One of the most important jobs when growing grass for hay is irrigation. Through trial and error our irrigation process has evolved. When we first arrived at the property in 2004, we made a visit to the local irrigation office. The Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District (MSIDD) is the group that organizes the distribution of irrigation water from the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal system to us and our neighbors. This CAP started many years ago and the repayment for the project to the federal government by the state was based on the projected price of cotton many years in advance. The state owed the feds for the construction of the canal system and the details have elluded me despite some shallow investigation. "Desert Cadillac" is a book about the wheelings and dealings of the possession of water in the southwest. Water is like gold to people in the desert.
We made a deposit to MSIDD so that we could order water to irrigate our fields. We call at least 24 hours in advance to schedule the amount of water, approximate time duration, and to what water box it should flow through. In 2004 the cost of water was $21.00 per acre foot. That is a foot of water on an acre of land. The water box houses a meter which tells us the flow rate of the water and a numerical reading that informs us of the total acre feet that runs through to our fields.
The guys that drive all over the district monitoring the meters and starting and stopping water, start their day at 7:00am and make it back to the office by 3:00pm. If you need anything done after hours it will cost us $50.00. The start of our water is delayed by the amount of time it takes for the guys to drive from the office to our water box and the shut off is early enough to give them time to get back to the office by 3:00pm. That means that we have between 8:00am and 2:30pm to get assistance. We have to have their personnel open and close the gate for our water or adjust it to increase or decrease the flow rate. That is the rule, and the big padlock on the chain on the wheel that opens and closes the gate enforces that rule.
Before we could begin watering we had to do some modifications to our ditch that runs from east to west at the southern end of our fields. The previous owner had applied for a grant through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to have the ditches (previously dirt) converted to concrete ditches. To make a long story short, the contractor did not do an acceptable job in the opinion of NRCS and told the previous owner not to accept the work. The previous owner told NRCS that he would accept the work, took the check and then told the contractor that he didn't accept the work and wouldn't pay them. So he stole the money. As a result, we can not get any further assistance with the ditches and they are very thin in places and crack easily. We spent time mending cracks and knocked out pre-cut circles in the ditch to attach corrugated pipe to direct the water into the fields at three points on each field. This required hauling a trailer with a generator, concrete mixer, and water in a barrel (gravity fed) to install these. The project seemed endless, but we finally got all but two ports complete. The two remaining port holes are on a field that we have not at this point planted. Donald also spent a great deal of time and energy hand shoveling the ditches of accumulated silt and debris. This has to be done regularly to keep the ditches clear to handle thewater volume, otherwise the water will overflow.
When we started we asked lots of questions about how much water we should expect to use for our fields from local farmers. The advice was to call for shut off when the water reaches 2/3 of the way down the field. Each of our fields are 1/4 of a mile long. The meter measures the amount of water used to calculate our bill. Our very first irrigation was a family affair. We all waited excitedly for the water to make its way down the ditch. Our yellow Lab, Star, was present and made the best of the experience. We even videotaped the "irrigation celebration."
Through the years we have made some changes to our irrigation process. When the mosquitoes hit mid-summer in swarms so thick, the horses had to be put in the barn to prevent them from hurting themselves in their frantic runs to get away from the pests. It was miserable, and we all still dread mosquito season. In attempts to at least minimize the mosquitoes, and decrease water usage (as the price has gradually increased to $45.00 per acre foot by 2009), we began working with calculations of acre feet of water per field. We now take a meter reading and switch water to the next field when the prescribed acre footage has been sent to a field. So at this time we water our 10 acre fields with approximately 1.5 to 2 acre feet per field each irrigation session. This helps to minimize the standing water. Of course, insects have become very adapted to the infrequent rain fall of the desert and complete full life cycles within days when water becomes available. So we still have a mosquito issue, but it certainly is not as bad as when we took the advice of the locals, waiting for 2/3 of the field to be covered.
We have investigated non-toxic products to add to the water in attempts to eradicate the mosquitoes, but haven't found anything that works with our ditch system as of yet. If there is anything that would drive me from this lifestyle it would be the mosquitoes. I just can't tolerate them myself, let alone the severe irritation they are to our animals, and the fear of West Nile disease. We have two Mosquito Magnets running all season long and the horses wear flysheets and fly/mosquito spray. Each horse stall has their own sprayer misting fly repellant intermittently throughout the day and night. As soon as the sun starts to go down, we go inside and don't come out until daybreak through the summer season. The grasses are full of mosquitoes looking for cooler hiding places, so that the horses' noses are covered with mosquitoes while the graze. They have blood spots all over their bodies from smashing blood-filled mosquitoes with their noses.
