Hit by a Farm, How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn is a wonderful book by Catherine Friend about her adventures with her partner to deal with being new sheep farmers. Although for one of them, this was what she always wanted to do, for the author it was an altogether new experience.
Preparation
Like us, attempts to educate themselves proceeded actually starting the farm. By taking a basic sheep raising class, they found out what was ahead of them. Just a few of the practical exercises included checking out a ram’s testicles and wrestling a standing ewe to her rump. As with most farm animals, having the ram secured beforehand made the job easier. For the ewe, at one point she got fed up and escaped through the author’s legs.
Farms = Work
This true story had me laughing from the beginning and recognizing that anyone with a farm can find themselves in a similar situation. The other point the book makes clear is that people on a farm need to be in agreement about who does what and how the work is shared. Any farm is going to require some effort, the bigger the farm the more effort involved.
Hit by a Farm Takes Off
These two started with goats, and when those survived, they got their sheep herd started. As if that wasn’t enough, they also got chickens. Life with animals has its ups and downs, they do well, they get sick, some recover, some die. You have to be ready to deal with these issues and confront what happens. You also have to learn how to control where your animals go, and handle butchering them when the time comes.
My Takeaway
I enjoyed reading this book. They certainly encountered problems. Amazingly, these new farmers persisted. Sure, they considered quitting. I doubt that anyone takes this path without having those thoughts. They worked out for them how to solve their problems, just like we are going to have to do. Finally, their persistence paid off!
