It doesn't look at all like raining - there's zero chance that whisp of that white cloud in the photo producing any - and most of us would say these conditions are glorious, but a lot of people I spoke with last week would give anything for some decent rain. Alas, and to their detriment, there is none forecast.
I've been away in a rural region several hundred kilometres away from home and spent time speaking with the folks who work the land, crop farmers mainly, and the talk was about rain, and the lack of rain more specifically. It was difficult not to sympathise with them when standing in or beside their fields (that should be bursting with crops) that look sparse to say the least. The lack of rain has meant most of the crops have failed to grow properly and whilst the canola field (rape seed) in my image might look good it is, in actual fact, pretty much a write-off...it will not yield anywhere near the amount or quality of produce to make the year profitable. It's the same with wheat, barley and other grains. The farmers are not happy.
There's a knock-on effect to the general market such as increased prices for products due to lack of supply and the farmers will not be able to spend their money on new equipment for the farm or personally...the effect of that lack of spending in the industry and region is catastrophic.
I spoke with a lot of upset and stressed farmers and their families who will be forced to approach the banks looking for extensions to their over-drafts and with the inability to pay the loans down they know they'll be spending the next few years catching up with those failed payments and interest...so years of downturn.
I asked one chap what he'll do and after saying, let the fucking sheep into the field to crop the wheat that didn't grow, he said, "I'll do what we always do and hope for much better next year." That's the thing about these people, they're battlers and quitting comes hard...so they don't do it; they dig in, roll up their sleeves and get back to it and tighten their belts knowing times will get more difficult before they get better. It's the Australian way.
This year has been a shit year for the region I was in and they are really doing it tough. The lack of rain has destroyed what they hoped would be a bumper year because last year was also shit...but rain didn't come. It's a shit situation but what's awesome is their attitude, the way they pull together, stand and fight when they get knocked down and work towards the future. It's a good lesson to learn I think.
Another shit thing is my photo...but that's nothing new, I'm no photographer.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Image(s) in this post are my own
I'm a shit photographer but I don't let that worry me. I love wandering the city streets taking snaps of quirky little stickers and street art. I have quite the collection!
As to farming, we've had a pretty rough year here too. Rain, rain and then more rain. I have 12 apple trees with a total of 3 apples between them. But on a more positive note, inside, my tunnel and dome have produced melons, cucumbers and tomatoes galore., so we won't starve.
We should start a club. Ok, fuck it, I'm starting it right now, the shot photographer's club, and you and I are in it...founding members.
Farming is getting more difficult as one can't tend to rely on the weather anymore. I mean, it's always a little unpredictable but these days it's on its head it seems. At least you won't starve, if you did then there'd only be one person in the club. I think I'd get lonely.
Farmers the world over are suffering and when the farmers suffer, humanity suffers. Lab grown meat and bug mush is not on my radar as potential food sources. We grow a meager amount of our own food here. It should be a much higher percentage and I attribute that lack to my own gardening efforts. It's something that I really need to kick into overdrive.
I heard that the world's grow zones are shifting. Deserts are greening with rain and green areas are drying up with the lack of it. The whole world has gone wonky and we have to adapt or die. Is humanity the sole reason for the change? No, the Earth has undergone many such cycle shifts and most of them without the presence of any humans at all. We certainly do contribute with our careless ways, but are not the sole reason.
Not a shit photograph lol
I mentioned the world's cycles in a comment to Boomy on this post, so agree with you. The world does what it does, ebbs and flows, and climate change is part of that. Of course, humans don't help.
I agree with all you say, including the bug mush comment,nope, Ir rather a fucken burger or ribs.
I grow produce as well, not enough to sustain me but I trade and barter also and that helps. It's a nice supplement to farmers markets and all you know?
Oh yeah, the farmers markets are a must! I get the majority of my produce there, along with honey and most of my meat. We have cattle ranches all round here and one sets up every week and does a bang up business. Would love to just go half a steer and stock the freezer, but not in starts right now. Goals!
Now I'm hungry for ribs lol
All my fresh produce comes from farms markets and I barter and trade stuff for honey, eggs, cheese, bread (not that I eat much), fish and other things. I trade kangaroo meat and venison I shoot myself, and some of my stuff I grow. It's a good deal.
Ribs. Now I made myself hungry for some! Bloody 10pm at night though. Lol.
How's the kangaroo? I'm well versed in venison but haven't tried kangaroo. I have chickens so trade surplus eggs for veggies from a roadside stand close to my house. It works out well. Fruit and fruit trees, plus many herbs are mostly what I grow regularly, but I really want to get better at vegetables. It's just now getting into veg growing season for me so I'll give it a go.