We receive a monthly statement from MSIDD which informs us of our usage and the balance. We must maintain money in the balance in order to receive water. There are mistakes that appear at times, so it is very important to keep accurate records of the meter readings to compare to the statements. We currently have four land owners that share the leg off of the canal in which the same water box provides the meter readings. It is manageable at this point because for the most part we are able to communicate when we are planning to water and coordinate any "handing off" of the water. I always will call into the dispatcher to make them aware of the meter readings and time at which any exchange from us to another or vice versa occurs. In the future as we increase the number of users on the ditch, it will be necessary to start our own group with a designated water master to coordinate water assignments with the locals and MSIDD. We still haven't gotten too far with this project, probably because we know it involves a great deal of research and clarifying the legal ramifications of the responsibility.
One of the on-going challenges of the irrigation process, particularily for me, is the tumbleweeds that tumble across the desert and into the ditches. There are points along the ditch that have turns or piping that the debris will get clogged. I try to clear the ditches when they are dry. I am strong enough to toss dry tumbleweeds, but if the wind is blowing them in once the water is in the ditch, I am in for a weight lifting experience. There have been times that a clog has overflowed and I have to fork the compressed debris out as fast as possible, so as not to wash out a roadway or waste gallons of water (that we pay for). I have been in tears struggling to continue pulling debris out, laughing at myself crying in self pity and from the burning pain in my shoulder muscles. See I irrigate during the week when Donald is away at work, and I am on my own to do the job. I am very thankful when there is no wind on an irrigation day.
Another challenge to the ditch system is the gophers that dig from upwards of 50 yards away, up to the concrete ditch. They dig out vacancies below the ditch that make it vulnerable to cracking. Once a crack occurs the water will leak through the gopher's tunnel system to a lone hole yards away, where the water accumulates quickly. The vegetation is always thriving in these areas. We have tried to pour concrete into the holes to fill, but the space is so vast that we discovered that it never fills. We patch cracks now. We also drive heavy equipment next to the ditches in order to crush any pockets that the gophers have dug and to smash the tunnel systems to stop up the water passages.
At this time we have developed a day to day irrigation which allows us to sleep through the night, or a one-nighter that requires us to switch from field to field after approximately 5-6 hours if the flow rate is 5 cfs. The flow rate has to be below 7 cfs or the water will overflow the ditches. At that speed the water can't force itself through the port holes fast enough and will eventually spill over the ditch. We have worked it out so that the 4.5-5 cfs flow rate allows us enough time to water the three planted fields overnight with out requiring the assistance of the irrigation personnel that would cost additional money. This is assuming that they get the cfs set correctly before they leave or that there are no scheduled changes in the night that may increase or decrease the flow rate. Decreases are less of a problem. We just water longer. Increases are a problem. If the water is coming too fast we finish watering before any one is on duty and we have no where to send the additional water.
Today is and irrigation of one of the horse pastures. This field only requires approximately .5 acre feet to irrigate sufficiently. However, today I will be testing the tree watering trench that cuts into the northern or low end of the pasture and feed northward to all of our newly planted trees. I am hoping to use this method of watering so that I can eventually discontinue the process of hauling water from our well in the front loader of the tractor to water each individual tree. I will have to do so until the trees are established and from time to time when the summer temperatures become extreme this first year. Eventually, I would like to add trenches with tree wells around the various horse areas (arenas, roundpens) in order to provide some shade and of course the beauty of trees.
I have to go and close the neighbor's gates so that the water will make its way to our property and dig out a few clumps in my tree trench, so the water will make its way to the trees this morning. Nothing like a little manual labor to start my day.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Balancing Ranch, Family, and Community
Lately I have been very busy with the challenges of juggling the various tasks and obligations of the demands of the ranch, family schedules, and concerns regarding the developing community. We have two daughters that have their areas of interest. Many require lengthy drives to get to scheduled classes, lessons, or activities. As we are situated out of the limits of the nearest city, Casa Grande, even simple tasks such as grocery shopping require at least 45 minutes driving round trip. When there is a trip to town planned, it is just that "planned." Every errand is coordinated with the mental map drawn out, so as to mark everything on the list. When we are going to the "city," that is further north in the valley, coolers are packed to take advantage of the markets that are currently unavailable in Casa Grande. It becomes a race around the city to accomplish all the errands before a class or lesson is over. I use my Blackberry task list to organize the errands, with accompanying alarms, so that I am urged forward to the next, for time is running out and then "Ding" time to pick someone up and go back to the ranch.
