The farmer hopes his feed will not run out,
Or he’s in trouble, without a doubt.
Calving time, the start of new life,
Bad weather can make it full of strife.
Storms can keep the farmer up all night,
As he strives to make sure new calves are right.
Next thing you know, it’s crops to sow,
But the ground, it’s not ready, what a blow!
It’s either too wet, too dry or too cloddy,
The neighbour has theirs in, you feel like a noddy.
At last its ready, you call the contractor,
Whether he’s able to do it is another factor.
Sometimes you time it right and get it safely in,
But four inches of rain later you no longer grin.
Summer soon follows, here’s hoping for rain,
Or are we in for a drought, again?
Make hay while the sun shines is the saying,
But cut that hay, you’d better be praying.
Autumn is often the best season,
No calving, no mating, it’s time for reason.
Next thing you know winter can hit,
Frosts and cold fingers, storms like a fit.
Look out for pugged paddocks, or else
Come spring, you’ll be beside yourself.
Al Gore touches a sore spot,
His inconvenient truth is right on the dot.
The weather these days seems bent on extremes,
It’s either too wet or too dry, nothing in between.
As farmers, we must do our part,
To minimise global warming is a good start.
Recycle that plastic, don’t let it smoke,
Look after the environment, be a good bloke.
After all is said and done, farming’s a blast,
Great lifestyle for kids, but boy time goes fast!
Balance work with family is the aim,
If you can do that, it’s a great game.
Dairy farmer Phillip Wilson describes himself as a self-employed odd-job man. He attended Lincoln College and was a consulting officer for the Dairy Board for four years in the 1970s in Southland, Otago and Canterbury. He helped several North Island dairy farmers choose conversion farms in the south before going farming himself in 1979. In 1990 he survived the Taieri flood, with water in his house for six weeks afterwards.
