How often have you been shopping with someone when a clerk asks you, “Can I help you?” How often has your answer been “I’m just wasting time while ????? shops?” Actually, you were checking to see what was available in the store and were the prices high or low. Actually you were not wasting time you were keeping your brain up to date.
Farmers are often said to be goofing off when they are . . .
visiting other farms, either at a sale where they didn’t buy anything or on a farm tour, or maybe just on a Sunday afternoon driving past dozens of farms.
Sometimes on a rainy day, the farmer was just taking a break to relax. Usually though, the farmer was looking to see what someone else did better or worse than he did at home. Was the machinery better maintained? Were the animals in better shape than his? Was the hay cut earlier or was it greener and saved with no rain? Were the crops in earlier or did they look better?
When on farm tours, dairy farmers check to see if the cows milk better. They also are very interested in the labour savings because of feeding methods or manure management.
Crop farmers are interested in new varieties of grain, corn, of hay and how that new chemical spray worked. Was that new tillage tool really worth buying?
Beef farmers look over the fence to see how the calves look off that new breed of bull. When beef farmers visit the fall auctions they are very interested in who had the best calves and what breed they were.
Does that round bale wrapper and the extra cost of that white plastic wrap really pay compared to waiting an extra day and worrying about getting the hay rained on to make dry bales?
In Europe, many young people do an apprenticeship, working for tradesmen, farmers, and others before getting hired or starting their own business.
In Canada, many young people work on farms or in other businesses for reduced wages while they learn skills that they will carry for life whether they go into that trade or can change their own tires, brakes or even do some minor vet work on a pet. Because many farms do much of their own work, the young employee may learn a little carpentry, plumbing, minor electrical, the importance of machine maintenance, how to assess a sick animal, how to do emergency treatment, learn the importance of timeliness, the importance of animal nutrition, and timely reproduction, and above all the importance of finishing a job, regardless of the extra hours worked before a rain. Young people that invest some time on a farm also learn quickly that fields must be planted before the rain comes. If feeding or milking is late the animals complain loud and clear.
Time management for animals was something that I didn’t learn until I attended a dairy production seminar. There are only 24 hours in a day and animals must spend time eating, drinking, waiting to be milked, getting milked, grooming, walking around and resting. A dairy cow makes most of her milk while lying down because there is more blood flow through her udder to make milk. Her most unproductive time is while standing around waiting to be milked and walking from milking to feed, to water, to get groomed and finally to get some rest. A beef animal that spends more time walking to get a drink or over a poor pasture to find grass is much less efficient than a cow on green, lush pasture with water close by.
A good start to a day is when you wake up before the sun gets up and face the day with a smile on your face. A day when you didn’t learn anything or share something with someone else is a waste.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
