Farming is life lived in a conundrum when it comes to rain. There are so many types of rain – not just hard and soft!
1. We need soft gentle rains just after we have planted, but not before as we need to get in the land with the tractor and planter. This is a matter of days difference.
2. We need rain when the maize is tasseling (flowering) but not when we take off the maize for silage, this can be weeks apart. This can be hard rain but not too hard and destructive or it can decimate the crop of standing maize. And if the roads are muddy you will track mud into your silage pit. This will spoil the silage at feed out time.
3. After we cut hay we need the sun to dry it before we can bale – rain rain go away! Rain can make all the difference to your bale quality (bedding vs feed!)
4. Rain that is heavy is good to help runoff and fill the dams and rivers but we don’t want big wash on our farm roads and cattle paths. A dairy walk way is taken twice a day and each cow has four hooves. That is a lot of hoof prints!
5. We hate drizzle – this does not bring enough moisture to warrant the hassle factor. ! Rain is good after we have top-dressed (put fertilizer) the grass, helping it to sink in the soil.
6. Snow is said to bring nitrogen, well it may bring a little, but again not worth the hassle factor. Trying to keep the animals sheltered and fed is a nightmare.
Farmers have a love / hate relationship with the rain. So next time a farmer moans that there is too little / too much rain … just remember rain is his garden hose, but he can not just turn it on and off when he needs it.
Pink Farm Chick 