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32 Ag Families-Summer BY JANIE CORLEY Have you checked the forecast Theres a 20 percent no wait. Now it shows 60 percent chance of rain. Oh now it says the rain chances are gone til next Thursday. Its the endless game we play. Its time to plant pumpkins and as soon as the seeds are planted chemicals must be sprayed for weed prevention and it must be done before the seeds sprout. If rains come quickly seeds can sprout before we can drive through the field to spray. Yet we need rain to come soon after we spray to activate the chemical and be sure it does the job we need it to do. It doesnt feel so much like a fun game at times. Even the best forecasters cant predict a random shower that pops up and they cant predict the 30 percent who misses the rain showers and the other 70 percent that gets rain So how do you know when to plant Its a matter of faith. As farmers we research the best seeds the most beneficial fertilizers and the chemicals that provide the balance of weed and pest prevention that are the least harmful to consumers. We consider the crop rotations that provide the best yield and invest in the best equipment we can afford to maximize planting spraying irrigating and harvesting. It seems to be a precise science. And yet its still a matter of faith. Then the season comes when we know weve purchased the right seed and used all the correct chemicals and fertilizers. The rains come at the perfect time and its time for harvest. Then disaster strikes. In 2006 we did all of the right things. The field almost glowed with these beautiful orbs of orange but as we began to pick them we realized that something wasnt quite right. In a just a few days the orange fruit melted into a puddle rotting almost immediately. Upon further inspection we realized each pumpkin had a white spot on its underside that soon turned into a cancerous rotten spot. The entire field was ruined. A disease oc- curred in our soil doing the damage of a hailstorm on a peach crop a wind- storm on a wheat crop or a flood that obliterates an entire field of corn. We learned all of our fields were contaminated. All the precision of a well- planted crop was for naught or so it seemed. The scientists at the University of Kentucky told us the cure for pumpkin crop disease Dont plant in that field for several years. But being a U-pick pumpkin farm that remedy seemed impossible. Without knowing our plight a neighbor offered to let us use some of her land which we did for a few years. She will never fully know how she increased our faith as we waited for our land to heal. So here we are nine years from that failed crop. As we plant new seeds in the warm soil the reality rings true We farmers can do absolutely noth- ing to make that seed grow. We cant stop a drought we cant prevent a flood and we cant control a tornado. For us we can do nothing to be cer- tain this disease is gone except to have faith. Truly I tell you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 1720 So how do we keep doing it By asking for more faith. Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours. Mark 1124 A matter of faith BY P.D.DICKINSON Summertime brings back lots of memories not only those of working on the farm but also of the things teenagers used to do to pass the time. Like teens of today with smartphones texting and social media we made do with what we had. To most teenage boys in the 60s that meant mechanics. Skills learned from working on farm machinery coupled with innate talent made many of them veritable geniuses in mechanics. In no time at all they went from building bicycles and home- made motorcycles to building some of the most souped-up- sounding engines you ever heard turn over. Every penny they earned was saved and put into building their car or truck. Theyd take on jobs with other farmers to earn extra money to finish their vehicles. They started out with an old junk car body and chassis and then found a motor to drop in and work on until it would run. After that it was all about building up a motor transmission and rear end that would leave behind anyone who dared to chal- lenge. Only after they got all the mechanical aspects like they wanted did they worry about slick paint jobs and rolled and pleated seats. None of them had nice garages and the term shadetree mechanic was quite literal. Anytime you wanted to find a friend brother or cousin and they werent working in the crops theyd have their car or truck parked under a big cool shade tree with their tool box sitting close by. Youd see the guy laying on the grass under the vehi- cle with only his boots sticking out or bent over the fender leav- ing in sight only his belt and denim jean legs to his feet. Unless you happened to catch them when theyd just gotten bathed it seemed like they all perpetually smelled like oil gaso- line and transmission fluid. It wasnt a bad smell it was a smell of good honest work. When they finished tuning up or adding something new to their rides particularly on weekends theyd bathe shave put on their best cologne and clean clothes. We all knew where they were headed. After picking up girlfriends and cruising the fast food joints to show off their vehicles theyd eat go to a movie and head back to the country. Some of the guys would take their girl- friends home first but others would bring them along to the neighborhood schools parking lot. All the guys would line up their cars raise the hoods and check out each others work. After much bragging and appreciation one guy would chal- lenge another to a drag race. It was usually a friendly affair to see who had done the best job building their machine or if a certain brand of parts seemed to work better than another. Then farther down the road to the quarter mile theyd drive. The quarter-mile was a stretch of straight road that had been meticulously measured and marked off years before. Everyone knew where it was and called it the quarter mile even the adults. By this time of night or early morning there was no traf- fic but spotters sat at each end to watch for oncoming cars. When the challengers lined up and received the go sign both jarred down on the gas popped the clutches and squealed out on smoking tires to fly down the road as fast as they could. Sometimes in their enthusiasm to win the guys would tear out a clutch or rear-end. On rare occasions they might even blow up a motor. The other guys were usually good about giv- ing each other a ride home or hooking a chain to the disabled vehicle. Many times within the next few days when they werent working theyd get together and help each other fix what needed repairs. This humble beginning of working in mechanics continued with many of the boys into manhood. Mechanics still continues for many of them today through their livelihood and careers. Memoriesofshadetreemechanics Ruralreminiscence