As predicted by the National Weather Service http://www.srh.noaa.gov/graphicast.php?site=lub we are having rain today. There were prospects of severe weather and flash flooding, and there has probably been some of that, thanks to Hurricane Norbert's outliers, in various parts of the Southwest. But in Lubbock, we have had misty rains, gently rains, intermittent rains. I have not heard thunder. I have not seen lightning. It has been a grey day, with the clouds thickening and thinning throughout the day, but no severe weather.
For the most part, the rains are coming in from the south and west. Last night, I opened the north window protected by the front porch, the east facing window in the spare bedroom, and the south facing windows over my bed. I figured if the rains became really bad from the south, I would be awoken by rain coming in on me. Or, if there were severe storms, with the open windows, I would hear them.
Well, when I woke this morning, the house was dry. There was .5 inch of rain in the rain gauge.
This is a good rain. Hopefully it will help the drought, fill some reservoirs, and help the farmers. I know this is cotton harvest time, so rain may not be good for the cotton farmers. I am not sure about other farmers.
It also has cooled the air. So, from highs of 104° just a few days ago we are in the mid 60°s today. That, too is a nice change. The air is very comfortable.
This is nice.
Showing posts with label farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farming. Show all posts
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Saturday, July 6, 2013
American Museum of Agriculture
Sort of on the spur of the moment, I decided to go to the American Museum of Agriculture http://www.agriculturehistory.org/ this afternoon. I say, sort of on the spur of the moment, because I have not been through the inside of this museum, nor the American Wind Power Center and Museum, although I have walked their grounds previously. So, I have been thinking for years, that at some point, I will tour these museums.
Because I found myself with some time, and the American Museum of Agriculture is not open on Sunday or Monday, I opted to tour this museum today. I am on vacation, so touring a museum is a vacation sort of activity.
The last time I toured the grounds of the museum, it was next door to the American Wind Power Center and Museum (which was then The American Windmill Museum.) It has moved north, across Broadway Avenue. It sits on a hill, with an imposing winding drive to approach it, and is in a large barn like structure with lots of old farm machinery placed on the very large grounds. The drive is lined by old farm equipment, much of it rusting, and mostly, tractors. Touring the grounds, technically does not require an entry fee.
The building is expansive. It is not air conditioned per se, but had big "porta cooler" fans that sit on the floor and ran periodically. It also had large overhead ceiling fans. One of it's garage doors was partially open, as was the entrance door. Although Lubbock was hot today, there was a good cooling breeze, and even in my back yard, in the shade, it was almost comfortable. The building was comfortable.
This was an interesting experience: Much of the museum is devoted to tractors, and many old but restored tractors are on display inside. There is a lot of other farm equipment on display, mostly dealing with cotton farming. So, why was this not called the American Museum of Cotton Agriculture. Doing a Google search, there are other museums that highlight cotton farming. Hmmm. I did not see a museum called "The Cotton Farming Museum." But there were some displays about harvesting and bundling wheat at a the AMA.
Well, anyway, the experience was good. In addition to the farm equipment, there is a room to depict tractor repair and another that depicts "blacksmithing" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksmith which has evolved today to not be horseshoeing, which is done by a farrier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrier, but is wrought iron and/or steel forging. Yet, Google blacksmith, and three horseshoeing sites show up in Lubbock.
I digress. I enjoyed 8 of 10 of the short videos they have (2 were not working.) Some were historical. One demonstrated cotton from field to finished bale. I love watching shows on The History Channel http://www.history.com/ that show how things are made. I think factory tours (or operating winery tours, bottling company tours, etc.) are interesting. I like to see how things are made or done. Again, I digress.
One of the videos was some 31 minutes long: It was produced by John Deere http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/globalhome/deerecom/global_home.page many years ago. It was about delivering a tractor and instructing the farmer on its use and care. It reminded me what I learned in college as a pre-veterinarian major that farmers had to be more than horticulturists or animal husbandryman. They had to be mechanics, woodworkers, fence builders, economists, scientists, businessmen, recyclers, and who knows what else. But the care of this tractor was a little complex to me. But it was fun to watch the video.
There was a room filled with pedal tractors and miniature tractors. I had completely forgotten that we had a pedal tractor and attachable trailer when we were growing up. I looked, and saw one that looked close to what I recall, but not exactly. I know ours was red. I was amazed at how many pedal tractors there were.
There was a corner of farm "paraphernalia." Old china, old kitchenware, quilts, utensils, including butter chruns, laundry day utensils (washtubs and washboards), flat irons, and pictures of chores on the farm. It was just a hodgepodge, and maybe someday, someone will make a real display of this aspect of farm life.
The museum sparked a controversy when they used two stuffed mules http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-09-17/stuffed-mules-be-used-museum-exhibit for one of their displays. This is said and done. What can I say.
So, overall this was a pleasant afternoon. There were very few other visitors, and most came and went while I was still there. I have to believe the museum makes its keep on field trips from schools. I was there a very long time. So long, the volunteer docent came back to check on me. He and another docent answered my questions and asked me to sit with them while I asked my questions. And gave me a tutorial of the economics of modern farming. Which is really kind of sad.
