The Ups and Downs of Farming

Twins born in freezing rain. The mother left one and went to the other side of the field.

Farming is not always the happy-go-lucky occupation it is portrayed as. It has its ups and downs just like anything else. That is not to say it is unrewarding or unfulfilling. It is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I can think of doing on this great earth God gave us. I could think of nothing else I would rather be doing, but with the happiness also comes sadness at times.

People like PETA and HSUS like to portray us farmers as being cruel to animals, when they do not understand what we do to care for our animals. They have not ventured into the driving snow to find a ewe who is bawling for a lamb that was born dead. They cry foul because we "let" the lamb be born dead then leave us to nurture the ewe, to provide it a warm bed, plenty of food, and all the clean water it can drink. They have never witnessed a cow who has twins and refuses to let one suck. That leaves the farmer to venture out into the rain, to the bottom of hollers to drag that calf back from the brink of death. They have never spent hours fighting with an orphaned calf trying to get  it to take a bottle. They have never seen the destruction domestic dogs can cause to a herd of lambs, leaving us to spend hours cleaning the wounds and doctoring the lambs. They have never tried to will life back into a dying animal. They have never had to make the decision to end the suffering.

I would love to paint this beautiful picture of agriculture being perfect and no bad ever happening, but that would be wrong. People wonder why we use the medicines we do in agriculture, and the reason we use them is from past experience. People cry that we abuse our animals with medicine, but they have never seen the destruction that comes with prolapses, infections, and birthing problems. They have never been the ones standing behind a cow with your arm inside her trying to save a cal- or worse yet trying to get a dead calf out to save a mother. They don't witness the bloat and malnourishment that comes from an animal infected with worms. They have never seen pigs rubbing themselves raw trying to stop the lice from itching. They have never seen the pain caused by a heifer that was accidentally bred to early. They have never seen the hoof problems that leave an animal walking on its knees. We farmers despise seeing an animal suffer. We go to the ends of the earth to stop the suffering. That is why we have and use the medicines we do.

Some may say that stuff only happens to bad farmers, or farmers in other countries. They might say it doesn't happen that often. The worst is to say the farmer is the one who caused it. None of this is true. The stories above are all true. I am only twenty years old and I have already experienced all of them. What hurts the worst is knowing that despite my best efforts, despite trying and doing everything that I can, something will happen in the future. But I know that I, the Farmer, will be there not to hurt but to help that animal when it does.

With the sadness comes happiness though. That is what a farmer lives for. That moment, when after hours of fighting, you deliver the calf: the cow heaves a sigh of relief, the calf sucks and you know everything is right with the world. The moment when you get that ewe whose lamb was born dead back to the warm barn and she meets with the herd and finds enough comfort to stop crying for her lost baby. The relief of washing away the blood and gore of a dog attack and seeing the lambs recover to live a healthy life. There is the moment when a set of twins both suck, or when the orphan calf finally takes a bottle. There is a satisfaction that comes with being a caretaker. It's that moment you take at the end of the day, the nod of the hat, the ray of sun beaming across the land, the squeak of a rocker on the porch, the moment when you know your place in the world, and know that humanity is still there.

Christmas Morning Lamb