Remembering '88

[farming101]

This is the week we lost the crop in 1988. Four days in a row over 35C and it was all over.
I think one day we hit 105F here.

[Ache4Acres]

This is the week we lost the crop in 1988. Four days in a row over 35C and it was all over.
I think one day we hit 105F here.

Wow..sounds too damn familiar!

Yesterday's Data
Max:
34.5°C
Min:
10.3°C
Total Precipitation:
2.0 mm

[AC man]

I remember that year from the wind and heat we had yesterday. The Hoe Grass that I sprayed did not work on the wild mlllet and it was like a carpet. The only thing good about the millet is that it made the wheat and barley swaths easier to pickup. Could not combine at night because you would not find the swaths,what a year.

[seldomseen]

Yes I remember it well. Wheat and peas were poor but canola was good because of some cooler temps when it was flowering in July. I got married that year and the only rain shower that we got all summer was a thunder storm while we were in the church! I do remember it being real hot in June and on the day of my wife's youngest bother graduated it was 40c.

[Braveheart]

I can't remember much of the seventies (cause I was there). I've tried to forget '88. Blistering heat, blistering interest rates, and no rain till fall when we got a 4" downpour in harvest that floated our little swaths around the field.

We had hogs then and it was a struggle to keep them cool enough to stay alive let alone grow. Afternoon misting needed, but then worries about the well holding out.

[Klause]

I was born in 88... A drought year here and in Argentina.

Kind of ironic our first {human} addition to our family may well show up in another drought year...



Glad we. Didn't start seeding early... See if we will regret later.

[sumdumguy]

I told SF3 not to swear at the rain. I hate drought more than anything. 1980, 1986, 1988, but 1988 we got lucky and lentils yielded like 50 bushel and price went crazy ( late-seeded Estos got an 1 1/4 shot just before bloom. All kinds of guys were trying to wiggle out of their delivery contracts and companies left the special crops scene because they had presold their production contracts. Weather can change pretty quick, leyt's hope.

[Guest]

I was born in 88... A drought year here and in Argentina.

Kind of ironic our first {human} addition to our family may well show up in another drought year...



Glad we. Didn't start seeding early... See if we will regret later.

Congrats are in order , then ?

[seldomseen]

The nice thing about the hot 88 nobody mentioned climate change then and my father in law told me "heck its just like 61" and his dad told him "heck 61 is just like 37"

[blackpowder]

They didnt have the internet then to make it 'true'.

[stonepicker]

Ya i remember 88, in fall the cracks in the ground were so deep in the field that you had to be careful not to drop wrenches or you wouldn't be able to retrieve them. ( seriously ) Still remember the experts saying it would take years to top up subsoil moisture, when it did start raning we got 8 1/2 in. in one day, soil moisture was topped up in about a month.

[seldomseen]

Ya i remember 88, in fall the cracks in the ground were so deep in the field that you had to be careful not to drop wrenches or you wouldn't be able to retrieve them. ( seriously ) Still remember the experts saying it would take years to top up subsoil moisture, when it did start raning we got 8 1/2 in. in one day, soil moisture was topped up in about a month.

I almost forgot about cracks in the ground, we used to get then here before the last 15 years of playing in the mud. You are right about being scared to lose a wrench down them and if you swathed grain the ground was so hot and dry the grain would be dry in a couple days.

[walterm]

Got my seed bsck that was it. Then the grasshoppers of 89.

[SASKFARMER3]

Basically most of the farm has had piss ass showers. One 6 quarter block had a inch down pour and before that the foot snow early in may. So Yea i swear at rain but excess rain sucks big time. Dought you know not to spend any more on the useless crop. Wet you keep pumping every thing into it because it might make it.

Congrats.

[farmaholic]

In 1988, I would probably still be considered in the late stages of my apprenticeship. A little removed from the full scope of the issue, not as much skin in the game as now, young and naive, now old and naive!