Artificial Rain

     The irrigation continues, despite the fact that we have snow on the ground this morning in Owyhee County.

     This is a Center Pivot Sprinkler or, for short, a Pivot. This elaborate structure moves in a circle around a pivot at one end. The wheels each move at a slightly different speed to keep the sprinkler strait. Since the pivot end of the sprinkler releases much less water than the far side. Being a taller structure, a pivot can be used in taller crops, like corn, quite effectively. Conversely, since the pivot is so tall, the sprinkler heads are hung down below the structure by pipes called "drops." Some newer pivots can actually hinge in the middle, allowing them to water a square shaped fields more fully or to work around even more complexly shaped fields.

     This one is called a Wheel Line. A wheel line is pretty simple. It's a pipe with sprinklers attached with wheels interspersed along the length. A four wheeled motor (those yellow boxes you can just see at the upper left of the picture) rotates the entire length of pipe so that the whole line will move, as one, across a field in a parallel fashion. As you can see, over the length of the line, (probably due to wind) a wheel line can get a significant curve to it. This is not good, because now the line doesn't really roll strait and will break if you try to move it. This line will probably have to be taken apart and rebuilt in a strait line. A time consuming job, if not a particularly difficult one.

     This is the humble Hand Line. As you can see, it's just a pipe with sprinklers on it. They're called hand lines because if you ever want to move them, you have to pack them around with your hands. Nowadays they're most common in the corners of fields watered by center pivots. Since a center pivot generally waters a circle shaped area, and fields are generally square, you have to fill in the corners or leave them dry. Since a hand line works on a pressurized water system, just like the pivot, it fills the corners handily.
     I still haven't covered all the ways that people irrigate their crops, but hopefully the variety impresses on you that it's a very important part of what farmers do. They're always interested in trying new ways to bring more, high quality food and resources to the public.

Tending the Soil

    
     Isn't that an impressive vehicle? It's a fertilizer spreader and it's 50% truck, 50% sprayer, and 50% tricycle. (That's right, 150%. That's what you get in the realm of the spectacular.)

     Each boom contains a bunch of these, it's basically the wide attachment for your vacuum, but in reverse. A massive (much like everything else about the machine) air pump blows air down each of those tubes. That air is blowing strong enough to carry little pellets of fertilizer in it.

     These are the little pellets. They have all kinds of things that the crops need to grow most effectively. Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash and lots of other things. The company that analyzed the soil is called Stukenholtz and I've directed the link to the page that lists their services.
     All that happens in preparation for this:

     Behold, the S-Tine Cultivator. Starting from the front of the tractor, there is a large tank. This tank contains a carefully chosen assortment of herbicides. In order to stop weeds before they become a problem, the farmer has identified which weeds are already a problem and ones which will be. He then chooses the herbicides which best address these weeds and that's what goes in the tank. From there it travels back to the cultivator.

     If you look up close in the very front of the implement you see a square tube with spray nozzles. That's where the herbicide comes out, as I'm sure you guessed. Next come three banks of S-tines. Remember those? They're springy so as they pull through the ground they flick, breaking up the crust that tends to form on open dirt.

     Next comes a single row of tines. Tines are are basically a big fat nail. It does much of the same job as the S-tines, but as they're rigid, they're more insistent that the dirt be broken. Lastly comes the roller, though it's more of a mixer. As you can see it really mixes.

     This is what it's shaped like, kind of like the beaters on the mixer in your kitchen. And it makes sense as they both do the same job.
     Working together, the parts of the S-tine cultivator break up the soil and then mix in the fertilizer and herbicides. All this makes the soil in prime condition for when it's going to be planted. That will be real soon.

Honey Bees

     When a person talks of bees, the first thing that comes to most people's minds is this guy:

     Not the flowers, mind you, but the bee. A European Honey Bee, to be precise. They are not, in fact, natives of this continent, but they've made themselves at home.
     The honey bees come out of the hives as soon as the weather permits, and immediately begin looking for food. For the most part, bees eat pollen and sugars in the form of nectar or honey. Bees harvest nectar from flowers and store much of the nectar's sugars in honey. (But I'm sure you knew all that.) At first there won't be much for them to eat, but then the perennial plants started blooming, and then the trees. The peach blossom above, and the maple tree's flowers below are just full of food for these little foragers.

     Honey bees are pollinators, that's where their link to agriculture comes in. Basically, without being pollinated, a plant will not create fruit or seeds. The honey bee is the major domesticated pollinator of most crops (excluding alfalfa) and all of the orchards. That's why, scattered around the farmlands you'll find these.

