Hello everyone! Today, I want to share our recent experience in planting rice in our farm. It may sound simple to say “we planted rice,” but in reality, there are many steps and a lot of hard work behind it. I hope this story gives you a clearer picture of the life of a farmer and also inspires those who are planting to grow rice.
Cultivating the Land
The first step was cultivating the land. My husband used the rotor to prepare the soil This step is very important because it helps break down the weeds and the remaining stalks from the previous harvest. By doing this, the soil becomes softer, and the old plants slowly root and turn into natural fertilizer for the new rice plants.
Leveling the Field
After cultivating, the next step was using the plainer to level the area. Why do we do this? Because if the soil is not flat, water will not spread evenly. Some parts will be too dry, and some will be too deep with water. Rice needs balance, so leveling is really needed for healthy growth.
Don't forget to have a water pump to have water. We used electric water pump.
Final Preparation
Once the land was leveled, it was time to do tagtag the seedlings. This is the final preparation of the area to make planting easier. When the soil is soft and find, it is much easier for the planter to insert the seedling into the ground.
Planting Time
Finally, it was time to plant the rice seedlings. We started early in the morning to avoid the burning heat of the sun. here in our place, there is a group of planters you can hire. The rate is 5,000.00 per hectare, and they usually work together as a team. They are fast and very skilled in planting.
They begin planting at dawn or very early in the morning because once it’s 10 am, the sun is already too hot and van cause dehydration or exhaustion. Planting is not easy, it requires bending, stepping in the mud, Sweating all over and repeating the same movements for hours.
My Role
While my husband and the group of planters were busy in the field, my role was to prepare food and coffee to everyone. Early in the morning, I got up to make coffee, and prepare breakfast. For me, coffee is life, and for farmers who wake up before sunrise, a cup of hot coffee is energy and comfort at the same time. This may see like a small task, but it’s also an important part of farm life, farmers need strength and support to keep going.
By the end of the day, we successfully planted our 2.5 hectare of rice with the 160 variety, which matures in around 120 days. Now we wait, take care of the field, and pray for good weather. Because the truth is, no matter how hard farmers work, the harvest still depends on nature. Too much rain or too much sun can affect the crop. Sometimes, we worry if the harvest will be enough toc over the expenses.
Farmers so many problems to face. One common problem is animals from neighbors like goat chicken and ducks entering the field, they destroy the seedlings or plants.
I hope this simple story helps those who wat to try planting rice. It is a beautiful but challenging process.
This is my owned picture, Edited in Canva.
Thank you so much for reading my story! 💚
Behind every grain of rice is the hard work of a farmer. Respect food, respect farmers.