Yesterday’s rainstorm was a very pleasant surprise. The National Weather service was only calling for a quarter inch or less in our area, and we ended up getting over 1.25 inches. It was mainly the steady, gentle early season type of rain that is perfect for getting cover crops established without doing any damage. It is amazing how fast the dry ground sops up that much rain. If 1.25 inches were to fall on already saturated soil in the middle of winter there would be standing puddles everywhere—but less than 24 hours after the rain stopped there is little sign of it.
It’s hard to describe just what a relief it is to have the burden of irrigating lifted once the fall rains start. From March on we are preoccupied with trying to figure out what needs water when and, because our fields are constantly coming in and out of production, doing the calculations to balance how many sections of pipe and/or blocks with drip tape we can run at once. By the time fall rolls around, if we are still watering winter veggies as well as cover crops, frankly the routine starts to get a little old.
Aside from being relieved of our irrigation duties, there is a general feeling of ease and well-being after a nice fall rainstorm comes through—an anticipation of the dusty, brown landscape and hazy sky that surrounds us being transformed to brilliant green and blue. It helps with that feeling of well-being when things are well-founded on the farm and so far everything has gone well in that regard. We have worked hard to get cover-crops established on all of the hillsides in anticipation of heavy winter rains. The strawberry fields for next year’s crop are completely prepared as well. This week we will spread rice straw and plant barley on all of the dirt farm roads and field margins as a final step to minimize erosion.
If the last three years have taught us anything it is that you really can’t count on anything—at least when it comes to the weather. For all I know, yesterday’s rainstorm could be the last we will see for another two months. But I am a farmer, and in addition to being gluttons for punishment, optimism is a required trait. So, I’ll choose to look at the rainfall yesterday as the start of a long rainy season that will fill all of our lakes and reservoirs and cap the mountaintops with snow.
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