2003-04-29 - 9:09 p.m.
Farmers do a lot of checking on things. I start most every day by taking a walk around and looking. Now things don't change that drastically overnight so you might wonder what I'm looking for. Nothing big, actually just the opposite, something small. As I walk around the orchard and garden I'm looking for the early signs of a problem. That first sign of disease and damaging insects, or perhaps the first signs of a nutrient problem. If you catch these things small you can many times prevent a big problem, but if you wait till it becomes obvious and easy to see it's usually too late and it can cost you.
I remember hearing a story that illustrates this well. An old farmer had a fine orchard, the envy of the community. One day he sold the orchard to a younger farmer who was just starting out. The young man asked what was the most important thing for him to do to keep the orchard in good shape. The old farmer smiled and handed the young man four stones saying, "these are the most important secrets to my success". Puzzled the young farmer asked how to use them. The old farmer replied, "Each morning go out around the orchard and place one stone in each corner as you go, in the evening walk around again and pick up the stones as you go. Do this every day and as you go, watch!". Now there is more to growing things than that but watching is very important, if you know what to look for.
