Salon - - Hey Tom

Ed_L · #1 06-06-2002, 08:01 PM

I was just wondering if you were able to make any headway at all with the irrigation problem. That sounds like it could be a job to take up the whole summer. Will you be able to have a garden this year, or is that out of the question?

Ed

thomasgeorge · #2 06-06-2002, 08:23 PM

We got a garden just put in..of sorts. Due to the drought, its much smaller than usual but we should be able to grow enough veggies to keep the Raccoons and other freeloading critters at least partly well fed....
I just finished helping my Neighbor with his irrigation, a job which normally encompasses around 600 acres and takes the better part of a week was done in 3 days and only covered around 250 acres with less than 1/2 the normal amount of water. Fortunately, the CRP land was opened up for emergency grazing, although the approx 700 acres he has access to will only provide enough feed for about 1 months grazing...then its a 25 mile trail drive to get the cows up here, where, hopefully, they will have enough grazing to last until September. After that there should be some harvested wheat fields the critters can graze until around November when they go on hay. Right now, the biggest chore is tearing out old fence and building new lines to keep the critters from busting out and getting into the other neighbors hay field...
Its still up in the air how much water, if any, will be avaliable for a partial Irrigation in July. Right now, it looks as though if any water is avaliable, it will be much less than this most recient allocation. Sure hope it finally decides to rain...I was going to try a rain dance, but my Lovely Bride declared that if I even so much as seriously thought of putting on a loin cloth , adorning myself with her make up and prancing around the yard shreiking and howling at the sky while shaking animal bone rattles, she'd call the Sheriff...after she shot me...so, if we dont get any rain, its all her fault....Tom

Ed_L · #3 06-07-2002, 05:27 AM

I gotta hand it to you Tom. With things as serious as they are, you still manage to keep a good sense of humor. I guess at times, it's better to laugh than to cry! Glad to hear that at least you've made a little headway. I hope you get some help from above before long.

Ed

thomasgeorge · #4 06-07-2002, 07:23 AM

This is what is called by the folks who live here, "Next Year" country...as in, Next year its Got to get better! In a small community like this even if you are not a Rancher or Farmer drought or any other of the curve balls nature throws from time to time have a serious effect on everyones businesses. Just hunker down and ride it out is all you can do, and keep a sense of humor. Tom

fugitive · #5 06-09-2002, 12:52 AM

I didn't know there was a drought! Wish we could get some of our Oregon water to you, we have one of the countries largest rivers down the road and we don't drink from it but get our water from the mountains. All this water just goes into the sea. It could supply Arizona, Calif, and a few other states I bet.

greg

thomasgeorge · #6 06-09-2002, 07:21 AM

The average precipitation here is around 12 inches per year...The largest river in the Eastern half of Montana is the Missouri, but it is shallow and no where as wide as the Columbia..
The problem here has been 4 years of poor snowfall and scanty rain which has left the Irrigation reservoirs so low that in some cases water ceased to flow out of 'em. Tom