These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here on the farm as we have been scrambling to get everything planted as the summer solstice nears.

We had spring flooding from record snowfall that flooded our cropland in April. Then, on May 31, we had the highest crest in recorded history on the Des Lacs River that completely submerged our cropland, including the greenhouse, for a second time. This was the result of heavy spring rains and runoff from nearby Saskatchewan.

Despite that, it is now 12 days after the flood (Sunday, June 12) and we should wrap up our planting by dark tonight.

It hasn't been easy. Karen Ellenbecker and I have been working every day to get seedlings out of the greenhouse and into the ground as well as get seeds in the ground that need time to mature before the first frost. I can't believe I'm even thinking about the first frost after the winter we just came through.

Heidi, Mike and Ilene have also assisted in getting things in, so at times, we've had three and four people working to get the crop in that has spanned about three weeks now. Last year, it was pretty much myself and it took me about a week to get all the crops planted.

I like to blame the flooding because it's caused huge headaches this spring in planning, mapping, actual planting, tillage, work schedule and the list goes on. But the good news is, we have many new shareholders this year and it is critical to think about them as we move forward each day. It's paramount we get a crop to make available to those people in western North Dakota who rely on us for their produce.

We also have the greenhouse to think about now. After it was finished I thought, Wow! This is great. But the reality is, it takes time because it gets hot in there and the plants need moisture in that environment to survive and thrive.

Yes, it's been a challenging spring since Easter Sunday when we first saw the garlic crop under water, to a constant threat of rain as we wrap up planting the 2011 crop. But, we're almost there and as we finish up, I sometimes stop and look around the fields and note how the plants are already progressing. Some, like the celery, squash and leeks, look good. The onions look great. 

And despite the worst flooding in recorded history (132 years), and probably back to the 1700s when Pierre La Verendrye came through here, we are only 12 days behind our target to complete planting and I feel pretty good about that.