     These boxes contain the bees' home. Beekeepers and farmers get a mutual benefit from having these scattered about. The farmers get their crops pollinated, and the beekeepers get the honey. Plus, the bees get the prime real estate, right in the middle of all the food.
     Not all honey bees are domesticated. Some are feral, and will build their nest in a suitable hollow, such as an old stump, or an abandoned (or not) building. Up in the hills they're partial to building in holes in the rocks and it's not unheard of them to build in particularly thick brush, (or even alfalfa) though the survivability of these nests is questionable.
     Domesticated or not, all of these bees are vital to agriculture, and not just in Owyhee County. They're a good companion to the farmer, and will remain so, as both parties work together to bring food to you.

First Irrigation

     While the water has been in the canals for about a week here in the northwestern corner of Owyhee County, today is the first day it's been available to the farmers.

     In the farming game it pays to act fast, so any crops that are ready are getting their first irrigation today. The thing is, how does the farmer get the water in that ditch to the wheat. The first step is the "tin."

     This is a "tin." (under water, doing what it does) I'm guessing that we call them that because at one point they used to be made out of tin. This one is made out of galvanized steel, I believe. What it does is dam up the flow of the water in the ditch, raising the level.

     The next step revolves around this guy. This is an aluminum syphon tube. For those of you who don't know how a syphon works, I'll endeavor to explain how. If you've ever played with the straw in your drink at a restaurant, you know that by sealing one end you can lift the fluid inside. In order for something to move another thing must* take it's place. In the case of the straw, it would be air taking the place of the liquid, but you're blocking that by plugging the top. To start a syphon tube, a person will do much the same thing, filling it full of water then holding a hand over the end of the tube then lifting it so that the water in the tube is above the level of the ditch. (just like the straw would be full of fluid above the level of the drink.) Now here's where the shape of the tube comes in. Since the front of the tube (on the left up there) is longer when measured from the highest point (the hump in the middle) when compared to the rear of the tube it holds more water which is therefore heavier. When you release your hand from the end of the straw, gravity pulls the fluid back down to the level of the glass. A tube is layed down horizontally next to the ditch so that the back end is still under water. When you release the front end the water wants to do the same as it does in the straw, but in this case the highest point of the container is not the open end of the straw, but the contained middle of the tube. Since there is no way for anything to fill that space the heavier amount of water in the front of the tube lifts the lighter amount in the rear of the tube. Since the rear of the tube is left in the water, instead of pulling air in like the straw, it pulls in more water which once it gets pulled over the highest point of the tube adds more weight to the front end which pulls more water, etc. This creates a continuous cycle that will continue as long as the rear of the tube can keep pulling water. (Are you more or less confused now?)

     Things like floating weeds can plug the tube, stopping it's flow and the irrigation of thirsty plants. As I'm sure you can guess, that's bad. So irrigation requires frequent checking. How frequent depends on how much there is floating in the water that day. things like onion skins and certain fish can shut off and entire field of tubes. Fortunately, fish in the ditches is a rare thing and the onion skins are only really around at harvest time.
     For now its all about removing whatever blew into the ditch over the winter and making sure water runs down each row. Water tends to go where it wants and this first irrigation can be a bit labor intensive. The syphon tube is only one of many ways farmers irrigate their crops. I'll be sure to let you know about the other kinds. The important thing is, with water in the ditches, the business of plant growth can really take off.

    *For those of you that are saying: "But what about vacuums?" Vacuums require a significant amount of force and don't really exist in nature. And no, outer-space is not included in the realm of nature.

Spray Rig

     This, is a Spray Rig.

     A Spray Rig or Sprayer is an implement that is designed to spread liquids over large areas. On the day these photos were taken, this sprayer was spraying fertilizer (nitrogen) and selective herbicide. The nitrogen feeds the plants and the selective herbicide attempts to kill most plants that aren't wheat. Most of the volume in the tank will be water with the active agents mixed in.

     To spread over  a wide area it helps to have great, big, wide arms. The little hanging down parts on the end can drop little blobs of foam to mark the edge of the already sprayed area.

     It's a very complex machine, and you don't so much drive as pilot a sprayer. It's got a joystick for a throttle that has many controls on it. Disappointingly, none of them fire missiles. The steering wheel, rather than turning the wheels, actually flexes the middle of the machine which bends between the cab and holding tank. A spray rig is covered with pipes and valves. Some of the myriad of switches, knobs and levers control those. Though I'm assured it's much easier than it looks, I don't think I believe it.

