Happy weekend to my fellow homesteaders and everyone interested in planting and growing food for consumption. Even though not so many people appreciate a thing about farming, I really do appreciate every farmer here because, for the reason of their efforts and passion in tilling the soil, people are able to eat. Food is an essential commodity, and only the one who has never been hungry before will take the labor for granted.
Harvest is barely weeks away. At most, in 3 weeks, we would be able to begin our rice harvest.
Growing food here is one of the most challenging tasks you can think of. Some of the challenges we face are natural, but others are actually avoidable. Man created problems.
Some of the natural challenges we face at this time are rodent infestations of growing grains. Aside from the fact that chirp birds are usually the first to attack our crops, for which we use scarecrows, bells, and occasionally visitation to keep them away from sucking and eating up growing grains, it is equally common that rodents attack growing rice grains, especially.
This doesn't often happen after transplanting because there are usually spaces that are visible between each transplanted seedling, but when our grains have grown really well and up to this stage, they can build their hideouts within the field and launch attacks on grains.
What we often do to reduce any potential damage to our grains is a regular inspection within the field. I do have a farm boot 馃憿馃憿馃憿 that makes it easy to wake within the swap and also protects my legs from harmful worms in these waters.
Although I forgot my boot yesterday and couldn't go right into the field. This is often a continued act until harvest comes.
Another challenge we often have is when these herdsmen start bringing their animals to feed on our crops. In order to follow a normal process of things, they are meant to allow us to grow our crops and harvest them first before they bring in their animals to feed on the debris, but these inhuman individuals with no conscience are often not willing to do so.
We have barely started harvest, and they are all out for field grazing already. About the evening yesterday we spotted them in town and on their way to our farm. Each time it happens like this, we the farmers will always have to stay close to the farm and watch these people to prevent them from diverting their animals into our farms to consume our crops.
These people raising animals really do not often provide a good feeding system plan for their beast; hence, as soon as the rain stops, there will be no pasture for them to feed on until they are taking from places to places in search of food.
For now, until our harvest is ripe and we start reaping, we have to keep close watch and take proper care of our crops on the farm.
