What do farmers actually do? is a question I often get. What do you do in winter? What do you do when you are not on the tractor? When do you go on holiday? In short, the farm is your life and your life is the farm, so not many holidays!
Farming is an extremely challenging but important profession. Farmers, no matter where they are in the world, are responsible for feeding the human population (and sometimes the animal one too!) On a typical day a farmer can be an accountant, a biologist, a chemical scientist, an engineer, a climatologist and almost always a great problem solver! There is a lot more to farming than meets the eye...
A typical winters day on an arable farm:
8.00 tend to any livestock
9.00 reconstruct fencing around livestock areas
11.00 read up the latest paper work on red tractor compliance
12.00 LUNCH!
13.00 deliver hay and straw to local yards
15.00 complete the farm accounts
17.00 complete machinery repairs
18.00 muck out livestock and tend to them before dark
19.00 complete paper work for farm subsidies
20.00 time for tea
As you can see, winter for an arable farmer is the time to prepare for the coming spring and complete the years paper work. Every day is varied and can bring new challenges such as extreme weather, livestock escapes or computer troubles!
A typical arable harvest day in summer:
8.00 livestock checks
9.00 take samples of the crop and measure for humidity
9.30 prepare the machinery for the day
10.30 take secondary samples of the crop to see if harvesting can commence
11.00 prepare the combine and start harvesting the crop
12.00 bring out the bailer and straw equipment for the production and collection of straw bails
....continue until late, usually 23.00 or later...
Above all, a farmer is hard working, there is never a dull moment!
コメント