What a breath of fresh air to attend cotton harvest in Hudspeth County! The county is the state’s third largest by total area, but only has a population of 3,432 people. Sandy soils covered with desert flora stretch for miles. The drive is desolate, quiet, and sometimes out of cell phone range. The mountains are unexpected and breathtaking.  

The best surprise is the cotton production at the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains. Could you ever have a bad day with that view? Plus, they irrigate from a rechargeable aquifer. Sounds like heaven on earth to this Ogalla-dependent farm wife. A rechargeable aquifer with a view! Whew!  

I had the opportunity to meet Jake Giesbrecht and his nephews who farm with him. Stuart Davidson, their Helena Chemical rep, introduced us. My farmer and I have known Stuart and his wife since the early 2000s, when they lived in Olton before moving to Seminole. Stuart has worked with Jake for the last 20 years.  

We spent the day visiting the Giesbrecht’s various fields from their Salt Flat farms to their Dell City locations. Countless times, I asked if we could stop and take photos. The stalks were packed with bolls and the cotton’s brightness in contrast with the mountains in the background was irresistible.  

Before my visit, Stuart had warned me about rattlesnakes. So, every time I hit pause on my interview and bailed out of the pickup, I looked around before I stepped. In some of the fields, the cotton plants were so heavy with bolls and leaves that they lay across the rows making it difficult to see what could possibly lie beneath.  

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At one stop, I jumped out, calculating each step. Assured it was clear, I dropped to one knee and quickly got back up again. While I had been so strategic about avoiding a rattler, I had not given any thought to grass burrs. I was covered! They were stuck in my knee through my jeans, my socks and entangled in my shoelaces. They were up my backside and somehow even on my shirt sleeve. How in the world did they get there? 

We all had a good laugh. I learned a few things. My jeans that are 55% cotton, 26% polyester, 17% rayon, and 2% spandex may be good for me – a girl’s got to have some stretch in her jeans – but they are not helpful when trying to pluck out burrs. They clung like jelly on peanut butter! I also learned that a large sharp knife is a helpful tool when scraping them off your jeans.   

Thank you, JBK Farms, for such a wonderful day. I’m continuously amazed at the diversity in my coverage area, from the farmers and their backstories to the commodities and topography from where they produce this nation’s food and fiber. What a blessing to do what I do! As always, thank you for entrusting your story to me and on a few occasions lending me your knife.  

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