The day to day chores of the ranch generally have become automated. The care and feeding of the animals is a pretty set routine that we take for granted now that we have worked out all the kinks, making it all flow without any real disruptions. I suppose the dogs are the ones that require the attention to detail. We have acquired several dogs that have been abandoned in the desert. One adopted us after realizing there was usually someone or something here at all times to keep him company. His name is Bear and he is truly a desert survivor. He must be upwards of ten years of age at this point. I will be supplementing his diet with some glucosamine, as his hips seem to be giving him trouble these days. We have two Great Pyrenese/Border Collie mixes. They were abandoned by the guys managing the sheep at one of the fields several miles away. I suppose the fact that the pups were crosses was enough of a reason to leave them behind. The pups had a rough start and have a tendency to be too aggressive for my comfort, but we intended on them to be our "security patrol." We had both the Pyrenese, Titan and Zeus, neutered to avoid complicating the dynamics of our "pack." I can't imagine how aggressive they would have been if they had remained "fully intact." Their aggression is directed at other dogs, but they do their job alerting us when something or someone is skirting our property. They have worked out a heirarchy within our "pack." Fearing for Bear's safety, he has been banished from the immediate area surrounding the house, staying outside the fence. Zeus is the alpha male, often putting Titan in his place. It is disturbing to all of us to have to witness these battles, but interfering only makes it more aggressive and longer lasting. Over time Zeus seems to have developed a specific posturing that signals his dominance, standing rigid with his long tail curled around the back of Titan, growling momentarily, until he is assured that Titan understands his place once again, avoiding the snapping teeth and all-out fights.
As a result of this continual heirarchal battle, care and delicacy is required at feeding time. These dogs all know that the humans are the real leaders and have been through all of the training establishing this fact. We can take away their food at anytime during their meal or make them sit and wait until given the release to eat. But we have learned that the easiest way to get through their meal time is to physically seperate them. The release back into their territory must be done in a certain order as well to prevent any squirmishes.
So why do I acknowledge these conflicts? When it comes time for the family to make a trip away from the ranch, it is necessary to find someone to take over these chores. We have never done this in all the years that we have been here. When we traveled to the John Day ranch, we hauled all the animals with us, even the rabbit that we had at the time. But once we invested in the Bermuda fields in Casa Grande, we were required to be here through out the summer growing season. As we accepted our long summers in Casa Grande, we accumulated more and more animals and chores to go along with them through the years. As I have said, we have a comfortable routine that any one of us is capable of doing if it falls to our charge. But to ask someone else to step in conjures images of training sessions to review the processes and procedures, making the temptation to leave someone behind if travel is required, very appealing.
And so we have continued now for the last six years that we have resided on the ranch, always having a family member present. But the time has come to make a family trip back to Maryland. Donald's mom has passed away and it is time for all of us to return to the east. We have not been there together since 2000. The girls were just little toddlers really. To make the trip, Erin will have to miss a couple days of school, and Emma will miss a couple rehearsals for Les Sylphides, a community service obligation, and piano lessons.
It is so tempting to bail out and stay home, sending the rest of the family off to Maryland. But it has to be done at some time, so I have begun to pre-plan. We have to consider the irrigation schedule. In order to keep the fields alive, the irrigation schedule has to be manipulated so that the fields will not require watering while we are away. The irrigation of the horse pasture must be planned so that both sides of the divided pasture are dry enough for the horses to be turned out while we are gone, but not so dry that we lose the pasture. Refilling water and visual inspections of the horses would be necessary. If the fields aren't dry enough then the horses have to stay in the barn, requiring hay feeding twice daily and stall mucking. I would like to make less work for someone, so that we are not imposing as much. Of course, if we actually were to get rain while we were away, then the horses would be in the barn requiring more attention anyway. All the trees will have to be watered in advance.
The dogs feeding procedures will have to be reviewed and demonstrated, so as to prevent our care giver from running away in fright after a dog fight breaks out. The little Chihuahua will stay with Grammy giving them both some companionship and hopefully not too much inconvenience for Grammy. The Lab will inhabit the house for the most part, but letting her out to do her business requires the containment of the big boys from the yard, so that she is not bothered by the youngsters. Star the Lab is pushing twelve years and really can't take the enthusiasm the pups (over a year now, but Star can literally walk under their bellies). She adds the additional challenge of being allergic to just about everything and requires a special diet and monitoring.
