Part of our motivation for the sugarbeet project was to showcase the actual process of raising a dry-farmed crop. As of New Year’s Eve, we have yet to plant the crop… and that’s a great example of what we’re trying to do.
Originally we expected to plant just before Thanksgiving. Traditionally that is a good time to plant covercrop. We prepped the soil to plant, but didn’t go for it when the rain system we’d been counting on failed to live up to expectations.
Not planting was the right call. We’ve only had about a third of an inch of rain on top of very dry soil. We’ve had dry, windy days and freezing cold nights. Had we planted on schedule, we probably would have lost the whole crop. As it is, the seed is safe in the barn while we look for the right opportunity to plant. We’re about 45 days behind schedule, but it looks like we’ll get our chance early next week.
Wish us luck!
