Passing of the Seasons

Last month, the view had snow.  In 2012, everything was green.  There is not much growing this year.  We have more snow on the way, but today was a perfect day for a photograph. 

Animal Rights?

You read Denise Maxwell's comment on  this article  here earlier, but I thought it was worthy of more comments.  I know most farmers are aware of the situation whereby animal rights activists want to eliminate human use of animals entirely.  I am not sure where the notion of animals having rights comes from.  I know some think it emanates from Disney movies.  I guess if  you do not grow up with animals, you lose sight of the fact that animals do not talk.

Since the beginning of human history, humans have used animals to feed and clothe themselves.  Animals have been used as beasts of burden, work animals, and hunting helpers.  The human use of animals is supported in the archeological record whereever humans have lived.  The notion that animals have rights cannot come from history.

What do animal rights activists think will happen to farm animals when we can no longer use them for anything except as pets?  How many pigs will there be.  How many horses will people keep if they cannot ride them?  How many cattle will there be if we are no longer allowed to eat a steak?  How will we keep deer from overrunning our crops if we can no longer harvest the deer by hunting?  What will we eat when crops are destroyed by animals with no natural predators in the area?

The above article does a good job explaining  the difference between animal rights and animal welfare.  When will the campaign start to give animals a trial by a jury of 12? 

Road Trip to Decatur

I visited Decatur today to do a soil investigation for a septic tank.  Subsoil moisture was good to 3 or 4 feet deep depending on the hole.  The area was fairly sloping so it may not be indicative of subsoil moisture in crop fields.  Field between Hillsboro and Decatur were wet. 

Do Animals have rights?

By Denise Maxwell - Technician for Soilright Consulting Services. 

My great grandfather was a teamster. He kept 4 horses to support the family by delivering milk, hauling timber, hitching with neighbors to harvest crops and transport the products of industry. I own, love and work horses. I am embarrassed to admit that I thought the education I received in upstate New York was excellent. Given this controversy over carriages I am sad and beginning to wonder how it is that city people, who rarely get to know another species, can claim an opinion and believe these activists.

Everyone who truly loves another species should rejoice in their existence and keep them in the community doing what they do be nature. It will be very hard to be human, much less humane, when the animals are gone. 

Shame New York City, your dogs and cats will be next and you will all become Vegan! 

 I posted this article on facebook yesterday.  It has more with more comment on the plan to ban carriages in Central Park. 

Rain Continues in Brazil

By Eduardo Paim:

Here we have lots of rain forecast for the month of March. They have predicted more rain than we had in February. If all this rain falls we have very ruined soybean crops and plantations flooded. Corn will be harmed as well. 

Subsoil Moisture and Frost

I ventured into the field for the first time today to do a septic tank investigation near Brownstown.  I make three soil borings to a depth of 5 feet.  The surface was fairly firm although I did pick up some mud on my boots.  The top five or six inches was thawed.  I then hit 4 to six inches of frozen ground.  I was able to hammer through it fairly easily.  Subsoil in that area was moist, but I did not hit a water table.  Normal spring rains will continue to add moisture.  At least in that area, subsoil moisture should be good going into the growing season.  Keep in mind that this was in an area that had more or less average amounts of rain last summer and fall.  I will be doing more borings later in the week. 

Flood Insurance Changes

The House of Representatives has recently passed an act to reform FEMA's implementation of increased flood insurance rates to those who have been in compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program in the past.  Why  is this important to agriculture?  Many insured structures in the program are agricultural buildings.  Any building is insurable in counties that participate in the flood insurance program.  It is not limited to residential property. 

Some years ago FEMA embarked on map modernization program to make all maps electronic and to improve the science that went into making the maps.  It turned into a good idea gone awry.  As areas were remapped, home-owners who in the  past were in compliance, suddenly were out of compliance and placed into a high risk, high rate group.  The new bill places limits on flood insurance rate increases.  It also increases public review requirements for remapping projects.

When I was a FEMA floodplain management specialist, I would sometime hear people say that they were told that they were not eligible for flood insurance because they were not in a floodplain.  One of the reasons that  re-mapping was done to start with was that 25% of flood damages were not in floodplains.  Keep in mind that everyone in a community that has floodplain ordinance is eligible for flood insurance whether they live in a floodplain or not.  Here is more information on the reform recently passed.  Also keep in mind that flooding of cropland is only covered by crop insurance, not by flood insurance.