Chuck's Chat - Welcome to September!

Here along the Northern Sycamore Urban Boundary the rainfall has been pretty sparse. If it weren’t for the three inches we got in about 2 hours one evening, we would have only received about half an inch of precious precipitation for the month. The “Sycamore Split” is well in effect as we’ve seen several rainfall opportunities go around us. However, I realize we’re not as dry as other areas, and we’re most thankful for that. I see multiple trucks hauling hay southbound past our place daily. I’ve started feeding hay to my cattle, and it’s the earliest I’ve ever done this. If we can get some fall rains it will definitely help, but I’m afraid pasture renovations are in store for a lot of us.

Through my intense monthly research activities, I have discovered that September is National Velociraptor Awareness Month. You know, the stars of the Jurassic Park movies. Though Velociraptors were only six feet tall and weighed around 99 pounds, they were still considered dangerous as they used their tendons and large claws to slash prey apart. However, since they were not that large, their main prey included small herbivores. Or humans driving Jeeps and hiding in research labs.

September is also when the autumnal equinox occurs. It is on Thursday, September 22, and marks the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 500 years ago, expressions like “fall of the leaf” and “fall of the year” were quite common in the English-speaking world. The term Fall as the name for this season comes from these early expressions.

The Full Moon closest to the September equinox is called the Harvest Moon, and this year it occurs on the 10th. Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, which gave olden’ day farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowed them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrived. Today, gazillion candle power lights and GPS systems allow for nocturnal harvest activities regardless of the amount of moonlight.

National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 18 – 24. This is an opportunity to increase awareness of safety and health related issues in agricultural settings for not only producers, but for everyone. The 2019 data for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the agricultural sector is still the most dangerous in America with 573 fatalities, or an equivalent of 23.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. This annual promotion initiated by the National Safety Council has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. During this week, follow the Montgomery County Farm Bureau Facebook page for related safety tips and information.

Until next time,

Buy American

God Bless America

Chuck Voelker