My grandfather watched and patted me on the back, moving to the next row of corn, “Nutrient management includes both the source of nutrient inputs for crop and livestock production, and the method of utilization of manure produced by livestock. Nutrient inputs can be chemical inorganic fertilizers, manure, green manure, compost and mined minerals. Crop nutrient use may also be managed using cultural techniques such as crop rotation or a fallow period. Manure is used either by holding livestock where the feed crop is growing, such as in managing intensive rotational grazing, or by spreading either dry or liquid formulations of manure on cropland or pastures. This is the method I use. I try to avoid using pesticides and chemicals on my produce, it makes it more valuable in the final yield.”
“Water management is where rainfall is insufficient or variable, which occurs to some degree in most regions of the world. Some farmers use irrigation to supplement rainfall. In other areas such as the Great Plains in the U.S. and Canada, farmers use a fallow year to conserve soil moisture to use for growing a crop in the following year.”
“Crop alteration has been practiced by humankind for thousands of years, since the beginning of civilization. Altering crops, through breeding practice, changes the genetic make-up of a plant, to develop crops with more beneficial characteristics for humans. For example, larger fruits or seeds, drought-tolerance, or resistance to pests. Crop breeding includes techniques such as plant selection with desirable traits, self-pollination and cross-pollination and molecular techniques that genetically modify the organism.”
“Pest control is at least as old as agriculture, as there has always been a need to keep crops free from pests. In order to maximize food production, it is advantageous to protect crops from competing species of plants, as well as from herbivores competing with humans. You see all the insects on the crops Baxter? Some of them are beneficial and some of them are harmful, so you need to understand and be able to identify each insect species.”
Later in life, my high school agricultural management teacher taught me and many of her students the importance of controlling and managing crops and livestock in a responsible manner. Through her instruction and what my grandfather taught me, I have been able to produce crops and livestock with minimal harm to the animals, insects and land I care for. Working with the land and the wildlife is important to me and maintaining the balance of the land is necessary in order to maintain crops each season. If I eradicated what some farmers think as “pests”, other animals will overpopulate and harm the land.
She spoke regularly about this in her classes, and I remember most of the information she relayed in her classes. She would speak distinctly, in order to help us understand the importance each animal has in order to maintain the balance of the environment, “The bald eagle, owls and hawks control the rodents, such as the rabbits, shrews, mice and rats, as well as many of the snakes and insects. If these animals were absent from the chain, breeding would skyrocket and the animals would destroy the crops and have a negative impact on the environment. Coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, also control the larger game such as antelope, deer and elk. The sparrow, grouse, woodpecker, bats etc., control a majority of the insects.”
“Some of the major insects in the area are the hornets, bees, yellow jackets, dragonfly, earwig, lacewing, ladybird and mosquito, among others. The dragonfly is an easily recognizable insect as it is big in size, has translucent wings and big, compound eyes. It is justifiably popular with farmers, as it is an excellent predator, both as a larva and as an adult. The forficula commonly known as the earwig is found in most gardens. It is inoffensive and is helpful to the farmer as it feeds on ravaging insects like greenflies. The earwig's diet is varied, feeding on vegetation nearing the decomposition stage, like very ripe fruit and on ravaging insects like greenflies and the psylla bug, which damages apple trees.”
“The golden-eyed lacewing is an ill-known Neuroptera whose winged adults lay their eggs on the leaves of plants, from spring to autumn. A female lays up to 1,000 eggs per cycle. The adult lacewing feeds mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae eat greenfly, soft-bodied scale insects, whiteflies, thrips, mite’s eggs and the larvae of tingidae. The lacewing can be used in ornamental, vegetable or orchard gardens, on balconies, in verandas, on any plant where ravaging parasites are present.”