     When a field is completely sprayed, the booms fold up in a somewhat complex manner and the driver moves on to the next one. Not long ago, most of this was done by a custom specialist. Now many farmers do their own spraying to save money.
     By removing the competition from these fields, a farmer increases his yield. The nitrogen increases the growth rate of the wheat, also increasing the yield. That means more wheat and eventually more food.

The Whipper

     A few days ago I talked about stunting the growth of the alfalfa so that it blooms at the right time. In that post, we were seeing the brillion do the job. This is a another way.

     This alfalfa field may not look out of the ordinary at first glance, but a closer inspection shows that the top part of the plants have been mulched a bit. This is the other way. You retard the development of the plant by whipping the top off with this:

     This is a whipper. What it does is take a lot of PTO energy and turn it into a rotating drum of these guys:

     The drum itself is quite heavy, so it picks up a lot of momentum which it transfers into these flails. (as they're called) It's all put inside of a protective housing so that things don't come flying out at high speeds, much like a lawn mower. Also like a lawn mower, the entire operation lowers down over the work area, (by use of hydraulics) so you don't really get to see any of it happening. The aftermath smells pretty good too, just like a lawn mower. (see, it's kind of like a lawn mower...)
     The Whipper will see a brief period of work around some of the alfalfa fields in the spring, and also to knock down weeds that get a bit out of control. It will come to use much more commonly in the fall, though, when it's time to knock down stubble. But, once again, that's a post for another day.
    

In Bloom

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.



    

     The orchards are beginning to bloom. There are not many orchards in Owyhee County, but I felt there were enough to give them a post. Though the above poem (by A.E. Housman) speaks of cherries, I'm not positive what sort of tree these are. Not that it really matters. What does matter, is that at this time, the orchard workers have been hard at work for a while already.

     These tenders of the trees of the artificial woodlands are actually quite common. But as their workplace tends to block the view, they are often difficult to see. Around this time the "limb" the trees. What that means is that they cut down the tree so that it grows in a shape that is optimal for harvest later in the year. So all the branches that are too high, or too close must go.

     Many of the houses in the county will have at least one fruit tree. These are peach trees, and, will begin bearing fruit soon. The peaches will ripen in mid to late summer, and will be canned, put in pies, eaten fresh, or some other use. Ultimately they're much tastier, and much cheaper than anything you can get in a store. If you don't have room for your own trees, I highly suggest that you visit one of the many fruit stands that the orchards have to sell their produce. Not only will you be getting better fruit, you'll be supporting the local economy. There's no downside!

Owyhee Uplands

     Up in the hills and mountains of Owyhee County, spring's arrival is much more recent. That said, the plants that grow in the meadows and on the slopes are very quick to react. As the snows recede up the mountainsides the lands turn green with plants that make the most of the moisture left behind.

     At about 4,460 feet in elevation the meadows are in full swing. The plants here, mostly grasses, grow fast and thick. They will make excellent pastures as well as growing high quality hay for the long winter months.

     This part of the county is best suited for stock based agriculture. As with most of Owyhee County, the stock of choice here, is cattle. For now, some of the cattle are in the meadows. But as the plants reach suitable maturity further and further up the mountains, the cattle will follow.

     At about 5,580 feet the snow has just recently melted. The plants and grasses are already up and growing. Not much further up the mountain (South Mountain, to be precise) it's still winter. But it won't be long until the snow melts there as well.

     As the snow does melt, every dry gully and draw has a creek in it. Many of the narrow meadows that line the slopes become miniature flood plains. The water is always welcome, but the little streams also carry in new soil from above. Slowly but surely this new soil enriches and expands the little meadows.

     At roughly the same elevation but further down the trail, we come to the last ranch on this particular road. The snows are close here, so the cows graze in the pastures until the hillsides can support them. From the point where this picture was taken, it's only about 200 feet to the point where the road is covered in snow. The line between winter and spring can be a dramatic one, this high up.
     Life can be hard, up here. For the animals as well as the people, pushing this far up the mountains can be testing at times. But the benefits of being up here are proven year after year as these lands continue to raise healthy and hardy cattle and people. (Not necessarily in any order.) All people are fortunate that the ranching families choose to live a harder life in exchange for a bit more freedom. By taking the lands that we cannot use and transferring the resources there into usable (delicious) beef they give us all a wealth of food. That's real wealth, the kind that enriches us all.

