Farming with Purple Clouds

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. It was a dangerous omen that the community did not need after recovering from unfavorable weather conditions over the past four consecutive years. Yet, many understood that if history repeated itself, the likelihood of a major hurricane was a real possibility that could have disastrous implications for this farming community.

It was clear to residents of this small California farming community that life doesn’t consistently deliver a canvas painted with a brush of fairness. While city dwellers rarely understood that water could be either a blessing or a curse, that lesson was never lost among farm dwellers who had often experienced both scenarios.

Not surprisingly, weather conditions have always been highly esteemed in this community. Most understood that a family’s fortune depends on favorable weather conditions, impacting their ability to serve as nutritional providers to the rest of the world!

The immediate question, for now, was whether the purple skies were signaling an impending disaster or a low-level threat that could be easily dismissed.

Sam's Past

Sam was no stranger to weather mishaps. He once lost his entire fortune due to the vagaries of weather during his early farming years. To protect himself, Sam began purchasing farm equipment, seeds, and fertilizer that could offset some of this risk. “How can I complain?” Sam explained to one of his neighbors, “when so many others have suffered a similar fate!

The only difference is that Sam always had a backup plan that prepared him for unfavorable weather conditions. Sam strived to offset the challenges of nature because he knew that his success extended beyond his family’s well-being. For this reason, Sam set money aside to adopt techniques unavailable to his farming ancestors.

Sam invested in planters that optimized the space between seeds based on prevailing weather conditions. Sam also purchased genetically modified seeds that optimized the fertilizer and water needed to produce a good crop.

This would prepare him for a successful crop even when weather conditions were less than ideal. The good news is that he could purchase genetically modified seeds for crops that survive floods or drought. This strategy protected him from both weather extremes.

“The problem,” lamented Sam, “is that Mexico, one of our major exporting markets, refuses to buy genetically modified grain despite an updated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreement that vehemently outlawed such actions.” That was a pet peeve for Sam, but given his non-partisan nature, he hoped this issue would disappear over time.

The next evening almost with clocklike precision, the skies unleashed their angry wrath! Wild winds and a massive amount of towering rain gushed out of the sky. The thunder was so loud that it left everyone with massive headaches due to the loud noise!

Mother nature had begun to pound the crops with unrelenting rain. But Sam remained calm as he had one more arrow in his quiver! He would perform his best rendition of the anti-rain dance his grandfather had taught him during his early farming days.

Sam raised his hands to the sky and spun clockwise, chanting, “Stop the rain, Stop the rain!” As his body absorbed the rain, he could feel the hurricane's power take control of his body.

About an hour later, the rain stopped, and the purple clouds receded. His flood-resistant seeds accomplished their task, and his crops survived the ordeal!

Life might not always be fair, but it granted him another chance to continue his lifelong passion for farming!

After breathing a sigh of relief, Sam told his neighbor that to survive farming, “one must embrace progress while never forgetting the lessons learned from our ancestors.”