A Well on a Farm

Today, like yesterday, I drove to Albion Nebraska to complete government paperwork related to a well. When my father passed away last February, my brother, sister, and I became joint owners of a 160 acre farm near Cedar Rapids Nebraska. My family has been farming in that area for well over 100 years, and it was my father’s wish that we keep the farm for at least five years. He wanted me and my siblings to know what it was like to own farmland, and to be part of a long family tradition. Luckily, we lease the land out to a very capable farmer, and so I don’t need to suddenly learn about farm chemistry or buy a combine. But we moved the well on the farm so that it is located close to the central pivot, and with all the water regulations and legislation due to the drying up of the Ogallala Aquifer, this has become a bureaucratic hurdle. We thought we had better move it now, before tighter regulations go into effect in 2008. We also drilled it very deep. We hit water at 60 foot, but drilled it 160 feet deep. Our tenant says it is the best well in the region. That would have made my dad proud I’m sure.