The River

     This is the Snake River.

     It's big, as you can tell. The Snake River Basin (the area that flows into the river) covers nearly all of Idaho and drains parts of 5 other states. All this water flowing towards us here in Owyhee County allows us (with a fair amount of engineering) to water our somewhat dry region. Here in our little corner (the northwest) of the county we pump it out.

     This large plant is just south of Marsing.

     This little one is just west of Homedale, it stays off most of the time.
     Soon, the large one will start chugging away to fill the canals with water, joining the water already coming from the Owyhee Reservoir.

     You might have picked up on this by the fact that I talk about it all the time, but irrigation is a big deal out here. The pumping plants reservoirs are some of our most valuable resources. None of which could be possible without our river.

Home On The Range.

     So you my have been wondering why I haven't done a post on the ranching aspect of Owyhee County for quite some time. This is mostly because they are farther away. Well wait no longer, today I answer the question: Where have all the cows gone?

     Here's one, (two actually) perhaps trying to look majestic on the skyline. There are many skylines for them to look majestic on, because the cows along with their calves have been turned out into the hills. These are the same cattle as the earlier post, well, the same herd anyhow. This is their home.

     There are some misguided folks who would call these hills a desert. Does this look like a desert to you? The Author might call it more of a steppe. But none of that really matters. What does matter, is that the cattle thrive out here.

     The grazing lands of the Owyhee uplands are partitioned into sections by fences. These sections are quite large and the cows will spread out in smaller herds into whatever section the are put in. Though there will be a small percentage of the cows that have difficulty adjusting from the winter-time feed lot life, for the greater majority of cows and calves, this is the boom time. The fresh and tender spring grass makes them fat and leaves them very healthy.
     Right now the cattle are in the very lowest foothills, but they will follow the trailing edge of spring up the mountainsides until it reaches the highest meadows. That's a post for another day, though.

Getting Ready

     Remember how in a previous post it was stated that it took a lot of infrastructure to water a dry place like Owyhee County? Well its true. There are many miles of canals here and quite a few people to take care of them. For now, we'll just call them the ditch company.

     This is what the majority of the canals here look like at the moment. Pretty boring, right? It has been scraped clean so that it is as much canal-shaped as it's going to be. The ditch company has been hard at work making sure this is the case.

     This includes not only the reshaping of canals, but also the burning and spraying of weeds and that's only the a part of a part of their job!
     All of this is in preparation for the day when the pumps will be turned on and the valves opened. The water is coming! Next week in fact. When it gets here, that's when things really get going for the farmers. If you want to hear all about it, you know where to look.

The Shop.

     On any farm or ranch, the time will inevitably come where something breaks. This is why nearly every farm and ranch has a shop. It seemed only fitting to talk about them exclusively at least once.

     A shop looks like a big garage, generally. It is, more or less. The purpose of this enclosure, though, is to be a place where tools are stored and repairs can happen out of the weather. On nicer days, as you can see, the patients get repaired or receive regular maintenance outside.

     The inside of the shop is loaded with tools of all shapes and sizes. Just about everything on an agricultural establishment (that will fit) finds it's way into here eventually. Even lawnmowers get their repairs done here, as you can see.
     Anyone who chooses to read this blog is going to see a lot of shops. They're pretty pivotal to modern agriculture because modern agriculture has a lot of machinery. So whether just dotted around the background of the pictures here or part of the focus of the story, you'll start to take them for granted as just part of the landscape. But make no mistake, they're not just landscape, they're one of the most important places on the farm or ranch.

Old Reliable

     Nearly every farm and ranch needs a way to move things that are too heavy to move by hand. As such, there is a front-end loader (or comparable mover of things) on just about every agricultural establishment in the county. This is one of them.

     We've always just called it "The Michigan" because that's what is painted on the front and back.

     See? Clark Michigan is the brand name. Or was, now it's just the Michigan line and it belongs to Volvo.
     All of that has nothing to do with how wonderfully handy this somewhat ancient piece of equipment is. Faithful readers will recall seeing this loader straiten a bent bar. It was also the first step in the levelling process that the last couple of posts have been about.
     Through the years the Michigan has moved dirt, hay, manure, sod, wood, people, (usually when they need to get up high) other equipment, bee houses, all kinds of garbage, etc. Long story short, a front end loader moves things, and this Michigan has been a reliable ally on this farm for decades.
     You can be certain to see it again on this site, generally peeking around a corner or in the background, just waiting to be useful once again.