The Ranch Life

     Teresa and I are getting back in the food business.


     Not for people. This time, it's for animals.... the ranch wildlife to be more specific. For years, I've thought of doing deliberate food plots for the deer, quail, turkey and dove here at The Windmill Ranch Preserve (WRP.) But every time I think 'this is the year,' mother nature takes over and delivers.

Sunflowers, WRP

     This single sunflower doesn't do our wild sunflower crop justice. If we get rain, at the right time, the native sunflowers cover about seven acres and they're about 12-15 high.
     So just about the time that I say, "we're going to do food plots," mother nature explodes with the equivalent of burgers and hotdogs for the average American kid. Well this year, we're rooting for mother nature to succeed, but we're not counting on her.
      We've been prepping two, five acre food plots since the fall. With a neighbor farmer's help, we've 'chiseled' the soil to the north of our pavilion and the soil just to the southeast of our pavilion. We're on the verge of putting down the grain in hopes of creating the 'Golden Corral' of food plots.
        After a lengthy and very confusing conversation at Snyder Farm and Ranch, we're planting Early Sumac, Hegeri (pronounced Hi-Gear) and Crimson Clover. All we're waiting for is a smidge of rain to help the big John Deere break up the soil.
       I wish I could do my conversation with the Farm & Ranch guys justice. I'm convinced anyone who farms and everyone who helps our farmers could teach algebra at the college level.
       "You got 10 acres? A bag covers three acres. Each bag is $11. That's $33, round that up, it's about $4 per acre."
       "Huh?"
       "You got 10 acres. A bag covers three acres. Each bag is $11. Now, if you want to add more Higeri (Hi-gear), that's $12 bag."
       "How much will that cover?"
       "'About three quarters acre per pound."
       "How many pounds is a bag?"
       "50."
       "Okay... uh...."
       "You'll need just one bag."
       "Clover's more expensive. It's $2 per pound."
       "Okay, how much will a pound cover?"
       "Hold on. I gotta take this call."
   
       So here I am at the feed store, which most days looks like the beauty shop (all men though) with folks just sitting around talking. I'm trying to act like I know what I'm doing, but I clearly don't.

      "Okay. You got it figured?"
      "Uh, so if I want to have two food plots, five acres each and I want Early Sumac, Higeri (Hi-gear) and Crimson Clover.... How much do I need and what's the total cost?"
       "Well, I don't have the clover. It's $2 a pound. But I can get it. I need two days notice."
       "Okay, once you get it... How much do I need and what's the total cost?"
       
       At this point, all I heard was "Blah, blah, blah." Somehow, the bottom line is approximately $15 per acre. We have 10 acres. That's $150 plus labor.

      Our other ongoing project is trying to get all our grass to grow. Water's a luxury out here.

Grass Troubles, WRP

 We have a well, but it's not exactly Niagara Falls. We can water only one hour a day. So the strategy is, water one area over and over again for a few days, move the sprinkler and water another area for a few days.
      And for the first time, I'm putting down fertilizer. We haven't had to do it in the past, but now the goal is green, full grassy areas and expensive fertilizer seems the only option.

Time to Fertilize, WRP

     By the way, fertilizer runs about $1 a pound. So in tribute to the Farm Supply fellas, if you have a 39 pound bag of fertilizer at approximately $37 per bag and each bag covers about 10,000 square feet.... We spent about........ Who am I kidding? That's a math problem for a farmer.
     Between the food plots and the grass growing scenarios, we're firing up our tractor to 'disturb' the soil in hopes of activating the sunflower seed in the soil.
      Who knew, we needed to disturb the soil? Not me. I found that out too at the feed store.
      "Sunflowers won't come up unless the soil's disturbed."
 "Disturbed?"
        "Yeah."
        "You mean plowed?"
        "Yeah or you can just disturb it."
        "Okay... like till it?"
        "Disturb it anyway you want."
        "I got a tractor and a tiller."
        "That'll do it."
        "Good. Problem solved."
        "Gonna need some water on it. Got any water."
        "Uh, no."
        "Good luck."
        "How much is sunflower seed?"
        "You want the native or the hybrid? The native's $8 lb covers about half an acre. The Hybrid's cheaper at about $4 lb but covers about 5,000 square feet."
         "I'm not gonna ask. Think I'll just disturb the soil and hope the natives come up."
         "Your call."

Bill Robertson, Someone/anyone, please tell me 2+2 still equals 4.