“Every gardener is familiar with the ladybird because this little creature has bright, speckled elytrons and preys on greenfly. The ladybird, with 7 spots, is a beetle belonging to the Coccinellidae family which includes over 5,000 species. The species with 7 spots on its red elytrons is the most common in Europe.” She pointed at her insect poster, which labeled the colors, identifying marks and pictures of each insect and continued to present her lesson to the class, “Ladybirds emerge in spring from their hibernation at the foot of plants, hidden under leaves, under moss, or even in a secluded part of the garage. They reproduce and lay several hundreds of eggs, which the female places beside a colony of greenfly.”
“The marmalade hoverfly is a fly which belongs to the Syrphidae family. We generally are wary of this insect because of its orange color and black stripes, which make us, think it is a type of wasp. It is smaller than a wasp, measuring around 1 cm. in length. It has a thin body and is especially noticeable because it often has a stationary flight, like that of a bird of paradise. It is very useful in the garden and on the veranda, as its larvae devour greenflies.” I was fascinated with the land and cultivating crops, call me a nerd or a “hick”, as outsiders or city livers would say, but it was my culture and how I was raised. A farm nerd to be exact, but if I was making a living from what I loved to do, I would never complain.
The following weeks consisted of keeping Sally’s wounds clean, which were healing nicely. She was out and about the yard and was still being looked after by Sammy, what a pair! I was left harvesting most of the produce for the farmers market taking place in a few weeks. Until 2000, the annual Tooele County Fair was held during the first week of August, at the Tooele County Fairgrounds, inside Tooele City limits. After that date, it has been held at the Deseret Peak Complex, located in the Tooele Valley, midway, between Tooele City and Grantsville City.
I set up, early in the morning, just inside the main gates of the fair. There were crowds of locals and obvious families from out of town attending. One of the tests that determine if a person is a native to the area is if they can correctly pronounce Tooele. The correct pronunciation is Too-wil-ah. Newcomers, however, often pronounce it Tool, Too-lee or Too-ill-ee. If things went according to plan, I would be sold out of produce by the end of the day. My booth and the crops I grew were popular and returning customers knew they had better arrive early if they planned on getting any. The mornings were becoming cool, so I had on one of my older, military issued jackets. It kept me very warm, I was not complaining about looking out of place among so many “regular” people.
After noon and a light lunch, I had packed earlier in the morning; I took stock of my produce. Everything was going according to plan and I was half way to my goal. “Baxter Moore, I knew I would find you here. Baxter and his award winning produce!” I turned to see one of the local deputy sheriffs and friend, Larry Meakins. “Deputy Meakins, are you here to give me a hard time?” I tried the best I could to impersonate John Wayne, but it was a poor attempt.
“No Baxter, I was hoping that you could drop off a few bags of corn, tomatoes, and beans, maybe throw in a few extra goodies for me.” Larry put forty dollars down on the table, just in front of me. I picked up the money and put it in my back pocket, “Sure Larry, I can drop it off after 6 PM, I should be sold out by then. I need to stop by city hall and drop off my utility check.”
Larry stopped, after he had turned around and looked up at me, “You know Baxter, I’m headed over there in about an hour and I can drop it off for you?”
“Sure deputy, here let me get it from the truck.” I walked to my truck and opened the glove compartment, when a few kids ran by my stand and grabbed som
e apples. They almost made it past Larry, but ran right into his arms. “Whoa kids, just what do you think you are doing?”
Larry had a tight grip on both their arms. The kids dropped the apples, as I walked back to the stand. Before losing my cool, I looked at Larry and remembered when we were both younger kids, getting into all sorts of trouble. Larry and I grew up and went through school together and I laughed as I saw the way Larry had them by the arms, “Larry, it’s alright.” I picked up the apples and handed them back to the kids.
“What are you doing Baxter?”
