Category Nature
Earth Day 2021 – This time we mean it
As if all those other Earth Days were just for show, or mere practice. No, I think we’ve accomplished something over the years. Perhaps not as much as we might have… and possibly less than what is needed. But imagine how tense matters might be if the seed hadn’t been planted, and the conversation had never […]
Nails wish they were this tough
On the 9th of November I had to stop over at the shop by the processing tower where I work. This is a tall building full of equipment to separate soybean seeds from plant debris, insect parts, and other non-seed items. Pretty industrial. Concrete and steal all around. Not the sort of environment one imagines […]
A turkey of a post
Too many things on my plate right now. But I do have a picture of a Tom and two hen turkeys. They are too wrapped up in each other to notice someone stop to take their picture.
Pests parsimoniously, and persistently purloining plenty…
Not all the biodiversity on the farm is welcome right there on the farm. There is space for the weedy species over yonder by the ditch. Herbivorous insects, and in particular those choosing to chew our crops could get along nicely by the edge of the wood. White tailed deer could mosey down to the […]
Farm music
Early of a morning, out in the fields, Mother Nature fills the quiet with a music of her own. Birdsong if you’re lucky, crickets otherwise. Sometime you might hear the patter of raindrops on the leaves, the pleating of a lamb, the grunting of a hog, or the crowing of a rooster. If you’d rather […]
On Longest Days
The Summer Solstice for 2020 just passed last Saturday (June 20, 2020). For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year*. And now for those of us in the North, the days get shorter until late December. The hottest days of the year here in the North are yet to […]
The Poor Deer
Farming is a fascinating enterprise. We need food to survive, and as omnivores our food pallet is fairly extensive. If it’s not poisonous, make it a meal. Farming allows us to be selective in what we choose to consume. Farming also allows us to limit our footprint… though with over seven billion of us, the […]
Earth day 2020 – Relative size
Earth Day. If I were to pretend to be the Earth, and I realized these pesky humans running all about the place had actually planned to set aside a day for me – well, what would it mean to me? What sort of happiness might it evoke? Or should it cause me pain, knowing that […]
Viral Veracity
Vaingloriously vetoing voluminous & vital viral veracity. Virtuously visualizing various valuable vaccines. Vehemently & volubly venting vitriol. Vituperating. Viewing virgin veldt. Going back and forth, vacillating between vindictive and valorous ruminations. Stepping back and away from our ordinary concerns – where we can achieve some social distance – many of us are searching for relevance. […]
Bravely Buzzing Big Brother Bee’s Bug Biodiversity Boudoir *
Over the last year we (the GP staff) have written about bees on several occasions. And you may be forgiven if you’d thought we’d run through the subject. I thought so. Now this story comes along, and we couldn’t resist. In the course of evaluating soybean germplasm we rely heavily on an instrument (NIRT – […]
Gulliver's Pulse 
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