During the growing season of 2021, things got a little dicey here in Southwest Colorado. The winter prior, snow levels were slightly below average, which is not that unusual anymore. “Abnormal is the new normal” has become my new mantra, similar to a meteorologist’s claim of a “50% chance of precipitation” – one hedges their bets to keep their paycheck.
But that spring and summer of 2021 just felt different, even from the get-go. The soils, especially up in the high country, left parched by years of dryness, soaked up any melting snow and rivers, reservoirs and ditches, already depleted at the beginning of the irrigation season, just never filled.
For farmers and ranchers, that’s no way to start your season. Not only are many of them cash-poor, forking out money for seeds, soil, fertilizers, repairs, etc, before a single dollar enters the register, they were also water-poor with dry soils and reserves already on the decline. And just in case Mother Nature wasn’t already dealing hand after hand of poor cards, she up and dealt the Joker: the infestation of the grasshoppers.
An insect that haunts my dreams, Melanoplus spp. can devour crops if conditions are right. And in 2021, conditions were right. Not too wet or cold (grasshoppers don’t like either of those in the spring), but enough soil moisture to promote early season grass growth (their food source). A dry and warm May and June was also ideal for their growth and numbers exploded, especially in the fertile and vegetable-producing Mancos Valley.
Stress, to no one’s surprise, was at an all-time high in the Valley. Rapidly decreasing irrigation, rapidly increasing pest pressure and it is still in the month of June and very few, if any, crops have been harvested (read: no income).
Situations like this are (most likely) not a yearly occurrence; however, I would not be surprised if in some corner, or growing region, of the state, this story is playing out in some fashion as we enjoy our summer activities. Farmers and ranchers are trying to make ends meet – rising costs for feed, fertilizer, machinery, labor, you name it – while putting all their chips on if the weather will cooperate or not. A poorly timed freeze, the random hailstorm or a plague of grasshoppers, Jerusalem crickets or armyworms. A drought in Texas that affects the animal feed crops. A pandemic that slashes the labor force.
And that was all just 2021.
On Aug. 1, CSU Extension along with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Farm Bureau are incredibly excited to show our community what that day in the life of Colorado farmers and ranchers looks like (including their worries and emotions). We invite you to join us for an evening of community, to share a meal and to watch a meaningful film about the impacts of rural life. “Legacy” highlights the ups and downs of agriculture’s realities with real Colorado stories. You’ll learn about resources available in our community, talk to people who have been impacted by mental health themselves, and their determination that no one should suffer alone.
Mark your calendars for an evening of camaraderie, getting real and banding together at the Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.
No matter what you are going through, you do not have to go through it alone. Times change but looking out for one another never will.
If you go
What: Legacy: Stories of Healing and Hope.
When: 5 p.m. Aug. 1.
Where: Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave.
More information: https://durangopubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/11217593.
