Fridays are special days anywhere, the thought of some rest over the weekend, an adventure or just a chance to do something out of the norm. Farming is no different, many a Friday has arrived and there is a sense of a busy week completed, where goals were reached, and tasks completed.
However, it doesn’t always work out well! Animals do not know that holidays are special days, and they don’t obey the rules. Checking for sick animals during our hot Overberg summers is a must and it’s often a long tiring process to bring in a sick cow that has “redwater”, one of the common tickborne diseases. One can’t hurry the journey to the race, especially when it’s on the other side of the farm. Here the medication can be administered, and the patient left to recuperate.
Fences are another thing that I could write a book about, and it’s often at the weekend that the errant bull decides to literally “jump” the fence, but in the process, destroys it as well. Good fencers are a necessity on a farm and very hard to find, so the farmer often finds himself doing some repair work, to keep the rest of the herd in the pasture.
Water is another thing that doesn’t stick to the rules! Water problems often occur at the weekend, and it’s not fun in the blistering heat to be trying to sort out where and what the issue is. Oh, for the joy of suburbia at times, but no, we still choose the farm life and all its foibles! So, while relaxing in one of our luxury houses give a thought to the farmer, his wife and his workers who often spend more weekends working than relaxing.
In fact, think of farmers globally who are facing more and more challenges daily.