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| Farm caretaker, Willy,testing the harrowing machine at the farm |
The rainy season has begun and farmers are preparing the land for planting. In our farm in Pila, Laguna, the farm caretaker,Willy, is seen testing the newly overhauled harrowing machine. The site is near Laguna de Bay where conservative farmers like me, are not inclined to plant rice`aggressively. Though it is now the "El Nino" season where we expect less rain, we are still wary about the floods wrecking havoc in our farms.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is giving assistance to farmers by way of subsidized seeds from the local government. The certified seeds are bought at 50 percent off the usual price, with the municipal government shouldering the other 50 percent. They also farm out 5 cavans of organic fertilizer per hectare. With the high costs of planting (being an unirrigated land), I can only afford to plant in two hectares. Work has started in the farm, and the pumps were repaired prior to being reinstalled and use.
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| Willy and the mechanic, Aldrin, are testing the harrowing machine
The harrowing machine is used twice prior to planting. It comes after the "kuliglig" which is use to plow the field. It will then be harrowed after a week, and leveled after another week. We have to call the mechanic since there were problems in starting the engine. He found grease in the fuel tank. My guess is that, the caretaker must have erroneously put in the "toti oil" in the fuel tank --- so,it had trouble starting.
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| Sidekick, Manang Belen with farm worker Lando at Barrio Mohon, to get the grasscutter
We have to go to the nearby barrio of Mojon,to get the grasscutter from Lando,a vegetable farmer from the area. He is an Igorot from the Mountain province, who married a local lass from the region. Talking to him, is my 70 year old sidekick, Manang Belen. She is an Ilocana, but is now a resident of Pila, Laguna.
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| Young mothers, Jomalyn and Maple, both infanticipating
Young ladies in the barrio tend to marry early and have one or two kids before they are 20. These two girls with their tiny tots in tow are always around whenever I am in the farm. Jomalyn (left) married a Bisayan from Dumanguete named Teteng, and Maple (right) married an Igorot from the Mountain Province named Tommy. Both are happy seeing their growing family with two more babies expected this year.
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| Cleaning the dikes using the grasscutter
The dikes need to be clean so rats don't dwell on them. The grasscuter, cuts down the costs of cleaning by as much as 70 percent. When the rains come, the fields will be plowed and the dikes repaired to cover the holes in the innermost pockets. Cleaning will include the canals so as not to hamper the flow of water during the rainy months.
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| Cleaning the dikes is important so farm rats don't burrow on it
The dikes are cleaned up at both sides to ensure that we don't get infested by rats. Cutting the grass would cover the outlying areas that needs trimming and cutting (shrubs and cogon). Again, this ensures that there will be no habitation for farm rats in the field.
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| Barangay Road at Barrio Mojon
The town of Mojon have concrete barangay roads that makes it easier to transport farm produce. Tricyles, as shown, ply the area. Children are seen with their mother, as they go to the nearby public school.
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| Freshly picked guavas from the farm
Life in the farm is simple and the perks include having a snack of ripe and semi-ripe guavas, straight from the tree. I better plant other fruit trees so I will have my fill of snack foods when I am on the site.
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| The church is always the center of any locality.
The catholic faith is ingrained in the Filipino that you can find churches /or chapels in the smallest towns and barrios. This small church in Mojon is one of the bigger churches in the locality.
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| Kamoteng kahoy are used as perimeter fence and food |
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| Vegetables like eggsplants are planted alongside the other vegetatable crops like okra, kalabasa, dahong sili, and kamote |
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| One year old baby enjoys being rocked in the hammock
This one year old tot never fails to visit his grandma on weekdays. His father works as stone mason in the next town. He is adorable and friendly with all the people around him.
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| Bananas ready for picking in a month's time
Another perk of being in the farm is having fruits that are in season. These bananas are ready for eating in the next few weeks. I look forward to that!
BOTTOMLINE
Life in the farm is never easy.You are faced with myriad of problems everyday - spark plug giving in, fan belt breaking, farm hand not showing up, and all the teeny weeny problems that confront harried and tired farmers. However,the little perks--- fresh air, simple lifesyle, fresh fruits, and the company of barrio folks, still far outweigh the difficult side of running a farm.
writer_csm
Other Articles from the Author:
Philippine News: A Shot from the Hip
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