It's Farm Show season. Colusa County has one of the oldest farm shows around. It ended last week and now everyone is at the Show down south in Tulare...the World Ag Expo...REALLY BIG! I used to go with Bill, then the boys' got bigger and I gave up my seat and let them go for some bonding time with Dad. Sam married, he and his wife and Bill and our son Les would go down for the week. This year it's back to being an all Man event. From the beginning the show down in Tulare was something my husband wanted to do. This is a man that works from sun up to sun down...almost twelve months out of the year...we are a very large diversified old fashioned farming operation and my husband is a control freak...he doesn't have tons of foreman on the payroll. We have tons of employees, but he's the BOSS. He's the first one at the shop and the last one to leave. So the World Ag Expo in Tulare signals the end of the budget season and tiny break before planting...it won't let up until December. I enjoy them all being gone. The girls and I still had Wednesday Family Fun Night...we talked and laughed and everyone left by nine. I watched a bit of television and quickly fell asleep. It was nice. I know my husband and his sons are having a wonderful time being men without their women...a much needed break for all of us. Of course I keep looking out my window wondering if Clint Eastwood is going drive up in his battered pick-up, whip out his camera and ask me to show him the local bridges!
Today I spent most of the day in the garden topping of the beds with more compost, harvesting another pound plus of broccoli. I checked on the bees and they have hatched a bunch of brood and the hives are buzzing! They look great! I'm planning another double split in the next two weeks. I also prepped several boxes for capturing swarms. There are at least a thousand bee hives in less than a mile from my hives and they will swarm...it is the nature of bees...and I'm going to ready to capture those little ladies. In our area, the commercial beekeepers put their bees to work pollinating crops...they aren't really in the honey business (honey is an added bonus), the big money is in rented out bees. Beekeepers are charging $175 a hive and two hives an acre is recommended for almonds. For us...that means a lot of hives. We also need the bees for our seed production...that's at least a hive an acre. We farm several thousand acres. We spend a ton of money on bees. So any of those sweeties make it over my way I'm going to grab them.
5 comments:
I hope you capture all the sweeties. Every year seems like we have less of them. and they are sorely needed for my garden. Enjoy your down time. blessings jane
I had no idea your operation was so big, Lynda. I can certainly understand why you and your husband need some "me" time. It's energizing and just plain nice.
Good luck with your bees. And if Clint stops by this afternoon, I'll send him over to your farm momentarily. ;)
We live not too far from Tulare and I went to the Farm Show for the first time in 30 years. It's now on it's own hunk of land. Our oldest son, that is taking a job and moving out, my grape growing brother-in-law and I spent most of a day walking and walking and talking a bit. What a sight the place is. Everyone who eats should at least go once to understand how our food is produced.
Steve in Central CA
Thank you for a glimpse of life on a big farm! Love the comment about Clint Eastwood.
Nancy: My husband's family were some of the first to farm in this county. Three brothers leased and farmed tens of thousands of acres for a huge land-owner back in the 1860's through the 1880's. My husband's great-great grandfather purchased several thousand acres and leased several thousand...over the years the ranch has been divided off and sold acre, by acre...we now have a couple thousand acres we own of the original ranch and have purchased a bit of our own and we lease more. We are considered a small to mid-sized family farm. There are some really big farms here in Colusa County. I'm happy with what we have.
Steve: I remember when the Ag Expo was held at the Fairgrounds! I can't believe how big it's become...I'm glad I stay home! I wish everyone could go once, too...food production for the world is a many faceted story...definitely not black and white.
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