Joys of Farm Life

Farmers at this time of the year are  looking forward to a period of  leisure. The life of a farmer gives them little time to admire the scenery, and now with the  Free Trade Agreement with China there is a great deal of uncertainty and worry on what the future will bring. In an article on the opinion page of the Catholic Times, a city dweller, who worked for a large construction company, some 12 years ago  returned to the farm and began raising grapes. He gives us his thoughts on country living.

The situation for farmers, he says, is  like the flame of a candle in the wind. With  free trade he sees everything in a fog and is uncomfortable. He wonders whether there is a future in farming?  Many feel the  greater wealth of the country will lead to the greater happiness of the populace, this he strongly believes is  false. This is a belief held by many in government, and yet we know that wealth does not determine the degree of happiness of the citizens.

The numbers of those retiring from work is increasing. He mentions a number of his old buddies who ask  about life on the farm. They are now white haired and have time on their hands.They are looking for ways to occupy themselves after the many years in the work force. They mention how infrequent are the visit of their children and would like to see a change  in the way we live. He compares life for some after retirement like the male bee, the drone, who is kicked out of the hive.

His son will  be in third year high school next year and he comes home every other week end. The father casually told his son that after graduation from high school  he could always work  on the farm. The son shook his head derisively to which the father told him  if you go to college and after graduation you can't find a job you can always come back to a big farm which I will buy for you. Now when he comes home he is more relaxed and magnanimous.

In the country along the road you see banners fluttering in the wind especially during the winter months they look out of place. You have them congratulating some recent son or daughter of the country who has just received their doctorate, passed a civil servant exam, or was hired by a big company. They make known to all, the family situation, and how  proud they are of their children. He would love to see banners flying in the wind  mentioning a son who has decided to return to the country to work on the  family farm,  or a son who has set up a cafe in the area and is asking for the people's patronage.

Life on the farm is busy and the future will not see any big changes but he finishes his article with the joy that comes with life on the farm. He would like to see the government make life on the farm easier, with less worry, but he also knows farmers  have a great deal of joy from the small things of life that are all around them, and hopes this will continue in the future.