This was a fun afternoon for me. If you live in Lubbock and have not been to the American Museum of Agriculture, I will say it is worth one visit, if not more, depending on what might change in the exhibits. If you are not a resident of Lubbock, but will be here at some time, and are looking for something to do, this might be fun. The entry fee is $5, or $10 for a family of 4, so it is not expensive. You can spend 40 minutes or several hours, as I did.
Because I found myself with some time, and the American Museum of Agriculture is not open on Sunday or Monday, I opted to tour this museum today. I am on vacation, so touring a museum is a vacation sort of activity.
The last time I toured the grounds of the museum, it was next door to the American Wind Power Center and Museum (which was then The American Windmill Museum.) It has moved north, across Broadway Avenue. It sits on a hill, with an imposing winding drive to approach it, and is in a large barn like structure with lots of old farm machinery placed on the very large grounds. The drive is lined by old farm equipment, much of it rusting, and mostly, tractors. Touring the grounds, technically does not require an entry fee.
The building is expansive. It is not air conditioned per se, but had big "porta cooler" fans that sit on the floor and ran periodically. It also had large overhead ceiling fans. One of it's garage doors was partially open, as was the entrance door. Although Lubbock was hot today, there was a good cooling breeze, and even in my back yard, in the shade, it was almost comfortable. The building was comfortable.
This was an interesting experience: Much of the museum is devoted to tractors, and many old but restored tractors are on display inside. There is a lot of other farm equipment on display, mostly dealing with cotton farming. So, why was this not called the American Museum of Cotton Agriculture. Doing a Google search, there are other museums that highlight cotton farming. Hmmm. I did not see a museum called "The Cotton Farming Museum." But there were some displays about harvesting and bundling wheat at a the AMA.
Well, anyway, the experience was good. In addition to the farm equipment, there is a room to depict tractor repair and another that depicts "blacksmithing" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksmith which has evolved today to not be horseshoeing, which is done by a farrier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrier, but is wrought iron and/or steel forging. Yet, Google blacksmith, and three horseshoeing sites show up in Lubbock.
I digress. I enjoyed 8 of 10 of the short videos they have (2 were not working.) Some were historical. One demonstrated cotton from field to finished bale. I love watching shows on The History Channel http://www.history.com/ that show how things are made. I think factory tours (or operating winery tours, bottling company tours, etc.) are interesting. I like to see how things are made or done. Again, I digress.
One of the videos was some 31 minutes long: It was produced by John Deere http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/globalhome/deerecom/global_home.page many years ago. It was about delivering a tractor and instructing the farmer on its use and care. It reminded me what I learned in college as a pre-veterinarian major that farmers had to be more than horticulturists or animal husbandryman. They had to be mechanics, woodworkers, fence builders, economists, scientists, businessmen, recyclers, and who knows what else. But the care of this tractor was a little complex to me. But it was fun to watch the video.
There was a room filled with pedal tractors and miniature tractors. I had completely forgotten that we had a pedal tractor and attachable trailer when we were growing up. I looked, and saw one that looked close to what I recall, but not exactly. I know ours was red. I was amazed at how many pedal tractors there were.
There was a corner of farm "paraphernalia." Old china, old kitchenware, quilts, utensils, including butter chruns, laundry day utensils (washtubs and washboards), flat irons, and pictures of chores on the farm. It was just a hodgepodge, and maybe someday, someone will make a real display of this aspect of farm life.
The museum sparked a controversy when they used two stuffed mules http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-09-17/stuffed-mules-be-used-museum-exhibit for one of their displays. This is said and done. What can I say.
So, overall this was a pleasant afternoon. There were very few other visitors, and most came and went while I was still there. I have to believe the museum makes its keep on field trips from schools. I was there a very long time. So long, the volunteer docent came back to check on me. He and another docent answered my questions and asked me to sit with them while I asked my questions. And gave me a tutorial of the economics of modern farming. Which is really kind of sad.
This was a fun afternoon for me. If you live in Lubbock and have not been to the American Museum of Agriculture, I will say it is worth one visit, if not more, depending on what might change in the exhibits. If you are not a resident of Lubbock, but will be here at some time, and are looking for something to do, this might be fun. The entry fee is $5, or $10 for a family of 4, so it is not expensive. You can spend 40 minutes or several hours, as I did.
Monday, November 19, 2012
What Have We Learned?
PBS is airing a series called The Dust Bowl http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/. It makes the point that part of the reason for the problem were farming practices which largely contributed to the dust bowl, as well as the drought. It was a confluence of factors that lead to The Dust Bowl.
This is not the only time that man has influenced the world to change the environment. For example, smog is a contribution from humans that has caused health problems and a loss of quality of life in cities around the world.
Global warming, controversial as it may be, seems to be irrefutable, given the decrease in the glaciers of the world, and the amount of carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere.
