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 doesnโt always work out well! Animals do not know that holidays are special days, and they donโt obey the rules. Checking for sick animals during our hot Overberg summers is a must and itโs often a long tiring process to bring in a sick cow that has โredwaterโ, one of the common tickborne diseases. One canโt hurry the journey to the race, especially when itโs 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 itโs often at the weekend that the errant bull decides to literally โjumpโ 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 doesnโt stick to the rules! Water problems often occur at the weekend, and itโs 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.