For more than a dozen years, I have always admired this particular field in the Finger Lakes. Perhaps it’s because it reminds me of my father who was a farmer all of his life. I know that he would have enjoyed looking at this field too.
The field is more than just a beautiful summer scene. It tells a lot about the farmer who has prepared the land, planted the crops, and kept his fields cultivated and free of weeds. This farmer knows the land that he farms as he uses “strip” farming techniques to keep the soil from eroding during heavy rains. And he understands about rotating his crops so that necessary nutrients are put back into the soil for next year’s crops.
The hay has been bailed and is waiting to be taken just a little way down the hill where the bails will be wrapped in plastic and stored along the road for winter feed. The corn is doing well and looks very even in height. My father could judge the health of a corn field by just looking to see if the corn was of equal height which only happens when there is just enough moisture in the ground to allow the seeds to germinate at the same time and there are no “wet spots” in the field to stunt the growth of the corn.
If you look carefully, there are three deer grazing in the freshly bailed field of hay along the woods. To them, it’s also more than just a field, its dinner!