The Rice Pads
The rainy season has just began in the Philippines and El Nino is over. It is time to start the rice crops. After the first rains a patch of dirt is turned over and tilled until it is muddy like a texture of a creamy peanut butter. Rice seed it spread out over it and it grows until the rice is a few inches tall. After that they will separate the rice and spread the rice out into the rice pads.
The recent rains have created the Ideal Conditions for preparing the fields. The local farmers have gone out when the rain stopped to get started.
The Carabao is a type of water buffalo that is used for plowing the dirt over once there has been enough rain to soften the soil. Not only is it a working animal but it is also the source of fertilization during the off season as they graze on the plants in the fields after the rice has been harvested.
Planting and Growing Rice is a family affair that includes everyone that is old enough and physically capable. Here they learn at a young age to work together.
In 3 to 4 months the rice will be ready for harvesting once the stalks go from green to a dry golden color. More to follow when it is time to harvest.
David Lee Martin
Functional US Army Veteran
Big Dave's Place 
Planting and growing rice is, indeed, a family affair.
When I was in grade and high school, I have a classmate who would often be absent in our classes at this season of the year. It’s because she had to help her parents plant rice. Sometimes, they went to other barangays or even provinces in large groups to plant.
If I remember correctly, they are paid 60 to 70 pesos for every square of rice paddy. You can just imagine the tremendous effort and hard work that they put to earn something that’s tantamount to a day of survival. This is how resilient Filipinos are.
This makes me feel so nostalgic of those days.
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Here they are paid at harvest when profits are calculated. 40/60 split.
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i just love the fields they are so beautiful as i will in city it very rare to see this and would love see when grown up rice
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I will update when it is time for harvest.
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yeah i will wait then
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