Mustard Fields Forver

Instead of Strawberries Fields Forever, we escape to the Mustard Fields Forever.

It doesn’t have quite the lyrical quality but if you like yellow you can escape in the color for just a short time…to catch your breath…but I am certain of one thing Strawberry Fields smell a whole lot better than Mustard Fields.

I am waiting for them to become truly magical when and IF the Monarchs show up like they did last year.

Last year there was only one field…maybe two…this year every field that grew a crop of peas was planted into mustard after the peas were harvested.  The mustard will be chopped up soon and incorporated into the soil as a natural nematicide which kills nematodes in the soil.  Root Knot Nematodes feed on the roots of potatoes and tubers causing a 60% decrease in production and unsightly looking potatoes.

Just my opinion, tractors and equipment should not be allowed to go from one field to another without being disinfected.   Potatoes should not be left in the fields…they are very hard to pick out of low lying wet areas. Potato vines should not be left in the fields. A longer crop rotation cycle should be observed.

I am glad they are not using the soil fumigants which are very toxic.  I would much rather take photographs of mustard fields than Peligro Signs.

Are you humming along…I bet you will have that ear worm all day…Nothing is real….

Mustard Field Report

I had one more fun afternoon photographing the Monarchs in the mustard field.

I was right the mucky mucks in the mustard field were invited press…hence the clipboards.  One of those “articles” appeared in the local paper.   I will quote an Agronomist “The pungent crop repels insects and when ground up adds a biomass mixture that benefits the soil and potato crop.”

They cut down most of the crop and disced in what remained.

In the newspaper article they also said “We could hear the hum of the honey bees.”  Bees and pollinators being big on their earth friendly list…

I don’t know…our supply of bees is few…we have some sting you and it hurts like the devil Wasps.   Not many Black Flies and Deer Flies…and mosquitoes were manageable…the Asian Beetles swarmed in over the weekend…they were attracted the sauna…and Far Guy is waging a war with them.

The air was pungent yesterday with the smell of mustard…not a very pleasant smell…although Missy next door said she didn’t mind the smell.  She said jogging by the very yellow field just made her happy.

The field was worked up before the flowers could set seed…I believe the seeds are small and can be ground up and used as mustard.

In this area 1,000 acres were planted in mustard this year, they plan to plant 5,000 to 10,000 acres in a rotation.  The mustard will be planted after peas have been harvested.  The other rotation crops are corn, wheat, dried beans and potatoes.

So much for the field report.  I hope all the Monarchs are on their way south.