Walking in the Furrow
According to the Farmers Almanac, if it thunders on All Fool's Day it brings a good crop of corn and hay. I guess we will wait and see if this old saying runs true over the course of the next six months. Currently, after multiple rounds of heavy rain and warmer temperatures the fields of wheat and hay are greening up, but they are also very saturated with numerous ponds of water.
On March 31, I had just returned home from the first day of Ag Days in South Bend, and I knew my schedule was quite busy and was only going to get more tiresome with two more days remaining for this agricultural event; so I loaded my pickup truck with hay and made a beeline to Plymouth for a quick delivery to a customer's horse shed. I was well aware of the approaching severe weather, and how fast the watches and warnings were tracking in my direction of travel as the weather apps on my phone continue to buzz minute by minute.
The ominous sky to the west and the sharp, vertical bolts of lightning were also a good indication that I better get my hay under a roof as quickly as possible, and return back to the farm to batten down the hatches. On the way home, I encountered some heavy rain and a brief clearing of bright sun followed by a path of white eggs on the ground. Thankfully, I managed to dodge the first hail storm that left the ground littered with hail the size of hen eggs.
Unfortunately, a few short minutes after I returned to the farm, mother nature was still a bit miffed and was in the process of reloading for a second round of large hail; this time the hail blasted the area for approximately 10-15 minutes with a mix of high winds and blowing rain, but this time the hail was the size of pigeon eggs. The extensive damages left behind will no doubt keep the insurance adjusters, body shops and contractors busy with the vast majority of the insurance claims across our area with thousands upon thousands of dollars in damages to homes, outbuildings, campers and automobiles.
The first day of April 2023, it was sort of a cruel April Fool's joke as I inspected my truck and noted all the dimples on the cab and the hood of my pickup trucks after the extensive beating it received in the previous days' hailstorm. The early morning of April 1, began with a hit-and-miss rain and eventually some sharp lightning followed by strong cold winds, as if winter was on a mission to rebound and make another appearance.
Despite the wild weather, the St. Joseph County Ag Days was well attended, and concluded on April 2 with record attendance exceeding 6,000 visitors during the three-day event at the St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds. Indiana weather tends to be unpredictable and quite fickle this time of the year, so having an agricultural event like Ag Days allows all ages an opportunity to engage with agriculture all under one roof and in a controlled environment, which is a unique experience for all.