Now each step has a crunch to it, an odd sensation under foot.

This level of heat day and night usually happens in late July and early August. The spread to early July with no appreciable rain is distressing for the farmer...in the last 10 years of growing we have had to increase each year our watering. The draught conditions are usually in place later in the summer, and as a grower 2-3 weeks additional heat stress on vegetable plants, livestock and the farmer means we are using more water than we want to. Our water is "free", in that we do not pay a water bill, but the cost to run the water pump for an additional 3 weeks is not insignificant.

Keeping cool. And every water dispenser working in every pen is keeping us quite busy out here. Hoping for a lovely, drenching rain. Bring it.