It's September 19th and it's raining. I could really do without this. I'm tired from working seven days a week, 12 hours a day all year long. I'm tired from fighting to save every plant that we put in the ground. I'm tired of worrying about whether we will make enough money to pay our bills and even be able to pay off the costs of farming for this year and have enough to start the farm next year. This has been a year that could dissuade less courageous farmers from ever farming again. We won't be dissuaded, though. We will keep working hard to grow our crops to healthy fruition. We will plant for the Fall, Winter, and Spring. We'll figure out a way to fund the farm and maybe even find a way to provide more substantially for ourselves. No one ever said farming was easy. When so much depends on factors entirely out of our control, such as the weather, there's a point when you have to accept whatever happens in any given year. I have to accept that we have done our best...we have put every minute of our time for the past however long into our farm and what happens, well it happens. Hopefully next year will be better.
I can moan and groan about how challenging this year has been, but we're not facing as dire a situation as many of those in Sonoma County's grape industry. We can compensate for failed crops or unusual, inconsistent weather with planting more or different things throughout the year. The grape growers, however, only have one crop and everything depends on it. Grapes don't grow themselves - they cost a lot in labor and other inputs and when the grape crop is not what it needs to be, well they still have to pay all those costs. So when we gripe about the vineyards and say that vineyards are just a get rich quick scheme, we should remember that when there is a year of failure, it's dismal for them.
As it rains, say a prayer and think good thoughts for the farmers and grape growers. We all need it.
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