I won't rest easy until I get some ribs lol. I have some in the freezer but will not thaw out in time to cook so I guess I'll have to wait until the weekend. 10 p.m zzzzz.....g'nite
Kangaroo has to be cooked fairly quick generally, medium is probably the most it should be cooked...or it can be cooked super slow; any other way and it can be a little tough.
Yes, bed time here...it's 10:45 now and I have a run at 5am. 🥴
Night.
What a lovely photo. That’s my opinion even though you say it’s not. Driving through countryside like this is amazing, and on days that are clear blue like this one are even better. Thank you for sharing this and highlighting the struggles so many people on the land face; may they all have a bounteous harvest in the coming seasons.
Becca 🌷
Thank you, and I agree, hopefully the coming seasons are better for the farmers.
I havea special place in my hardened heart for farmers. They are a hard working and dedicated lot. I worked on farms as a kid and understand how much goes into producing those crops and ultimately what ends up on our table. Rain can be a farmers best friend or an enemy to their yeld. To little or too much, and the year is a bust and can lead to the ruin of the farm. I am not sure I could leave that much to chance. Maybe that is why I was glad to get away from the farms when I was a teenager.
It's a fickle thing, the weather, and farming is so dependent on things being right at the right time; when it's good it's good and when not...it's the opposite of good. As for having respect for farmers...everyone should, it's those people who provide food and other products for the rest of us.
That's the way.
Weather all over is going to pot. I know Scotland is a rainy place but this week is one of the first full weeks we have had this year without rain. All the other times during summer we would be lucky to get three or four days dry. And now summer os bloody over!
Yeah I tend to agree, things are changing and I guess humans are helping it along. I also think that the planet goes through cycles and changes of its own accord so it's not all humanity's fault. It'll wipe us out eventually, all of us, and all these little "natural disasters" that happen now and then are just the warm up.
As for the weather in Scotlandia...it's well known you fuckers have terrible weather...that's probably what makes y'all such nice people, you have to account for the fucken weather being so shit.
Yeah, the planet goes through its own thing and then we throw shit on top. No such thing as stability in the grand scheme!
We are the eternal optimists that live for those magical 3 days in summer where there are no clouds. :OD
Ah yes, those minutes of sunshine and
warmthless cold weather must be glorious. 😋Tales of them are passed down from father to son, each one special and bursting with promise.
Everyone remembers the summer of 89 where the sun shone for a whole four days! :OD
Oh the glory of the summer of 89...sort of like the summer of 69+20. The stuff songs are made of. A sequel perhaps. Bryan Adams should get on it...unless he's dead.
That is the opposite of what happened in the Netherlands. Here the farmers have to deal with corn that would not grow because there was too much rain in the spring. It took weeks longer before they could finally go into the field to sow, and when they had finally sown, the rainfall started again. The already high groundwater level immediately ensured that the new rain could not drain away. They have a government rule that the crops must be removed from the land before October 1 because so-called "catch crops" have to be sown. This is necessary to prevent manure from the arable lands from washing into our groundwater because the groundwater quality in The Netherlands appears to be the worst in Europe due to all the animal manure that ends up in our groundwater. This year the farmers have been given 3 weeks longer to harvest their crops because of the extremely wet spring. And to be honest, when I look at the corn on the land opposite and next to my house, it is very pitiful and not nearly what it should be.
I think it's a problem many around the world are facing, the changing climate. It's turning things upside down or simply making it difficult to sow, reap and harvest at the right times. I think it'll get worse. As for the water there...drinking shit water doesn't sound like fun.
Fortunately, we have water purification companies that provide us with drinking water that comes out of the tap. But simply digging a well for groundwater and drinking that, is really not advisable here without purification ... Unfortunately!
Yeah, I figured that would be the case otherwise people would get sick I suppose.
Yes, it is necessary, and sad that it is necessary. So many large industries discharge their waste into rivers such as the Maas, so much so that even the water companies only raised the alarm because they do not know exactly what is being discharged. Then it is also difficult to purify of course. PFAS is a major problem. But then there is also the category of groundwater, where too much animal manure ends up ... All in all a very sad story.
Climate change is another problem and the changing circumstances will cause many more problems. Humanity will have to adapt and innovate to survive, and there is no time to lose. Too much time has already been lost.
Humans are doing a really good job at messing up the planet.
