We had a significant snowstorm pass through our area a couple of days ago.  It's not unexpected.  Where we live snowstorms come with the territory.  In fact, snowfall in our mountains provide 80% of our culinary water in the form of Spring runnoff.  Not to mention that the great snow brings tourists to ski our mountain resorts, and those discretionary spending dollars help our economy. 

 

But if you've ever had to drive during or after a big snowfall, you can understand what a pain it can be.  I had to commute home from work as the storm reached its peak.  My normal 40 minute drive time took over 90 minutes. 

 

Not to be a whiner, but this type of traffic and weather makes for a crummy commute. 

 

Even so, being in a car in this type of weather is better than the alternative.....

 

The flip side of this is, of course, the beauty of the morning after the evening snowstorm.  The storm clouds are gone, the sky is blue, and the brilliant white snow makes the world a beautiful place.

 

Contrast the first photo in this post with the one above.  The first is gray, grimy and gross.  The photo above is white, peaceful, serene.  I don't know about you, but I would much rather drive the road above than the commute I had the other night. 

 

I love the designs and patterns the snow makes when it falls on and sticks to the deciduous trees with their leaves gone.  The stark contrast and patterns are beautiful to look at.  Winter can be beautiful - but I'm still looking forward to Spring!

I am a happy guy this weekend.  Why, you ask?  Because I just completed the lease for my North Dakota farmland.  Now I am assured of being able to make my loan payments, getting one step closer to owning my land outright. 


For those of you who don't know the story, last year I bought a 160-acre farm in North Dakota.  I took a flyer, really.  I have never owned a farm before.  Never really personally known a farmer, for that matter.  Hey, we all know that food comes from a grocery store, unless, of course, you go to a restaurant. 

As it turns out, food actually comes from farmers.  Most farmers grow food on land, be it cropland or pasture (that's where the hamburgers, oops, the cows eat the grass that makes them turn into meat).  Except for those farmers who grow fish - I guess they have ponds or big swimming pools. 

What I did not know was that farmers don't always own the land they farm.  Sometimes they rent it out from other people who own farms.  Why you would own a farm if you weren't a farmer just didn't click with me - until I realized you can go buy some of the most remote, flat, brown dirt in the middle of nowhere, and some farmer will pay you money to plant some type fo future food on it.  What a concept! 

So I did just that - drove to Williams County, North Dakota, and found 160 acres of flat brown dirt.  I bought it, or more correctly, put a pittance down on it and borrowed a truckload of money from the bank.  Fortunately, I didn't have to answer too many questions form the banker about where, exactly, the farm is - because as you can see form the photo above, it's in the middle of nowhere.  In fact, my farm is so far off the beaten path, the Middle of Nowhere looks like downtown Manhattan compared to where my farm is. 

But the key thing is, my farm has a Productivity Index of 95 for wheat.  That's about as high as you can get.  What it means to the farmer is that hs has a good chance of getting a respectable yield form the crop he plants on my farm.  What that means to me is that I will get a good price per acre on my lease. 

What it all comes down to is this - the food that comes from the grocery store or the restaurant actually begins here.  The photo above is Durum Wheat - in this case, seeds that will be planted on my remote 160 acres of highly productive dirt. 

Sometime later this spring, should you happen to drive by my farm in Williams County, North Dakota (HA!  As if you could find it.  I am not sure I will be able to find it myself!) you might see a sight like the photo above.  A big time tractor using the latest in GPS and no-till planting technology moving slowly back and forth across my beautiful 160 acres of Prime North Dakota Wheat Farm, sowing the seeds that will eventually become your bread or pasta.  So eat up, and remember, now you know.  The food you eat may come from the grocery store first - but it was grown from dirt owned by a city slicker like me.