"The rain in ...."

It seems as if cloudy weather has been the dominant feature of every ones' life this spring.  None so much as the farmers though.
Rain has stopped the picnics; it has stopped the little league baseball and soccer games; it has stopped the landscapers from mulching and mowing, but worst of all it, it has stopped the farmers from getting in the fields.  I spoke with two people this week who have driven across the states of Ohio and Indiana and both of them said they saw no field work being done at all.  Scary.  It is starting to get really late to plant corn, soon to be too late.  If no corn is planted, the price of corn, already at record highs, will continue to climb.  If you know how to read a ingredient label on most food products you buy, you know that you buy very few which do not have some type of corn or corn by-product in it.  High corn prices drive the cost of most food products higher. Not good for the grocery budgets.
You didn't come here to read depressing stuff though, so here is the good news.  The Gravel Knolls Farm grunts got in the fields this week.  The prognosticators kept saying rain every night and they were wrong for several days which was enough of a window for us to get some ground worked and some transplanting and seeding done.  No cartwheels yet but we caught up a little bit.
Throughout the winter, Linda and I make field maps and schedules of what crops gets planted where and when.  Those are now in the fire starting materials box. We are behind schedule.  We have been counting on the first pickup happening on June 1st and 2nd, but that is becoming tenuous at best, so please stay tuned to the website for updates.
That's all for now.  In spite of the clouds, keep a sunny disposition.

Jim & Linda