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Westside Bowl: Showcase of Texas High School Football
Alfalfa farmers can give thanks to more than just the late Indian Summer temperatures. That heavy rain that drenched the valley in early October started another stand of hay growing.
With plenty of warm weather a no hard freeze until after Thanksgiving the hay grew nicely. This in some cames will make up for the lost hay due to the wet August.
Hay farmer Adolfo Duran had his crew out in the field bailing the last crop of the 2005 season. In the picture you can see a truck nearly full to capacity being loaded by several men as the truck heads back toward Duran.
He had never bailed this late in the year. “It’s very strange... I kept waiting for the cold, but it didn’t come.”
Rain has not been as plentiful as it was last year so... “THINK RAIN”.
Our water for irrigation in the valley is more dependent upon how much snow accumulates on the San Cristo Mountains in Southwestern Colorado than on how much rain falls around Elephant Butte Reservoir.
According to Chuy Reyes, Manager of El Paso County Irrigation District # 1, we will start off in better shape as far as water goes than we did in 2004. That was another drought year but the heavy precipitation in late summer and the fall made 2005 a surplus year.
Water should be ready for farmers in March 2006.
Letter to Editor, Upper Valley Beacon
(Photos: Brax - Valley Publishing Company)
Copyright © 2004-2005 Valley Publishing Company: All Rights Reserved.
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