In this idiot-proof world that we live in, we are told how fast we can drive, how we build, how much alcohol we can drink, when we can water our lawn and hundreds of other things.
However there are a few decisions that are left up to us. Farmers seem to encounter these problems on a daily basis. A well drained farm to some farmers means that rain or water drains off into a ditch sometime. Other farmers only accept a well drained farm as a farm with tile drains running every 25 feet across every field and emptying into a ditch or other water course that drains freely into a creek or river.
To some farmers, if an animal lies down then he believes that the animal must be comfortable. To other farmers, a comfortable stall is one that a person can drop to your knees in and feel no pain, and not get your knees damp.
How noisy is noisy? Many older tractor cabs were so noisy that operators had to wear ear plugs when operating them to avoid that ringing in their ears after getting out. Most new tractor and combine cabs are quieter to drive in than a new car.
How calm is calm? Before putting on a new tin roof, starting to build an upright silo, build a new building or spray a field with a chemical weed killer or spread very finely ground limestone; always wait for a calm time of day.
The container that the concentrated weed killer comes in has hundreds of words of instructions written in legalese on the package. These include mixing instructions, correct stage of both weeds and crop before spraying and sometimes volatility of the spray.
Some chemicals are very volatile and although most new sprayer tips have the ability to produce larger droplets that are less likely to drift onto the field next door; even the odor or smell from these chemicals can ruin the crop next door.
Tender fruits, vegetables, vines and apple trees are most affected by some of these chemicals. Some of these crops can return thousands of dollars worth of saleable crop per year. The chemical company has carefully written instructions on each package that excludes them from any drift damage and leaves the farmer or sprayer operator liable for any drift damages! Most sprayer operators now carry a handheld meter that records wind speed and only sprays when there is very low or no wind. However some of these chemicals are so volatile that even the smell can drift downhill from a field sprayed a little farther uphill, even if there is no wind!
How big is big? How small is small? Some farm organizations have spent countless hours and even days trying to define size. Some farm subsidy programs and rules for certain productions are applied according to farm size. After days of debating what’s big and what’s small it was decided that whether a farm was perceived as being big or small was the opinion of the person speaking.
Usually a dairy farm that had a few cows more than the speaker had was considered big, while one that had a few cows less was thought of as small.
When is a farm big enough? When are there enough animals on the farm? When is the tractor big enough? Usually the banker wants his loan payments on time. Suppliers of fertilizer, fuel, feed, repairs, school and land taxes, employee wages, etc., must be paid and the size of the farm usually fits the bills. An old farming neighbour of mine once said; “more important than the size of the tractor, is the time spent on the seat.”
It has been known for many years that most animals and fowl are most productive with 16 hours of light. Once at a meeting when a dairy professor was explaining why, I asked him how dark is dark? Is a clear night with a full, bright moon still dark? Is a cloudy, dark day with no sight of the sun still light? He had no answer. If pregnant animals have 16 hours of darkness each day for six weeks before delivering their young then they are more productive (milk) for the next year.
Hours of light are much easier to control in a chicken barn than in a dairy barn with lots of windows or open walls in summer. I wonder at how many lumens of light do the automatic headlights on a car come on?
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon
on land that has been in his
family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
