The Life Of A Farmer

This blog is to reply to all the anti-farmer propaganda which has been circulating recently. I have grown up and worked on a farm since I could walk and as many farmers’ children will tell you, is the best way to grow up. To briefly describe my childhood it was full of exploration, love and care for every animal and learning to drive before high school. So when farmers have grew up with so much pride and dedicating so much time and care into their career it is heart-breaking to hear so many people who do not have the knowledge trying to attack farmers. If you want to be vegan and/or vegetarian that is your choice but there is no need to attack the farming community. Farmers have great pride in their work and have traditionally fed the country during wars and have been the backbone in the revolution of a healthy diet to communities, to suddenly be attacked centuries later by a community who talks of peace but many spread so much hate towards the farmers. 

A farmers lifestyle is like no other, what other job can you describe where the workers have no day off? Christmas day is just between the hours of 10am-1pm, 8pm-midnight. Would you work at a job that gave you no sick days and no holiday days? And every day working 12-18 hour shifts ? No! But farmers do it every day, how often do farmers complain? Do you see farmers protesting? No! Farmers love their job, thank god! Cos no-one else would agree to those conditions!! Yet farmers get a severe lack of respect and severely under paid! Everyday farmers get up before dawn to care for their animals, they will milk their cows, do their bedding, feed their cows, feed the calves, do all the jagging and extra time to all the cows which may need extra help all before their breakfast. They come in eat their breakfast the whole time worrying about that one calf that wont learn to suck or all the jobs they need to try and do before the next milking in the afternoon. Afternoons filled with cleaning out sheds, moving cattle, doing silage, spreading slurry, helping a cow calf to be interrupted by the next milking, the next feed and the next medicating. My father has two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, breakfast is at 10.30 am and dinner at 10pm every single day. No tea breaks, just continuous work. To be a farmer you need to have a big heart from snow and rain and lets face it this is Scotland so limited sun, always being there for your cattle putting your own needs aside for the better of your cattle. Farmers miss parties, weddings and funerals for the care of their cattle. I have never met anyone as sacrificing, determined or caring as the farmers in my community, its all in the interest of the cows.

To anyone who believes farming is cruelty, you will never see a cow run from a farmer, cows love farmers, when we go to the fields the cows run to welcome you, they recognise you. Farmers have a very close relationship with their cows, recognise their voice, their walk and understand what the farmer is asking with one hand gesture.

For a brilliant article from the prospective of the farmer’s wife click the link below. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/countryside/5933708/Life-as-a-farmers-wife-the-land-girls.html

Tioraid!