On the third week of May 2020, there was an extreme heat wave in the Pontiac that chased people inside, left dogs panting and cows distressed with the heat. Scott put a picture up showing cows . . .
huddled near the cold water misters that soaked their heads and backs. Because cattle cannot sweat, some of them even had their mouth open sucking up the ice cold mist.
Evaporative cooling has been around for thousands of years. Since the caveman came out of the waterfall, or you came out of the swimming pool, as the air evaporates the droplets of water off a body, the body feels cold even on a hot day. Because the cold water misters are on a timer and only mist a few minutes each hour, as the water evaporates from the cows hair coat because of moving air from the 24 foot fans, the cattle get cooled,
On a farm new challenges arrive each day. As Jen worked in the vineyard last week, she noticed that a very small bug was eating some of the buds on the grape vines. If left unchecked these bugs would multiply and not only destroy the buds which would grow into the clusters of grapes but if left unchecked, the vines would cease producing leaves and also die. Although our family does not like using chemical sprays unnecessarily on any crops this required immediate action. A couple days later after this flush of bugs were eliminated, I began to search the information available on insect control in grape vines. Most information from the US universities on grape vines was focused on the efficiency of different pesticides. The only information on fertility recommended a PH of 6.2-6.7 to maintain a healthy vineyard.
When I searched on European sites, very little was mentioned about insects or diseases and the PH recommended was seven.
In Europe it was also mentioned that the best and sweetest wines came from vineyards that planted in calcium rich gravelly soil. Even though vineyard soil tests ranged from PH 6.1-6.6; some the PH was contributed to from magnesium.
We also noticed that some dandelions grew between the vines indicating low calcium. I then remembered that many years ago, a corn field had been completely destroyed by army worms. That field was between three other corn fields that had no army worm damage but had been limed several times with high calcium lime. The field destroyed by the worms had just been purchased and not received any calcium. Distressed plants omit a different electronic signal than healthy plants and more flies are attracted to the sick plants to lay eggs which turn into worms. It seems that plants growing in a low calcium soil omit this signal.
Lawns with dandelions seem to have more June bugs that lay eggs which turn into white grubs. These white grubs eat the roots of grass and patches of lawn with no roots left, turn brown and then the skunks and raccoons dig up the lawn searching for the juicy white grubs. Some people want to keep the dandelions for the bees. Bees also love flowers and pollen on trees early in spring. Spraying the dandelions does kill one year’s crop but some spray residue has been proven to reduce bee and song bird populations. It’s a personal preference as to what you want.
This past week we watched George Floyd being killed. A series of country wide protests followed. This also made us ask why? Then we remember that Europeans stole this land from the natives. Only that the natives taught these new visitors how and what to eat and doctored them with native medicine made from plants, roots, tree bark, etc., many of them would have died the first winter. Then there were the rich plantation owners who imported slaves to plant and harvest crops. Even today there are non-white temporary workers, both legal or illegal, cleaning hotel rooms, working in meat plants, picking vegetables and fruit, milking the majority of the US dairy cows, and doing other low paying manual jobs that many would not or could not do. An unproportional high number of people of ethnic minority are at the lower end of the wage scale and fill our courts and jails. Rioting and looting are not acceptable but society must look deeper and ask why?
This last couple months of lock up has left Jeannie stiff and with a few sore spots and not because of spousal abuse. Last week I went with her to a physiotherapy appointment with the best therapist in the valley. As we drove to Ottawa on Thursday morning, I noticed the very heavy traffic on the highway. This was too late for rush hour and people were not in work clothes. While I waited in the truck for Jeannie to come from therapy, I noticed that there were no empty parking spots near shops or entertainment. We also noticed a lack of self distancing and masks in stores even with signs in place and stores offering free masks at the entrance! When we returned later when rush hour should have filled the roads, there was no rush hour traffic.
Some opening-up has occurred in elementary schools and daycares. With that came several outbreaks of COVID-19. A plane load of folks went from Montreal to the Maritimes and within hours everyone on that plane was asked to be tested for COVID-19 ASAP. A medical doctor made a little trip from New Brunswick to a close town in Quebec. When he returned home he either forgot or didn’t bother to self-isolate and continued his practice as usual. As a result, 150 people had to be tested because the doctor later found out that he was positive.
Be very careful and respectful of others health when you begin to “come out!” When we see the what, let’s think about the why!
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family or generations. gladcrest@gmail.com
