Greetings all!
It's been really dry this past month but thankfully my irrigation has kept everything alive. This past week there's been less than an inch of rain but everything responded to it beautifully. However, it wasn't enough to stop irrigating. A little more rain would sure be welcome!
I always hear facts and figures of how much water it requires to raise livestock. Not sure exactly how those numbers compare with water usage for vegetable production. With my history of growing vegetables though I have a pretty good hunch it takes just as much water for vegetables as it does for watering animals.
A colossal amount of water is consumed at every stage of vegetable production. Even in the post-harvest processing of produce a huge amount of water is spent on preparing all vegetables for the market. Much of the vegetable production in our country occurs in areas where rainfall is way less than what's needed for good growth. In those places irrigation of all plant life is crucial for their survival.
That said, I whole heartedly have to say I'm thankful for every drop of rain that comes from the sky. When that doesn't happen my only option is to use water from down under to keep my crops alive. For now we can all rest upon the fact that here in Wisconsin our annual precipitation to this point has been pretty consistent. I hope that never changes.
So speaking in terms of water in my own mind, as Gollum referred to the ring of power in the classic "The Lord of the Rings", water is "My Precious".
Have a great week! To all of you tending to your home gardens, take time to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice on June 21st. What a spectacular time of the year! Hope this summer season brings us all the perfect growing weather for our gardens.
Peace!
Farmer Steve
