Farming and Ranching 2018

 Farming and ranching in Nevada, another year. The short days of winter are not my favorite time. I am greeted every morning with the bleak landscape and the usual cold temperatures. Our snowpack is well below normal for this time of year which means our irrigation water supply for the upcoming summer is questionable. Topaz Lake Reservoir is near 90% of capacity at this point, most of the stored water is carryover from last year. It is much better than the available water in the drought years of 2011-2016. Our storage water allotment is a supplemental source to our Federally Decreed Water Right that provides the largest percentage of our irrigation supply. The decreed right depends on the snowmelt throughout the spring and summer. We are in dire need of a few significant snowfall events in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between now and mid March.

I have spent a significant amount of time running the various scenarios through my mind and making preliminary plans for seed, fertilizer, and water requirements for various cropping combinations. It has been challenging to say the least. My frustrations come to the forefront when I attempt to project market value that the various crops might bring after harvest. It is not fun to make a seasonal business plan that is guided by the premise of minimizing loss. Last year we had an abundance of irrigation water, but it did not come close to filling the deficit that was created the previous five years. Our subsoil moisture is however closer to "normal" if there is such a thing. The demand and market prices for both our market lambs and hay have not been good. The cost of production continues to rise as income stagnates.

Farming and ranching has always been ruled by the weather. My lifetime in the business has given me the opportunity to live through, and react to the short term variations in the climatic cycles. They are always a challenge, and sometimes there are very beneficial conditions that create pleasant rewards, while others drive a spike through your heart.

This life has been good to me and I am grateful. There is always a light on the horizon that I seem to find.

This represents my views for today.