Hello everyone! I hope everyone is excited about this weekend! I am always excited for people to learn more about agriculture and, of course, get out on their bikes more. I feel like people should know more about where their food comes from and how it’s grown, especially in a more hands on way than just reading possibly biased information on the internet or buying their food from the store. This ride offers so many chances to talk to local farmers and others in the agriculture industry. I highly recommend you take the time to enjoy each and every stop and chat with all the people that have come out to share their knowledge with you.
Also, take some time to take in the local scenery while you’re out there rolling along. It may not look like much, but there are so many interesting things going on in the area. There are a lot of conservation practices in place to help conserve our water, soil and to reduce the amount of chemicals that need to be used to produce goods. You’ll get to see different irrigation practices, from pivot systems to flood irrigation, each with their own benefits and downfalls. You’ll also get to see some of the farms that may grow vegetable for your local grocery store and those who may provide the hay to support the cattle through the winter for your local sourced beef. You’ll also get to see the difference between a conventionally tilled and a no-till or minimal till field. No-till is a pretty exciting new concept that some farmers are taking on to help conserve the soil and reduce inputs. I will highlight some of these features along the way in my next blog post, which will happen during the ride. Also, there will be signs along the route on day one that will point out some of these features.
I hope everyone’s training is going well and I look forward to meeting some of you along the ride. If you see me and have any questions, please feel free to ask. I’m not a particularly fast rider so feel free to chat even while we’re rolling.
Happy pedaling!
#PlantsArmstrong