Our neighbor has an organic dairy farm of Jersey cows. They are my favorite kind of cow, I would have to say, and I fell even more in love with them on Monday when Timmy and I got to pet some of the calves, one of which was only 1 week old.
We chatted a bit with the farmer--a very nice, down to earth, true Vermonter--and I was asking him some questions about the animals. Conversation led us to the fact that of his three kids, none of them are really interested in carrying on the farm. This makes me so sad, and I know it does him as well. He's got his hopes on some grandsons who are really interested in everything right now, but the oldest is 11. A lot might change in the next ten years as far as what that little boy finds compelling enough to choose as a career.
And while I love having a farm up the road and dream of having a barn and some animals here, I know it is a huge amount of work with not a huge payback. You don't get a vacation and much of your work is significantly affected and determined by fickle Mother Nature. Take the bales of hay in the picture--after weeks of daily thunderstorms, he was finally able to hay on a crystal clear day. The weathermen had projected a completely dry day--it was perfect haying weather. The field had been tedded a couple times and the tractor was raking the dry hay into rows preparing to bale. Hours of work had gone into it. And as he was about 1/3 done with the raking, it started to pour and lasted about five minutes. Five minutes ruining a day's work and compromising the value of the hay.
So, while I love the presence of the farm, I don't think I would have it in me to deal with those sorts of setbacks on a regular basis. It'd be nice to see the farm subsidies going to these small family farms rather than the huge factories of animals where profit is all that matters. Hard to call those farms.
Here's hoping the grandkids want to keep up the farm.
We chatted a bit with the farmer--a very nice, down to earth, true Vermonter--and I was asking him some questions about the animals. Conversation led us to the fact that of his three kids, none of them are really interested in carrying on the farm. This makes me so sad, and I know it does him as well. He's got his hopes on some grandsons who are really interested in everything right now, but the oldest is 11. A lot might change in the next ten years as far as what that little boy finds compelling enough to choose as a career.
And while I love having a farm up the road and dream of having a barn and some animals here, I know it is a huge amount of work with not a huge payback. You don't get a vacation and much of your work is significantly affected and determined by fickle Mother Nature. Take the bales of hay in the picture--after weeks of daily thunderstorms, he was finally able to hay on a crystal clear day. The weathermen had projected a completely dry day--it was perfect haying weather. The field had been tedded a couple times and the tractor was raking the dry hay into rows preparing to bale. Hours of work had gone into it. And as he was about 1/3 done with the raking, it started to pour and lasted about five minutes. Five minutes ruining a day's work and compromising the value of the hay.
So, while I love the presence of the farm, I don't think I would have it in me to deal with those sorts of setbacks on a regular basis. It'd be nice to see the farm subsidies going to these small family farms rather than the huge factories of animals where profit is all that matters. Hard to call those farms.
Here's hoping the grandkids want to keep up the farm.
1 comment:
Last Saturday, when we went strawberry picking I kept asking Dave if we could be farmers as we were on our way to the farm. Then, after a measly 45 of picking I was hot and tired and ready to call it a day. I agree, it is hard, hard work.
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