Rain for Christmas?

Please Santa, Send More Rain
Trent Brandenburg has, of course, been a good boy this year and would like very much for Santa to bring rain to his fields before the soil freezes hard. After the soil is frozen hard, any winter rain or snow-melt will mostly run off, not recharging the soil moisture which is still depleted from the 2012 drought.

Trent has observed the drainage ditches and farm pond water levels are lower now than they were at this time in 2011. Soil moisture recharge may be a limiting factor in the 2013 crop, because predictions are for the current dry cycle to last into the new year. Selecting drought-tolerant hybrids may help yields again next year.

Trent is celebrating the growth and success of his farming operations by putting up a new machine shed which is twice as large as his original, which remains in use. “I just need more space to put equipment,” Trent said, noting that tillage equipment keeps getting bigger and bigger. More shop space makes maintenance easier and faster, minimizing down time.

Trent looks forward to the new year. This year’s crop was off to such a good start when the drought came, but yet by the time harvest was complete the crop ended up better than August’s worst fears.