“Larry do you remember when we used to steal apples from all the orchards around town?” Larry paused, loosening the grip he had on the kid’s arms. He looked down at the two boys and smiled as he released the grip on their arms. “Thanks Baxter.” One of the kids said, as he ran off towards the animals. I reached into my pocket and handed Larry my check. “Baxter, you know, I’ll just swing by your place later tonight. I think we should catch up. We don’t get to spend too much time together these days.” He looked a little down and was most likely spending his nights out at the old saloon, on the outskirts of town.
“Sounds good Larry, I’ll be there after five, or five thirty.” I patted Larry on the back and watched as he walked away. Just as he walked pass a couple, I focused in on a girl, it was Laylianna. I was about to walk towards her, when I saw her holding a man’s hand. There was something she failed to mention, a husband or boyfriend? Neither of them was wearing rings, so it must be a boyfriend. I turned and walked back to my produce stand to help a customer, when I turned to see Laylianna standing in front of me. I was shocked; she must have known I was selling here. But where was the man?
“Hi Baxter, I am sorry I didn’t explain more about myself that night. I am in a rocky relationship with Brad and sometimes I just don’t want to go home.” She turned to look at the man and then back at me. There was a bruise under her eye and a smaller one on her arm. She seemed ashamed and embarrassed that she was out in public.
“Laylianna, it’s alright. I wasn’t expecting much.” I paused, as she could obviously tell I was lying.
“Hey there Baxter, can I get a load of corn and tomatoes?”
“Tyler, how are things going for you? Let me load you up and get you on your way.” I turned and started to load the corn, when Laylianna interrupted me. “Baxter, my uncle is coming back into town and I am leaving him. Once my uncle is here, I will be able to stay with him and he will not be able to do this to me anymore.”
I was a little upset and frustrated and wanted to know more about the relationship she had with this coward, “Look, Laylianna why don’t you let me know when that happens and look me up then. Right now, I don’t need any extra baggage.”
“Next month is the festival of the arts and the fair will still be going on. After you finish up with the rest of your harvest, I will come by in a few weeks.” Just as she finished, Brad walked up and took her arm. He led her off and she followed, looking back at me, making sure the man didn’t see her look. She smiled and walked into the crowds. There was something inside of me that wanted to stop the man, pound his face, but then there was something telling me that it was none of my business. I went back to helping Tyler and placed three bags on the table. “Thanks Baxter. Your product is the best in town.”
“Thanks Tyler.” I began loading some of the empty crates into my truck and loading in the remaining produce. I was satisfied with the amount of sales I had made and was going to make a quick trip out to Dugway. I could sell the remaining produce to the supermarket out there. I knew the manager of the supermarket and he was always willing to make a purchase.
I left the fair at 4 PM in hopes to make it back home in time to meet up with Larry. The road was rough, but I have traveled it many times and was able to navigate the potholes and damaged parts of the road with ease. My truck needed new shocks, but I am a pretty good driver. From Tooele, I drove through Stockton, on UT-36; next I turned onto UT-199 W and headed through the pass of the Stansbury Mountains. It was a pleasant drive and I was more than happy to drive the 30 miles to Dugway.
After I finished unloading the produce and speaking to the manager, I collected the check and headed back to Tooele. Tooele is a nice city, located in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah, part of the Salt Lake City, Utah. The population was 30,708 as of the 2009 estimates. The city is known for Tooele Army Depot, privately owned waste disposal facilities west of Tooele Valley and TOCDF, a government owned chemical weapons incinerator south of Tooele Valley.
The area's industry consists of EG&G, the company which operates TOCDF in Rush Valley, south of Tooele Valley, Energy Solutions, a waste-storage facility in Clive, west of Tooele Valley. Federal and state government agencies, Tooele Industrial Depot, a portion of the previous Tooele Army Depot has been turned back to the local area and many of the government constructed buildings in that area are now filled with manufacturing facilities, warehouses and offices. The area is administered by a consortium known as the Tooele Industrial Depot. Miller Motor sports Park is a state-of-the-art road racing facility for automobiles, motorcycles and karts located just 35 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City in Tooele, Utah.
