Another shot of the Milk River very high and overflowing its banks.
It pours into the nearby fields.
I felt sorry for the cottonwoods sitting in so much water.
The ditch must be fairly deep here. I wouldn’t want to accidentally drive off the road here.
But here is the saddest part of the story. Much of the work of the season’s grain harvest was a waste of time. The hay is soaking and will likely not dry out before the cold weather comes.
Some of the hay that was stacked high might be salvageable but the loss is still devastating to the farmers who worked so hard. The flood waters almost look like snow but it is definitely water – this week, anyway. Soon the fields will be covered with snow too.
Some of the buildings in this area were also flooded but as we were driving I couldn’t get the photos taken in time. News reports say it is the worst flooding in this area, from Hinsdale to Glasgow, in 30 years. I feel very sorry for the people affected.
October 13, 2016 at 3:45 am
Very sad, Anneli.
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October 13, 2016 at 7:22 am
I think the rest of the posts should be happy ones. But yes, it is very sad for those farmers.
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October 13, 2016 at 5:10 am
It’s a horrible truth that flood plains make the best farmland. All that silt makes for rich soil. Until the next flood. Farming is always a gamble. Hope they had insurance. The timing really stinks!
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October 13, 2016 at 7:27 am
You’re right. I think the land will be improved, but right now that’s little consolation for the farmers. In time that pain will recede along with the waters and they’ll make a new plan. I’ve come to learn that one of the most used expressions for farmers and fishermen is, “Next year!” They are a hardy bunch and will bounce back.
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October 13, 2016 at 6:52 am
It’s tragic for those folks to lose so much hay if it is not insured.
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October 13, 2016 at 7:28 am
I hadn’t thought about insurance. Hope they have it. Hay will be precious this winter.
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October 13, 2016 at 8:50 am
Floods are so horrible, it happened at our place too but we were lucky not to lose too much. The cleanup after never ends. I feel always so sorry for the people who have to go through it. Sad post!
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October 13, 2016 at 8:52 am
I think the worst is over for them now and things will start to go back to normal soon. What a good skating rink the fields would make this winter!
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October 13, 2016 at 8:52 am
Yes, that is very sad. I just heard on the news that it was 6 degrees in Montana this week. I hope that water was gone, otherwise it’s now ice. 😦
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October 13, 2016 at 8:56 am
I think last night it went down to something like -8 C. but it’s supposed to go to +14 C today. +19 C tomorrow! I think that’s in the 70s F.
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October 13, 2016 at 9:05 am
What an awful situation. I hope the farmers will be able to salvage something.
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October 13, 2016 at 9:16 am
I saw that some had piled the hay at the higher end of the field, anticipating the possibility of wet ground, but I’m sure they didn’t expect this much water.
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October 13, 2016 at 11:05 am
Devastating for the farmers. When I was a child we lived on a farm in Saskatchewan and I remember my parents agonizing over the weather all the time.
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October 13, 2016 at 11:17 am
It’s sure a vital part of farming life.
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October 13, 2016 at 11:06 pm
Flooding is so scary. In the SW we often have flash floods. One tragedy I can’t get out of my mind was when a teen boy in our smallish town (when we lived in California) tried to drive through a flooded road and his car was washed away. He couldn’t get his window open and drowned. After that I bought window glass breaker-thingies.
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October 14, 2016 at 2:12 pm
That’s a heartbreaking story, Luanne. The window winding situation is one reason I have never owned a keyless entry car, but I’m planning to have it for my next car. Still, that will always be an issue and I’ll never like that setup.
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October 14, 2016 at 4:32 pm
You should get one of those glass breakers. They are made to keep in the glove compartment, just in case!
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October 14, 2016 at 4:47 pm
Yes, I will!
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October 14, 2016 at 6:37 pm
That will make me feel better and I hope it will make you feel better!
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October 14, 2016 at 12:26 am
Tragic…
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October 14, 2016 at 2:13 pm
Yup, it sure is.
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October 17, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Yes, these floods have devasted the autumn harvests; all that hard work , drowned.
We take the beautiful Autumn harvest season for granted ; Prairies 2016 harvest season is rained out.
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October 17, 2016 at 3:56 pm
For the low-lying areas anyway.
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October 19, 2016 at 9:28 am
I think that, in our modern world, we romanticize the old days and the farming life. It’s darn hard work and Mother Nature is a bitch, as they say. All the work and money put into a crop can be destroyed in a day. I remember being awed by a small tornado tearing through my grandfather’s tobacco field. He was not awed. He was distraught. That was money jumping out of his pocket.
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October 19, 2016 at 9:44 am
So true!
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December 3, 2016 at 11:41 pm
Floods are affecting farmers in many parts of the world.
This is a sad event.
I hope the farmers have strength, courage, and great stamina.
Jayo!
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December 4, 2016 at 12:01 am
That’s right.There is flooding in many parts of the world. I wish the farmers well.
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