Garden Planting Plans

[Nemo]

How are they going?  Might plow and extra row or 2.

Nemo


https://www.reuters.com/world/us/labor-issues-idle-trains-leave-us-grain-food-stranded-shippers-2022-04-28/

April 28, 20224:56 PM EDTLast Updated a day ago

Labor issues, idle trains leave U.S. grain and food stranded -shippers
By Christopher Walljasper


CHICAGO, April 28 (Reuters) - Rail backlogs in the United States are delaying shipment of grains as well as processed flour and corn syrup, contributing to the national problem of inflation, food and grain companies said at a hearing this week.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased prices of wheat, corn and vegetable oils after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains, and rail delays could further add to costs that are weighing on consumers.

"This is the price of bread going up. This is ethanol not getting mixed with gasoline, and the price at the pump going up," said Martin J. Oberman, chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which oversees Class I rail carriers and held the hearing.

Included in the hearing were Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N), Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N), CSX Corp (CSX.O), Canadian National Railway Company (CNR.TO) and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd (CP.TO).

Jon Setterdahl, the product and services Leader at Landus Cooperative, said in a letter to the STB that rail transit times from the farmer-owned cooperative have more than doubled.

Landus buys grain from 7,000 farmers across Iowa and described turning away farmer loads of corn and soybeans as country grain storage elevators waited 20 days for rail carriers to pick up loaded grain cars, up from a week and a half.

"This delay in March consisted in a total five trains being delayed into April, which is a total shortage of grain shipments in that month alone of 2.250 million bushels," said Setterdahl.

U.S. food prices rose 8.8% in March from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Rail carriers said the delays are due to recent extreme weather and a surge in shipping demand at the end of 2021.

But shippers blame cost-saving measures at the railways before the pandemic, including labor force cuts, storing locomotives to save fuel and stretching train length to as long as 3 miles (4.8 km), which they say have increased congestion, downtime and delays.

BNSF, the largest agricultural rail shipper in the nation, reduced its train, yard and engine workforce by 20% in the year prior to the pandemic, furloughing another fifth of its workers in May 2020, according to the STB.

"When the railroads talk about this being a COVID issue, or related to labor shortages across the economy, that's their latest excuse," said Eamon Monahan, vice president of environmental affairs for the Corn Refiners Association. "This is absolutely a years-long issue."

Cindy Sanborn, chief operating officer of Norfolk Southern Corp which owns Norfolk Southern Railway, said cost-saving innovations implemented in the last decade are needed in order to innovate and remain competitive with trucking and other modes of transportation.

But shippers reject the argument that rail competes with trucking.

"Our members don't produce truckloads or carloads," said Monahan. "It is trainloads. Our industry can only operate by rail."

[Felix]

Still over a month away from "surety" of "frost free" mornings/nights... but planted multiple flats in greenhouse for transplant yesterday/today
Frost tolerants will get direct seeding next week or so.
Expanding potato planting by 33%, onions 150%, beets 100% more, squash/same, corn 300% more, herbs/same, adding in sweet potatoes, two varieties turnip, cabbage/same with one variety added.   Kale, chard, beets, lettuce +/- same but relocated to beds holding biennials for seed production.  New garlic bed (3 varieties) doing great!   Dogs damaged rhubarb bed... :-(.
Barley... oh dear.... the barley... hoping to plant just before "monsoon" for growth and harvest before first snows.
Gardening at 7,000 ft in the "desert southwest" reminds me of Matt Damon growing potatoes on Mars.  Our extended drought only making Mars seem less and less challenging by comparison.

[Jackalope]

    We did our first tilling of our garden last week, and we're doubling the size of the garden.  Saturday, we have a soil chemistry researcher (PhD) coming over to check our garden soil and to give us some advice.  As a back-up I checked on plant prices at our local Lowes, and they're getting $4.78 for each individual plant.  Holy cow!  I'm considering doing some extra seed starting next Spring for some extra income.

     I started some kale and some romaine in one of our raised beds.  We have a bumper crop of garlic coming up.  We don't plant the main garden until after Mother's Day due to the prevalence of frost at this location.

[JohnyMac]

I planted flowers back in February in our spare bedroom. Replanted them into flower pots last week. Bring 'em in every night. Putting up the green house today and will keep them in there at night.

Planted a selection of pepper seeds when I planted flower seeds in February.

Planted tomato seeds last week and they are sprouting. Once they get their second set of leaves I will replant them.

Planting cucumber seeds later today.

I am going to try something new. I am going to grow zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and melon seeds ahead. Normally, I sow these directly in the garden vs. growing seedlings.

If I have free time today, I am going to hook up our 6' wide rototiller to the tractor today. Need to pull back the weed fabric before I do my first tilling though.

I should probably plant potatoes however, the ground is just too wet still for that. Learned that lesson a few years back.

Plenty to do for a one man show.   

[pkveazey]

Well, I guess that I should add my 2 cents worth to this post. I grew up on a farm and we had a garden near the house and the large fields with the commercial crops of Tobacco, Soy Beans(Actually its SOYA BEANS), Corn, Peanuts, Wheat, Water Melons, etc. The one thing I learned from that garden was it was a lot of work. Tilling, Fertilizing, Planting, Watering, Protecting it from animals and insects and thieves, and harvesting the crop when it matured. I have about an acre of land that is my side yard and I could till and plant a garden there if I needed to. But, I don't want to do all that work at my advanced age. With that said, I have both Heirloom Seeds and Regular Seeds just in case things get bad enough. Night time is going to be your worst enemy because that's when the little critters come out and eat your stuff. You might try installing several Solar charged Motion Detection lights around your garden to scare off the critters. If they get used to the lights coming on the lights might not be very effective but if thieves come around, the lights will probably work great because they will think you saw them and turned on the lights. I'm all for you folks creating gardens and applaud you but you must understand that its a pain in the ass.

[Felix]

... Detection lights around your garden to scare off the critters. If they get used to the lights coming on the lights might not be very effective but if thieves come around, the lights will probably work great because they will think you saw them and turned on the lights. I'm all for you folks creating gardens and applaud you but you must understand that its a pain in the ass.
[/quote]

TY, Pk for the solar motion light idea.   Will add some (only have two on property presently) The devices have also been recommended for overall home security, the garden is an addition.  Varmints on two or four legs - food is an ultimate lure.
As for the PITA part... keeping in sight the connection between work/reward, food security/starvation is where a gardener who can still physically do it is.  Repetitive tedium - fancy term for weeding and dealing with gophers -  :-)
Few worthwhile things in life come easily.