Oh what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

We change pipe!

During the summer, changing pipe is a part of our daily life. Every year since we moved to Salmon we have helped with irrigating Grandpa T.'s land. He has acres of hay that are irrigated by 3 different sources: hand lines, wheel lines, and flood irrigating. At the end of April this year, we started moving two hand lines in the fields above and to the left of our home. Ammon began helping Josh last summer by unhooking the lines. This year, he unhooks and also moves the pipe with Josh.

(Josh and Ammon ready to change pipe in their irrigation boots.)

In case you are not familiar with how "changing pipe" works, here's what it means: each hay field has a main line of water on one side of it. The main line has different valves, about 60 feet apart. One valve is opened at a time, and a connected line of sprinklers is hooked to that valve. Each day, the line is moved to the next valve, so that over the course of a period of time the entire field is equally watered.

(This is an unhooked pipe ready to be moved. Ammon, Jonah, and Micah are at the top left of the photo--they are moving down the line unhooking each section of pipe at a time.)

When the pipe gets to the last valve on the main line, it has to be manually moved to the opposite side of the field to start the entire rotation again. The field we are doing this year takes about 10 days before the whole field has been watered and a new rotation begins. You can either move the line by attaching a pipe trailer to a pickup or tractor, and driving slowly while somebody picks up the pipe and sets it on the trailer, or you can drive a 4-wheeler and pick up several pipe at a time to move. We've used both methods.

(Josh is moving the unhooked pipe.)

(Grandpa T. is moving several pipe at a time to the opposite side of the field.)

Every day, Josh takes his motorcycle and Ammon rides his 4-wheeler up to the field to change the pipe. My boys love going for 4-wheeler rides, especially Kanyon. He enjoys going to change pipe just so he can have a daily "hie" (ride). Grandpa T. and Uncle Gideon occasionally pick up one, two, or three boys for rides while they are irrigating, too.

(Grandpa T. giving Kanyon, Micah, & Jonah a ride after the job is done.)

We love having hay fields for neighbors, rather than houses! We are so lucky to live where we do, even if it means having to change pipe EVERY day!!!