How many camps in the world are going through the same issue... maybe it's because of the chemtrails that are being dropped from the sky... I don't know but the people in the countryside and their lives are very complicated. I have close acquaintances who have fields and the situation is complicated... maybe they really want us to eat insects? No shit, I want meat, vegetables, fruit. The countryside is what feeds the world.
The horizon in the photo is crooked hahaha, just kidding, it's perfect! I have a good eye for what's crooked....
It's because human beings treat the world like an endless resource and a garbage tip... because humans are garbage.
And so we destroy it, without ever thinking that it is the only one...
We had a pretty dry summer in my area too. Do the farmers over there get subsidies like they do over here? That seems to help a little bit when things like this happen. Oddly enough though, despite the lower rainfall, we still seemed to have a pretty good corn crop around us this summer.
They get primary producer subsidies yes, discounts on things they need and all, but it's costly still and often a struggle unless it's a boom year.
Yeah, I can only imagine. My uncle and a couple of my cousins are farmers. I know some of the struggles they have had over the years. I used to go work on the farm in the summer when I was a kid.
Lack of rain is actually a very big issue when it comes to farming as it normally makes farmers go into irrigation to make the plants grow effectively but that still cost some money and it is not better and very efficient compared to natural water that comes in form of rain. We are actually lucky to have constant rain in where I live. Infact,it rained just yesterday and everywhere is cold at the moment.
You're right, irrigating is costly and rain is free; some have no choice though I guess right?
Yeah they have no choice they just have to do and manage what they have.
Your photography might not be great, but mine’s no better. Last year was rough, and I imagine this year might only get tougher as time goes on. We know the Earth has its natural cycles, but it feels like humans are speeding things up or making it worse. That said, I’m really thankful for farmers. I can’t imagine dealing with the constant uncertainty of how crops will fare based on weather that is becoming more unpredictable.
I work hard at taking shit photography, I think I hit the mark every time.
I agree, the earth does what it does, as it's done for many millions of years, but in the shirt time humans have been around and most recently in the last (almost) 200 years since the industrial revolution we have accelerated and skewed the natural cycle of the plant. Sad really, but humans have a way of doing such things I guess, to each other and the planet.
There are still stupid people who say that climate change and global warming doesn't exist. If humanity continues treating nature the way it does, there will be nothing left for humanity itself.
It's a shame about the situation with the crops there, but how admirable is the resilience of the Australian! You are true champions. I hope the climate is kind to them soon because they deserve it for working so hard
Humans have definitely contributed to the issue but I also think the planet changes naturally as well; it's the combination of both that makes things much worse. Just my opinion, not based on science.
Hi Galen, you are right about the example these people give of struggle and fortitude. I know a small farmer with olive trees in Andalucia, and there were two years of horrible drought. Not only has he endured, but he has put up his own money to pay his workers.
By the way, I liked the photo.
Best regards
Yep, that's the sort of thing they do; think about others. Of course, they don't farm for fun and need to make money which can be increasingly difficult with large conglomerates forcing prices down for their own profit gains and all. Farmers endure though, but it's harder when the weather doesn't play along.
Thanks for your comment and remark on my photo too.
About the photo, you may not be able to post in the new community for bad photographers. I'll take a look at the rules of this one, but I think you'll have to try harder to make worse photos... have a nice evening.
"Try harder for worse photos." 😂
This year's drought, lasting three months (from May to August), cut the corn crop of our farmers in half.
When it was harvest time, it rained to further ruin such a weak harvest.
And the farmer, what to do, looks at the sky, curses and prays to God for health, aware that the year ahead will be difficult..
Rape seed, the most beautiful yellow color that floods the endless fields, especially when the sky is blue like in your photo.
Yeah, it rarely goes right for the farmers these days, a season here or there, but mostly it's not so good; just so unpredictable.
Rape seed...unfortunate name, lovely flowers. We call it canola here mostly but technically it is rape seed.
But look at that mesmerizing blue sky.....
Yeah, a pretty good sky indeed. It was a good day, cool air temperature but warmth from the sun. Glorious really.
They too suffered lack of rain over there? We experience some over here around June July August. But presently we are having rain now and farming activities have resumed
Rain is good.
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Although I am not a professional photographer this is a beautiful photo with a garden with many beautiful flowers, although the weather is not always rainy but someday it will definitely rain to water the gardens that exist in this village. This is so beautiful my friend 🙏🤗
It'll rain someday, maybe a lot, and then there'll be flooding probably.
Hope it doesn't flood 😅
That happens at time...and then the farmers complain differently.
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