I arrived back at the house a little after five and found Larry’s patrol car parked just out front. He was leaning on the hood and as I pulled in the driveway, he walked over to my truck and reached into the back, pulling out some remaining crates of produce and various bags. I walked to the back of the truck and started helping him unload the remaining crates. “I saved the good stuff for you; it’s just inside the kitchen.” Larry and I walked to the back of the house and placed the crates in the shed. The rest of the produce would be stored inside the house.
“I can’t wait to cook up some of some corn and potatoes this weekend Baxter. You know, there is nothing I like more than a home cooked meal.” Larry’s eyes were wide looking at the corn, potatoes and other vegetables in the kitchen.
“Why wait till this weekend, I have an empty stomach from working all day and I have plenty of steaks waiting in the freezer.” We walked into the kitchen and I pulled out some of the frozen, wrapped steaks, placing them in the sink to begin thawing.
“Larry, in an hour, I will get the wood and get the fire pit going. We can cook it all over the fire and have a few beers tonight.”
“Hold on Baxter, I have a few sixers in the trunk.” Larry ran from the house, into the front yard, straight to his patrol car. He was such an enthusiastic friend, always running into a plan and executing it to every minor detail. I remember when we used to hunt with his uncle Karl and Karl’s friends. We were taught by the best. Karl and his friends had been hunting for years and were top in their class, as far as hunters went. What a great night this was shaping up to be.
Larry came back into the house and placed his spoils on the table, “Just what the doctor ordered. You know Baxter; we should get out and go hunting this season. How long has it been?”
“Too long Larry. About four years if I remember and the last hunt was a bust, because.” Larry interrupted, “We ran out of gas and on top of that got a flat tire coming down the mountain!”
We both laughed, hysterically and went out to the back yard, preparing the fire and the vegetables. After the veggies were ready, I grabbed the meat from the sink and we began preparing and cooking our feast for the evening. After an hour of eating the delicious steaks, corn and potatoes, Larry and I cleaned up. I walked into the front room and plopped down onto the couch, loosening my belt. “Larry, I have had enough.” Sammy and Sally ran into the house, through the back door and took their usual places, near the fireplace. Larry walked to the door and turned, “Baxter, we need to do this more often. I cannot believe that we let the day-to-day routines interrupt the chance to cook up some of the best produce in the state.”
“I agree. Let’s plan on it next weekend and maybe you can bring Karl and the boys by, as well.” I stood up from the couch and held out my hand. Larry grabbed it and reac
hed for the door, “Sammy and Sally, you take care of Baxter here. Keep him out of trouble.”
Larry turned and walked out the door, I closed it behind him. What a character, always the man with the plan. After Larry drove off, I turned and went back into the house. Sammy and Sally were already drifting off and I was ready for bed as well. What a long day. Selling produce at the fair, for the most part of the day and then a 30 mile drive out to Dugway, I was spent. I turned out the lights, locked all the doors and went straight to my bedroom. The bed was already turned down. I quickly kicked my shoes into the closet and fell onto the bed. What a comfortable bed.
Chapter Three
The town of Dugway, popularly known for Dugway Proving Ground, is located southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah in the southern Tooele County and just north of Juab County. The base encompasses 801,505 acres of the Great Salt Lake Desert, an area the size of the state of Rhode Island and is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges. It had a resident population of 2,016 persons as of the 2000 census, all of whom lived in the community of Dugway, Utah, at its extreme eastern end.
The name “Dugway” comes from a technique to dig a trench, along a hillside, in order to keep a wagon from tipping. Dugway Proving Ground is located 13 miles south of the 2,624 sq mi Utah Test and Training Range. Combined, they form the largest military space in the United States. The transcontinental Lincoln Highway passed through the present site of the Dugway Proving Ground, the only significant section of the old highway closed to the public.
Dead in Love (Dead Series) Page 2