Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

It's Official - I'm Now a Farmer.

So I think its official – I’m a real farmer. Now there was no certificate or degree from Guelph. No big ceremony or letter stating I was now accepted to the farming profession. I’ve decided I’m a real farmer because of one innocent thought. People told me I would have these thoughts, they warned me to expect them. I always shrugged those naysayers off saying I would not be like other farmers. But then it happened, just like it was suppose to. We were baling hay late yesterday afternoon. The third cut crop had been sitting in the field for about a week trying to dry through showers and rain storms. We finally got a 3 day string of sun and took advantage of it. The big square baler quickly going up and down the rows followed shortly by my grandfather and I picking those bales up to take to the barn. One load turned into two; two to three; three to six; and we kept taking them off. Then it happened. I thought it was too bad we had such a good hay crop because it was proving difficult to get it all into the barn.

Why do we do that? Turn something that we hope and pray for into a negative? Jokes have been made about these thoughts, the ones where nothing can ever prove good enough for a farmer. Dennis Hull talks about the guy who complains that a good grain crop is tough on his machinery. I joke about the farmer I golfed with who got a hole in one and complained because he could have used the putting practice. It really is a funny phenomenon when you think about it, but I continue to be intrigued about it. I’m hoping we can have some fun with this. What positive thing have you turned to a 'too bad...?' Don't be shy, post a comment and let me know.

Views: 37

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Wayne Black on August 28, 2009 at 5:02am
Not everyone does it. I think it is all in your outlook on life. On the flip side we always try to see the good in a bad situation. Like the fella who was in a tractor accident. While in surgery they found a tumour that was never found before.
I have a theory that people who listen to country music generally are negative. (I have a tear in my beer...). While pop music is generally upbeat and positive (tonight is going to be a good night - Black Eyed Peas).
Comment by Andrew Campbell on August 27, 2009 at 4:32am
I think a lot of Canadians are like that - I just think farmers are better at it. Partly because of all the elements that are out of their control.

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Barn Hero Alma Valdez: From Power Washing to Managing Barns

The breathtaking views of Guanajuato, Mexico, weren’t easy to leave behind, but Ma Merced Yebra knew her children deserved better than what she could provide them there. Although her husband went to the U.S. often to find work, he never saved enough to help his family back in Mexico. One day she decided to take a chance on a new life in the U.S., leaving behind her roots and venturing into the unknown with her four young children. “We didn’t have a lot growing up,” says Alma Valdez, her youngest daughter. “We were very poor. We lived in a house made of cardboard and metal sheets. We struggled a lot. My mother’s decision to leave her home in Guanajuato to come to the U.S. changed my life completely.” This journey led them to DeKalb, Ill. At the age of 8, Valdez turned all her focus to learning English — fast. Unfortunately, very few teachers knew Spanish at the time, so it made it difficult for her to learn. “I guess that’s where I started learning to not give up, to always try to se

Veterinary diagnostic scientists develop rapid tool to detect swine disease

Endemic animal health threats such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) result in large losses of revenue to US producers every year and pose ongoing challenges to the biosecurity and bio-containment practices of the swine industry, according to a recent article from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Mitigating these impacts through rapid detection, response and recovery requires a robust and coordinated diagnostic infrastructure with active monitoring and surveillance systems. With a $1 million Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant from NIFA, Iowa State University scientists and their collaborators at South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota, Kansas State University, Ohio Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory, and Purdue University are leveraging the Swine Disease Reporting System (SDRS) to rapidly detect new strains of this PRRSV. They have launched a one-of-a-kind web-based tool called the SDRS BLAST To

Curating The Next Generation of Culinary Experts

On the east side of London’s diverse range of stores and restaurants, there’s a commercial kitchen providing a cultural experience difficult to replicate in this part of the province.  

U.S. South Identified as Highest Risk Region for North American Japanese Encephalitis Introduction

A Swine Health Information Center funded risk assessment has identified the U.S. south as the highest risk region for the potential introduction of Japanese encephalitis virus into North America.

Pork Producers Encouraged to Step Up Biosecurity as Spring Planting Activity Increases Potential for Movement of Viruses

The Director of Swine Health with Manitoba Pork suggests, as spring planting activity stirs up more dust increasing the potential for the movement of viruses, pork producers will need to pay particular attention to biosecurity.

© 2024   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service