On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
Silent sentinels they stand, a
testament to the season.
Leaves pf these cornstalks
are still erect, though browning
from the tips and ragged from
the relentless beating of the
wind which moved in with
delightful cooler weather. A lone
ly row, these stalks are the sole
remnants of what was once a
lush stand of the summer’s corn
crop, tall and green and thick.
Often a refuge for the cats, espe
cially house-porch visitor and
loner Midnight, the stand of
corn, like so many before it, has
passed into history.
Wide at the center, narrowing
to points on each edge, the field
just across the road from our
farmhouse office door is some
what of a “what’s left,” uneven
cornered plot not fitting into the
neat pattern of contoured strips
which wrap around the rolling
hill. Because it is fairly small
and irregular, the corner field
offered an ideal section for trial
running the corn planter this
spring, close to the shop and
tools needed to make adjust
ments. And, since the test-trial
field was planted early, it also
was the first chopped to test-run
the forage harvester on the
silage corn.
Only this single row of stalks
from that early field, standing
too near the edge of the road
bank for the silage harvester to
cut without courting an equip
ment rollover, remains in this
strip just steps from to the
house. They stand brave and
defiant, albeit lonely-looking,
battling the breezes sweeping
down the backdrop of fields now
barren of former corn kinfolk.
Fate alone extended the stalks'
lifespan, the closeness to the
roadbank sparing them from
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being a drop in the tons of corn
silage curing in the in-ground
bunk silo, a blessed, stockpile of
feed giving off a richly-ferment
ing smell.
I wonder sometimes, if our
neighbors suspect we are fer
menting something other than
cow feed 9 (We aren’t 1
The cows love this new com
silage, especially since our short
supply after last year’s drought
ran out months ago. So they dig
into their mixed rations with
renewed gusto, relishing the
plentiful kernels of yellow grain
in the salad-mix of alfalfa and
grasses and high-protein con
centrates, laced with vitamins
and minerals.
And around the farm, the
coming of fall is obvious in other
ways than the fragrance of fer
menting corn.
Stands of goldenrod, with
thick, fluffy tops, turn forgotten
corners and fencerows a warm
yellowish shade of fading sum
mer. Milkweed pods are begin
ning to dry down, soon to split
and spill out their innards of
silky white threads, each
attached to its own diminutive
brown-parachute seed to float
off in the wind.
Heavy clusters of deep purple
pokeberries have mostly disap
peared, relished by the backyard
birds which then dispense the
staining residue on anything
within range, including laundry
left hanging out to dry. In
defense against the purple poke
splatterings, anything relatively
good in the garment line goes in
the dryer rather than flap in the
breeze. It doesn’t much matter
for barn clothes, which shortly
after donning will be liberally
laced with manure anyway. A
couple of additional purple
What A Way To See The World
ORWIGSBURG (Schuylkill
Co.) Have you ever wondered
how things are done differently in
other parts of the world?
To many people, finding out
first hand would be a dream come
true. For Melissa Moll, it is the op
portunity of a lifetime. She recent
ly left for Australia to team, first
hand, about farming “Down Un
der.”
“I will be living and working on
patches just add color.
The cloying, oppressive
humidity that cloaked much of
the late summer has been ban
ished by the return of
September’s refreshing and wel
come breezes. With the disap
pearance of the excessive mois
ture in the air which makes us
feel sticky and uncomfortable,
the sky’s brilliant blueness has
also returned.
That clear, deep Montana-sky
blue provides a dramatic back
drop to the ever-changing pat
tern of clouds. I love to watch
clouds, especially the puffy
fluffy kind that look like you
could bounce on them from one
to one, and the rolling, boiling
ones that pile sky-high, their
whiteness tinged with the last
pink rays of sunset The crisp
ness of late September just
enhances the beauty of the ongo
ing cloud parade.
As fall has her way with our
straggly row of lonely corn
stalks outside the window, the
fading green will give way cnsp
brown. In an amazing maneuver
of nature, each ear will turn
upside down from its former
upright, growing position, so
that in maturity, the sturdy
husk will shed off rain and snow
to prolong the life of each kernel
until another annual cycle is
ready to begin.
But, the ears on that lonely
row don’t remain for another
year. Their proximity will save
me the effort of finding a field
where the harvest equipment
knocked corn over to salvage the
ears in a personal annual rite of
harvest for winter feed.
Squirrels have to eat too you
know.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 19, 1998-B7
a farm for seven months. Even
though I live and work on a farm
at home, this will be a great learn
ing experience," Melissa said.
The International Agricultural
Exchange Association (lAEA)
made this trip possible. lAEA is a
non-profit organization that pro
vides opportunities for young peo
ple, between the ages of 18 and
30, to learn about agriculture in
other parts of the world. With
placements in about 20 countries,
trainees can choose from pro
grams ranging from four to 13
months in agriculture, horticul
ture, home management, or mixed
programs.
These programs offer more than
just agricultural experience. The
trainees also experience different
ways of life and culture, as well as
a better understanding of people
from foreign countries. New
friendships and memories are
made that will last a lifetime.
“Being a 1998 graduate of Blue
Mountain High School, this was a
chance I couldn’t pass up. I didn’t
feel I was quite ready to start col
lege and I didn’t know what exact-
ly I wanted to do, Melissa said.
Agriculture has always been a
large part of her life. She has been
working on her father’s dairy heif
er farm since before she can re
member. She has also been active
in 4-H and FFA for many years.
This past year she served as the
Schuylkill County dairy princess
and Schuylkill County FFA presi
dent.
For fairs and other shows she
raised everything from dairy heif
ers and beef steers to sheep and
goats.
Melissa wishes to further her
education in agriculture and farm
ing and hope to keep them a large
part of my life.
“Everyone I have talked to
about this program has said that
they wish they would have had a
chance like this when they were
younger. Many people still do
have this chance, don’t pass it up,”
said Melissa. For more informa
tion about lAEA and programs
contact them at lAEA, 1000 First
Avenue South, Great Falls, MT
59401, Phone (406) 727-1999.
Melissa Moll
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