Thankful For Fall

Serina Taluja

I can honestly say after three summers of working in an agriculture lab that the summers around here are rough. And I mean, the heat is one thing- but to be out in a field, full of humidity, bugs, mud, and things that squawk and buzz and chirp- it’s overwhelming, to say the least.To all the other grad students working in agriculture beyond thankful that the fall is finally here, you’re not alone.

To those who have no idea what I’m going on about: I’m here to convince you that fall is the best time of the year (at least, for the folks you know in agricultural labs, it is!). Summers are usually objectively impressive. Everything is growing and enjoying the sunshine, you can hang out outside for a grand total of 30 seconds before you start sweating, and it’s pretty entertaining to watch the temperatures soar to a whopping 105 degrees Fahrenheit every day (from the comfort of an air-conditioned apartment, of course). And then of course, you get summers like the one we just endured, where there was no rain for two and a half
months- also impressive!

However, summers also mean that it’s growing season for many important crops in the state of Texas. At the start of the summer all the seeds go in the ground, and pretty much from that day forward, it’s continuous work: labor to keep the weeds from growing so big that your plants don’t stand a chance, and to make sure the insect populations are manageable. And, in order to have a planting population for the following year, as soon as your plants start flowering, it’s time to start crossing!

Crossing involves choosing a male parent and a female parent, and helping move the pollen from the male parent onto the stigma of the female parent. It’s a super cool process to get to carry out- but if you’re working with flowers, you’re also working with bees, and even worse- wasps! So, while it’s the most exciting time of growing season for researchers, it’s also the most hectic time for getting anything else done, other than crossing.

All of that to say, by contrast, fall is a breeze. Even though the temperatures outside haven’t changed a lot (although I’m enjoying not hitting 105 every day!), the only work left for most agricultural labs is getting things ready to be shipped somewhere warmer to grow over the winter, as well as harvesting and processing samples from the summer. No bugs, no buzzing, no mud- paradise!

And if my agriculture lab stories haven’t convinced you enough- pumpkin spice everything, Great British Bakeoff and sweaters ought to do it! Fall is the best season. Period!