Who knows a rain dance?
So far we have had a very dry growing season. This means that we have to bring the rain ourselves.
One way we do this is by using water wheels. These gigantic water wheels are our last ditch effort to get water on our pumpkins and sweet corn.
Water wheels work by stretching a sprinkler cart and hose across the length of a field. Then the sprinkler cart is pulled by the gigantic wheel through the field while hundreds of gallons of water are sprayed onto the it. The water is pumped from one of our irrigation ponds through miles of underground pipes that stretch over the farm. In 2023, we added over a 1/4 mile of new underground irrigation line to better utilize the water wheels in new areas of the farm.
Irrigation is an extremely important part of growing fruits and vegetables, especially during severe droughts. If you know a farmer and have heard them complain about rain, this is why. No rain means uncertainty, a whole lot of extra work and lots of extra expense. Not all farms have extensive irrigation networks like ours. For those that don’t have irrigation networks, there is a lot of uncertainty of how well their crops will produce. The farms that do have irrigation networks, these droughts mean a humongous amount of extra work and hours spent irrigating fields. Then there is the expense of putting in new irrigation pipes, running the equipment, purchasing new equipment, and all the extra man hours it takes to maintain and run the irrigation. We are extremely thankful to have an extensive irrigation network so we can get water on our thirsty fields, ensuring that our crop will always produce well.
We have a favor to ask everyone:
Do a rain dance if you know one.
All the farmers will thank you.