THE BACK PAGE
The life of a part-time farmer
Most of us smallholders who use our plots for “ agricultural ” activities do so “ on the side ” as it were . If we generate any profit at all from our properties it will probably be no more than a small part of our income , if it is profitable at all . Thus , at best , we can be called part-time farmers , and the reality is that we only get things right part of the time . It ' s not so bad if you keep animals . With the exception of those that require milking twice daily , the care and maintenance of most livestock boils down to feeding , cleaning out stables and letting the animals out into paddocks during the day and bringing them in at night . At a push , just about anybody can accomplish these relatively quick tasks before leaving for work or school , or later , upon one ' s return home . And if one is lucky enough to have a farm worker in one ' s employ , a little bit of training will mean that even these tasks can be handled by somebody else . This will mean that nothing more than a routine of daily inspection for health and welfare , and the occasional session of hoof trimming , deworming or inoculating should ensure a smooth-running enterprise . These activities can , and most often are , accomplished on Saturdays , when one has time after breakfast to ensure one has the necessary assistance , yet can still get to the local co-op or vet before they close for the necessary medicaments and equipment . But it ' s the other aspects of mini-farm life that can drive a cart and horses through one ' s plans ( mixed metaphor fully intended ). For if there ' s a pump to break , you can be sure it will do so 24 hours before your planned departure on holiday , or a week-long session of important meetings in the city . And , of course , stock thieves and petty burglars don ' t respect one ' s busy schedule when it comes to cutting fences and breaking doors and windows . These unfortunate incidents invariably occur at the most inconvenient time possible , usually when one is away and has a caretaker to look after one ' s place . ( This is also , of course , the time that one ' s pets will become sick and require a trip to the vet . Or worse , when beloved old animals decide to die ( which has happened to us not once , but twice , both times while our plot was being looked after , very kindly , by one of our adult children who not surprisingly as a result in no longer available to us as a caretaker .) But it ' s when one gets into seasonal farming activities that the pressure really mounts on a part-time farmer .
Here we are , in May ~ Autumn ~ after a wonderful summer season of plentiful rain and lush growth . We spent months planning our sowings , watering , weeding , trimming , fighting pests and disease and picking the crop . Now , however , our fruit has ripened and been harvested , and preserved for winter in one way or another , as have one ' s summer vegetables . A time of dormancy and rest awaits us as we head towards winter . Except it doesn ' t , because in two months ' time the grass in one ' s fields and on the verges around one ' s plot will have become a fire hazard . One carelessly discarded cigarette butt , a puff of wind and , hey presto , one faces losing everything to a runaway inferno . Thus , with the spectre of a catastrophe looming a few short weeks ahead , you work out what needs to be done . First , cut the grass . Then rake it into windrows . Then bale it ( if you ' re lucky you might be able to sell the bales you don ' t use yourself for a bit of pin-money ). Then you need to make firebreaks which , if you ' re burning them , requires planning for a calm , windless day and liaising with your neighbours . Then you need to brushcut the grass around your fences , and on your verges ( because the council probably won ' t ). So now the pressure is really on . After a wetter-than-usual summer our grass is higher than usual , so cutting this year is more important than in most years , even if your field is a jungle of weeds . And the cuttings must be removed from the field else they , too , are merely a fire hazard . But you can ' t rake , bale or stack wet grass , and what have we just enjoyed ? A wetter-than-usual summer , which has extended into a gratifyingly damp autumn , which is great for the garden , and keeps the lawn green for a few weeks longer , but is a pain in the proverbial when one is trying to fit haymaking into a life that includes work deadlines , month ends and school holidays . And so you figure and scheme and plan how to do it all , and at last the appointed Saturday arrives and you head off to hitch your slasher to your tractor . And ? The tractor won ' t start . Back to square one . Plot life ain ' t for sissies .
WRITTEN BY SMALLHOLDERS , FOR SMALLHOLDERS