Ideal News and Views

News and Views from a few miles north of Ideal, South Dakota. History, agriculture, politics, hunting, bison, Scot heritage, WW11 B-24 Service, prairie life, cattle, weather, horses, Homesteading, and some photos.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

BACK IN (ON) the SADDLE AGAIN

The virus of terrorists that disrupt communication on "e" mail and the Blogs has not been contained. But it surely made it difficult to continue the Blog. Will try to send out a new post from here as a consultant cleaned the guts and nuts from the computer.

The words of the Dakota Song, "Oh Dakota Land, Dakota Land" is appopriate this year. " In the Land that never rains, as I look out over the plaines-=--tis especially true from this area to the northwest part our State. In Harding County it has recorded an amount of rain less that the Drought of the '32's., less than 3 inches total this year. Grassland needs the spring rains and snow melt to charge the soil beneath the grass to feed the growth in the hot summer.

Cattle herds are being sent to market or to other pastures where the rains fell. It is fortunate that the price of calves and replacement cows is being maintained. The alfalfa crop was a one time cut and very short tonnage per acre.

Surely could use a portion of that"Forty Days and Nights of rain"

Another year or two of drought will devastate the prairie dogs for lack of food. Would it follow the migration of the human population to the urban areas where the lawn grass, parks vegetation is available? An appeal from "Prairie Dogs Forever" for oats and bales of alfafa might be the next headline on Blogs, and city orientated newspapers?

LH