The poultry shouldn't be too much of a problem. Collecting their eggs, feeding and watering, along with turning on and off their misters to survive the heat of the day should cover their requirements. Although, Emma has a huge new flock of ducklings and chicks that will all need special attention. I am going to have to convince Emma not to put any more eggs into her incubator that would have a hatch date while we would be away. That will be hard for her to agree to, since she is having a very successful hatching season with some rather difficult birds to hatch. The Emu is intimidating and will also require training and demonstration for the feeding and watering. I am always leary of that giant, inquisitive bird. I always feel like Pebbles the Emu would really like to take a peck at one of my eyes. We joke that one must wear goggles, gloves, and males must wear an athletic cup, when entering her pen. She is curious and attempts to peck jewelry, freckles, and logos on your shirt.
I have contacted the president of our local 4-H club to manage the ranch while we're gone. If she can confirm, I will feel much better about leaving, as she has had a great deal of experience with animals. She has raised lambs too, so my new Jacobs would be in good hands. With technology today, she can call or text if there is a problem. So the pre-planning and set up for the ranch is on the agenda for the next three and half weeks.
In the meantime, the proposal for the prison is still being debated and will be presented to the council during the time we will be gone. Opposition to this prison is extremely important to our family and ranch business, so missing the first official presentation is a little frightening. Not that I personally can stop the proposal, but I have done a lot of research on the company making the proposal and they are not impressive. I will have to share this with others that will speak at the meeting, so that this company's indiscretions are fully revealed. I will have to trust others to be articulate and thorough.
Leaving for even a short time will require a great deal of work in advance to make things run smoothly. There are always those unpredictable disasters that can destroy even the best laid plans. I suppose I should have instructions for what to do if the well stops functioning. The air conditioning could go out on us, leaving poor Star in the heat after being pampered with cool temperatures indoors for the last eleven summer seasons. I better find a number for a repairman for that as well. The utility company's number will be necessary for power outages. Those happen randomly out here in the desert. I'll have to leave Bear to ward off the coyotes. In addition, I will have to convince myself to let things go into the hands of others for the week. Now that may be the biggest challenge of all.
The day to day chores of the ranch generally have become automated. The care and feeding of the animals is a pretty set routine that we take for granted now that we have worked out all the kinks, making it all flow without any real disruptions. I suppose the dogs are the ones that require the attention to detail. We have acquired several dogs that have been abandoned in the desert. One adopted us after realizing there was usually someone or something here at all times to keep him company. His name is Bear and he is truly a desert survivor. He must be upwards of ten years of age at this point. I will be supplementing his diet with some glucosamine, as his hips seem to be giving him trouble these days. We have two Great Pyrenese/Border Collie mixes. They were abandoned by the guys managing the sheep at one of the fields several miles away. I suppose the fact that the pups were crosses was enough of a reason to leave them behind. The pups had a rough start and have a tendency to be too aggressive for my comfort, but we intended on them to be our "security patrol." We had both the Pyrenese, Titan and Zeus, neutered to avoid complicating the dynamics of our "pack." I can't imagine how aggressive they would have been if they had remained "fully intact." Their aggression is directed at other dogs, but they do their job alerting us when something or someone is skirting our property. They have worked out a heirarchy within our "pack." Fearing for Bear's safety, he has been banished from the immediate area surrounding the house, staying outside the fence. Zeus is the alpha male, often putting Titan in his place. It is disturbing to all of us to have to witness these battles, but interfering only makes it more aggressive and longer lasting. Over time Zeus seems to have developed a specific posturing that signals his dominance, standing rigid with his long tail curled around the back of Titan, growling momentarily, until he is assured that Titan understands his place once again, avoiding the snapping teeth and all-out fights.
As a result of this continual heirarchal battle, care and delicacy is required at feeding time. These dogs all know that the humans are the real leaders and have been through all of the training establishing this fact. We can take away their food at anytime during their meal or make them sit and wait until given the release to eat. But we have learned that the easiest way to get through their meal time is to physically seperate them. The release back into their territory must be done in a certain order as well to prevent any squirmishes.
