The 2012 harvest is getting close to completion, while Thanksgiving and the Holidays will soon approach. My hope for our family and yours – that we can finish the harvest before winter’s rain takes hold. At our farm in Richvale, it has rained a day each of the past two weeks – a very strong indication that winter isn’t far off. Yesterday our neighbors at the Gorrill Ranch in Nelson started flooding their fields to decompose rice straw and provide habitat for ducks and geese. This morning thousands of waterfowl were already enjoying the Gorrill’s fields. These are clear signs of the changing seasons and we cannot take for granted the importance of completing the harvest before stormy weather settles in the Valley. Every farmer will press on till the harvest is complete because a whole season’s work is at stake!

Northern California during autumn,

golden valley, harvested fields, open spaces, geese in flight.

Country roads leading near and far.