It’s been one whole year since I first had the opportunity to write down my thoughts every fortnight for the county to read.
It’s quite a daunting task at times to know that your opinion is being published to so many who specialise in your field and have been present in it a lot longer, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and how much it has pushed me to research, learn and look at many arguments from different angles.
This article is less of an opinion piece, instead it’s more a reflection. I was recently stood in the sheep pens during a busy day dipping sheep when I was discussing all the things we learn when you take on the role of a farmer.
Immediately I began listing off the obvious, such as you develop an incredible understanding for animal behaviour, you learn to feel the change in the weather before it happens and you find out about soil health, animal husbandry, growth rates, business, plumbing.
I mean the list is pretty much endless, let’s be honest.
I literally found myself reeling all these things off until suddenly I stopped. I paused.
Yes, we learn so many skills and our actual knowledge expands way past what anyone really gives us credit for at times, but what farming actually teaches you and prepares you for is so much more than that.
Farming prepares you for life in its fullness. It instils within you values that many others try so desperately to work towards their entire lives.
First and foremost it teaches you respect, not just for yourself or your fellow farmers but for everything that Mother Nature has created and throws at you, from the complex ecosystems to the pure beauty of the land.
You learn not just to respect life, but to also respect death and your role in making sure both are dignified.
I have to admit that prior to coming into farming, I would never even talk about death but I have learned to accept it rather than be afraid of it and to celebrate what that life brought rather than focus on the loss I feel.
We learn the importance of patience but also that of adaptability. Both play an incremental part in farming.
Our intuition becomes incredibly tuned to know when we should sit tight and weather the storm — almost trust the process — and when we should push for change and challenge ourselves to be better.
And that brings me to the last point in my reflection, that of humility. I believe that to truly learn we need to be humble enough to acknowledge that we don’t know it all and are not the finished article. Farming reminds us of this daily, as well as the need to truly value our heritage and the view and experiences of others.
This couldn’t be highlighted any more than right in the present as our industry pushes for a more sustainable, regenerative approach.
We need to accept there is far more to learn from how it was done in the past and we need to be humble enough to ensure that ambition for success is never allowed to become the main driving factor in life.
