Lessons From A Dryland Farm

Lessons from a Dryland Farm

Develop good habits. Rise early with the sun, a lot of things can show up to disrupt and hijack your day. Plant on time, manage the early weeds, and harvest on time.

Plan out your year to the best of your ability. Check the weather forecast, the market forecast, and check your storage bins.

Ask for help. There will be potholes with water in the spring.  Should you get stuck ploughing around the wet spots, don’t too embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. Everyone gets stuck sometime. You can save a lot of time and equipment from breaking.

Pick the eggs when the hens lay them. If you don’t the skunks will find them, and you’ll be left with the eggshells.

Choose a compatible partner as he/she will help you weather the storms of life and you will experience great joys as you grow and mature together.

Feed your livestock with good food. Skimping on quality feed will leave you with unhappy, unhealthy and underweight animals when market day arrives.

Plan on seven to ten-year cycles. There will be one or two bumper crops, some average crops and a couple of years when you will be lucky to just get the seed back. These times will help you learn patience and endurance which over time will serve you well.

Keep some good seed for the future.  Don’t sell or eat this seed. You may be tempted with high prices or your need for bread. There will a time when this seed is your lifesaver.

Put something away for your future, on the good and average years. You may experience five cycles in your farming lifetime. If you can save ten to fifteen percent and invest it regularly in good stock, you will have enough for when you can no longer spend long hours in the field.

Give some of your time, energy and profits away. There are neighbours and strangers who need your help. Be generous. It is good to help a neighbour stay on his land. What goes around, comes around.

Be good to your land for it was a gift to you. If you deplete the soil of nutrients your harvest will be less than average and eventually your land will reject you. Learn from nature.

Rotate the crops you plant. Different plants will replenish depleted nutrients.

Thank God. There are many reasons for a good harvest, and they are not all in your hands. We need the sun, the spring rain, the West wind, the long days, the cool nights, and the winter’s snow and rest.

Embrace each day as they are a part of the journey. Yes, there may be long days in the fields, sometimes twelve to even twenty-four hours. But they are only for a short while. 

Take one day a week off to be thankful. Meditate on life and spend time with your family. Ultimately this is what is important to live well and for which you were created. Be thankful for all things that come your way.

Seek to learn new farming methods, new skills, as they will enhance your farm life.

Dig a deep well. The water table will rise and fall. Drill deep to find sweet water, it will be life giving.

Enjoy new life; calves, chicks, goslings, wild rose buds, buffalo beans, fawns and your own children.  They all will give you great joy.

Treat your pets well. They can be great companions and friends. You never know when they might help you.

Share what you have learned with your children and all those who have a desire to learn and are teachable.

Love life, love the creator, love your wife and children, love the air you breathe, love the land, love all creation and do good and you will live well.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Dennis Kiffiak