One of the predictions by those who promote the idea that global warming is occurring is that weather extremes will occur. Very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer. Superstorms might occur. The question after "Superstorm Sandy" http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/article/2012/superstorm-sandy-and-sea-level-rise is how frequently will a 100 years storm http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/100yearflood.html occur.
What have we learned from the Dust Bowl Days? What have we learned about conservation? What have we learned about pollution?
A coworker today said she wanted to be gone before the South Plains runs out of water. We are depleting the Ogallala Aquifer http://www.hpwd.com/aquifers/ogallala-aquifer at an alarming rate. In this respect, I am grateful that I have no children who will have to struggle with the problem of water in the future. I may still be alive when the water situation becomes more critical than it already is.
We were in a water conservation mode this past summer: specific days for watering, no home car washing, to name a few restrictions. Will it get worse with time? I can only think it will.
What have we learned? What will we do with what we have learned? Do we want to do the work and make the sacrifices based on what we have learned?
Hmmmmm.
This is not the only time that man has influenced the world to change the environment. For example, smog is a contribution from humans that has caused health problems and a loss of quality of life in cities around the world.
Global warming, controversial as it may be, seems to be irrefutable, given the decrease in the glaciers of the world, and the amount of carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere.
One of the predictions by those who promote the idea that global warming is occurring is that weather extremes will occur. Very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer. Superstorms might occur. The question after "Superstorm Sandy" http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/article/2012/superstorm-sandy-and-sea-level-rise is how frequently will a 100 years storm http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/100yearflood.html occur.
What have we learned from the Dust Bowl Days? What have we learned about conservation? What have we learned about pollution?
A coworker today said she wanted to be gone before the South Plains runs out of water. We are depleting the Ogallala Aquifer http://www.hpwd.com/aquifers/ogallala-aquifer at an alarming rate. In this respect, I am grateful that I have no children who will have to struggle with the problem of water in the future. I may still be alive when the water situation becomes more critical than it already is.
We were in a water conservation mode this past summer: specific days for watering, no home car washing, to name a few restrictions. Will it get worse with time? I can only think it will.
What have we learned? What will we do with what we have learned? Do we want to do the work and make the sacrifices based on what we have learned?
Hmmmmm.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Brown Fields of Texas
We are in a drought. This has been well documented. And, the farm fields around Lubbock, even the irrigated ones, are not growing anything. Which is why, when the wind blows, there is dust in the air.
As I flew in from Dallas on June 7, 2011, this became starkly, appallingly apparent. Flying over farm fields, they were all brown. The fields in Texas are set up in squares, and many have pivot irrigation systems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_pivot_irrigation in them. You can tell they have these systems because there is a dark brown circle in the section of land, but nothing was growing.
I am not talking in sporadic places. I am talking about field after field after field, for much of the area over which we flew, coming from Dallas to Lubbock, which is some 330 miles. So for mile after mile after mile, it appears that nothing is growing.
Can you imagine what this means to the farmer whose livelihood is at stake? And, then the consumer: food, cotton, feed for animals. And the economy: In Lubbock, when the cotton crop is good, the economy booms. And, thus it is for many, many other communities in Texas.
This is sad, and frightening. I was asked recently if I thought we were in another Dust Bowl. I said no, unconvincingly, I think, because, while I do not want to be an alarmist, we certainly are experiencing a horrible drought. For it to be a Dust Bowl, this has to happen for more than one season. But, for now, yes, we are experiencing a horrible drought.
Neighbors are not watering, because to have any effect, it requires watering every day. A co-worker, who lives in the country, and has a well has a garden. He tells me he has to water every day. The ground is just sucking up the water, and his plants dry out in the extreme heat.
We are in a drought.
As I flew in from Dallas on June 7, 2011, this became starkly, appallingly apparent. Flying over farm fields, they were all brown. The fields in Texas are set up in squares, and many have pivot irrigation systems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_pivot_irrigation in them. You can tell they have these systems because there is a dark brown circle in the section of land, but nothing was growing.
I am not talking in sporadic places. I am talking about field after field after field, for much of the area over which we flew, coming from Dallas to Lubbock, which is some 330 miles. So for mile after mile after mile, it appears that nothing is growing.
Can you imagine what this means to the farmer whose livelihood is at stake? And, then the consumer: food, cotton, feed for animals. And the economy: In Lubbock, when the cotton crop is good, the economy booms. And, thus it is for many, many other communities in Texas.
This is sad, and frightening. I was asked recently if I thought we were in another Dust Bowl. I said no, unconvincingly, I think, because, while I do not want to be an alarmist, we certainly are experiencing a horrible drought. For it to be a Dust Bowl, this has to happen for more than one season. But, for now, yes, we are experiencing a horrible drought.
Neighbors are not watering, because to have any effect, it requires watering every day. A co-worker, who lives in the country, and has a well has a garden. He tells me he has to water every day. The ground is just sucking up the water, and his plants dry out in the extreme heat.
We are in a drought.
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