The Season Of The Monsoon Rains

According to the weather bureau, the heavy downpours we’re experiencing lately is triggered by the northeast monsoon and a cold front. The northeast monsoon brought forth cooler winds, thereby, when there is enough moisture present in the air, cold front passes through it bringing warm air upward and rain or thunderstorm occurs.

Although these occurrence is expected in our area, farmers were still hoping for a good weather. It is at this time of the year when fields emptied by the recent rice harvest have to be prepared for the next crop, the red onions. Our town’s widest produce.

This part of the field have been plowed for several times. Pulverizing the loamy soil is important because onions needed friable soil. Onions were planted barely two inches off the top of the soil. Too much water will harden the soil. That is what happens when there is too much rain.

Farmers were hoping heavy torrents would soon stop, ensuring them of a bountiful harvest come mid-March. If the rain continues unto the first week of December, the harvest yield goes down. That would mean less income for farmers who gets to earn money on seasonal basis. Income largely depend on their crops which they will tend for more than 4 months.

Here, this area is being prepared for onion seeding. It badly needed the heat of the sun to fully dry up the water which has saturated this lot.

Ever thanks to this ginormous “beast of burden” who were always ready to lend his feet to his “farmer boss”. Through his manual labor, farmer saves up on tractor fees to mechanically pulverize the soil. Tractor fees cost perhaps a thousand pesos for it uses diesel. While this carabao works at no extra charge. Just fresh grass or hay for him…