Farming by the book
Posted 5 March 2006
Brian Barker's knees were feeling old and stiff. Running the farm was getting harder. His son helped. But like many a farmer's son he was off round the world with a backpack for company. Someone suggested to Brian that he could get some help from the students at the agricultural college. So it was that a young man arrived to gain some agricultural experience.
He carried a leather bound Book with "Roseworthy College Manual for Mixed Farming" embossed on the cover. He worked well, but was a bit studious. He would read the Book during lunch as Brian listened to the Country Hour. One day, as Brian cleared the table. he said "You do a lot of things different to the way the book says, Brian."
Brian thought about it as he put the last plate in the sink. "You have to run your farm in a way that suits your conditions. The soil is never quite the same as the next place. And the rain is always different."
The young man looked at his Book. "You think I should put this away then?" "No," said Brian. "If you don't know that book, you'll never know if you're doing the right things or just making a fool of yourself."
There really iis a farmer called Brian Barker, and he's a top bloke. I don't know if he ever had an ag. student, but then this little story is not about farming.
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