So why do I acknowledge these conflicts? When it comes time for the family to make a trip away from the ranch, it is necessary to find someone to take over these chores. We have never done this in all the years that we have been here. When we traveled to the John Day ranch, we hauled all the animals with us, even the rabbit that we had at the time. But once we invested in the Bermuda fields in Casa Grande, we were required to be here through out the summer growing season. As we accepted our long summers in Casa Grande, we accumulated more and more animals and chores to go along with them through the years. As I have said, we have a comfortable routine that any one of us is capable of doing if it falls to our charge. But to ask someone else to step in conjures images of training sessions to review the processes and procedures, making the temptation to leave someone behind if travel is required, very appealing.
And so we have continued now for the last six years that we have resided on the ranch, always having a family member present. But the time has come to make a family trip back to Maryland. Donald's mom has passed away and it is time for all of us to return to the east. We have not been there together since 2000. The girls were just little toddlers really. To make the trip, Erin will have to miss a couple days of school, and Emma will miss a couple rehearsals for Les Sylphides, a community service obligation, and piano lessons.
It is so tempting to bail out and stay home, sending the rest of the family off to Maryland. But it has to be done at some time, so I have begun to pre-plan. We have to consider the irrigation schedule. In order to keep the fields alive, the irrigation schedule has to be manipulated so that the fields will not require watering while we are away. The irrigation of the horse pasture must be planned so that both sides of the divided pasture are dry enough for the horses to be turned out while we are gone, but not so dry that we lose the pasture. Refilling water and visual inspections of the horses would be necessary. If the fields aren't dry enough then the horses have to stay in the barn, requiring hay feeding twice daily and stall mucking. I would like to make less work for someone, so that we are not imposing as much. Of course, if we actually were to get rain while we were away, then the horses would be in the barn requiring more attention anyway. All the trees will have to be watered in advance.
The dogs feeding procedures will have to be reviewed and demonstrated, so as to prevent our care giver from running away in fright after a dog fight breaks out. The little Chihuahua will stay with Grammy giving them both some companionship and hopefully not too much inconvenience for Grammy. The Lab will inhabit the house for the most part, but letting her out to do her business requires the containment of the big boys from the yard, so that she is not bothered by the youngsters. Star the Lab is pushing twelve years and really can't take the enthusiasm the pups (over a year now, but Star can literally walk under their bellies). She adds the additional challenge of being allergic to just about everything and requires a special diet and monitoring.
The poultry shouldn't be too much of a problem. Collecting their eggs, feeding and watering, along with turning on and off their misters to survive the heat of the day should cover their requirements. Although, Emma has a huge new flock of ducklings and chicks that will all need special attention. I am going to have to convince Emma not to put any more eggs into her incubator that would have a hatch date while we would be away. That will be hard for her to agree to, since she is having a very successful hatching season with some rather difficult birds to hatch. The Emu is intimidating and will also require training and demonstration for the feeding and watering. I am always leary of that giant, inquisitive bird. I always feel like Pebbles the Emu would really like to take a peck at one of my eyes. We joke that one must wear goggles, gloves, and males must wear an athletic cup, when entering her pen. She is curious and attempts to peck jewelry, freckles, and logos on your shirt.
I have contacted the president of our local 4-H club to manage the ranch while we're gone. If she can confirm, I will feel much better about leaving, as she has had a great deal of experience with animals. She has raised lambs too, so my new Jacobs would be in good hands. With technology today, she can call or text if there is a problem. So the pre-planning and set up for the ranch is on the agenda for the next three and half weeks.
In the meantime, the proposal for the prison is still being debated and will be presented to the council during the time we will be gone. Opposition to this prison is extremely important to our family and ranch business, so missing the first official presentation is a little frightening. Not that I personally can stop the proposal, but I have done a lot of research on the company making the proposal and they are not impressive. I will have to share this with others that will speak at the meeting, so that this company's indiscretions are fully revealed. I will have to trust others to be articulate and thorough.
Leaving for even a short time will require a great deal of work in advance to make things run smoothly. There are always those unpredictable disasters that can destroy even the best laid plans. I suppose I should have instructions for what to do if the well stops functioning. The air conditioning could go out on us, leaving poor Star in the heat after being pampered with cool temperatures indoors for the last eleven summer seasons. I better find a number for a repairman for that as well. The utility company's number will be necessary for power outages. Those happen randomly out here in the desert. I'll have to leave Bear to ward off the coyotes. In addition, I will have to convince myself to let things go into the hands of others for the week. Now that may be the biggest challenge of all.
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