It's happened....I feel like a farmer....the amount of information that I have learned in the last 16 days is staggering. At this point my fellow student farmers and I have successfully completed 5 harvest days for 150 CSA members and 2 farmers' markets, cared for 17 sheep, 11 cows, 6 calves, milking goats that break out of the fence at least 3 times a day and 2 belgian horses that are the biggest creatures I have ever been close to. We have also learned to drive a 50 hp tractor, set up temporary sheep & cow paddocks with electric fencing, milk a cow and make butter & yogurt from the milk.
We are reading "The Contrary Farmer" as part of our assigned reading. At one point in the first part of the book he refers to everyone's notion that farming is "back-breaking work". He points out that most of the folks refering to how hard the work is physically are journalists and haven't ever actually held a shovel or hoe. I would tend to agree with him. Trust me, it's no more back-breaking than standing at a trade show in heels for 12 hours! The work is physical but we are learning to use our bodies to our advantage to complete our tasks. I go to bed tired every night and sleep like a baby....the best sleep I've had in my whole life I'd say. It's nice looking back over the day and feeling a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment for a hard day's work.
I think....that I'm gonna' like farming....by the way, the picture is of our Jersey milk cow, Pride. She's a beauty!
