The Rural Voice, 1979-05, Page 21Saga of a farm wife in distress or
How to go crazy farming without trying
My Dear Husband:
You may be interested in knowing what
caused the blithering idiot who now stands
before you.
Since you left for convention on Sunday,
nothing has gone right.
Monday it stormed. The neighbour
helping had a terrible time getting here on
his tractor. The dairy phoned to say it
couldn't pick up milk. The truck couldn't
get through. The cow and two calves that
were sick when you left, are sicker. Nobody
couldask a vet to come out on a day like this.
The cow and calves will just have to hang in
there till tomorrow.
Tuesday dawns. The cow and calves are
still living. The vet has been called. As
long as I have to stick around the barn I
might as well clean the milkhouse. Do you
know that pipeline cleaning soap is really
very hard on hands? It tends to make them
raw and bleed a lot. The vet finally arrives
at 4 o'clock. All the old medication is out.
Now the cow and calves are on umpteen
million drugs. This calls for a pencil and
paper to write everything down.
The kids are home from school. Back in
to the house to get them supper. Back to
the barn to feed the cows. Half the corn is
fed. You know that bearing in the silo
unloader you said was touchy? I think it
just went. I guess it's double hay for the
rest of the stock tonight.
It's 7:30 p.m. Paul has just arrived to do
the milking. The pipeline won't start. We
have changed fuses and still nothing. Why
must there be so many little boxes with
fuses in them in this crazy pipeline?
Paul's father is here now. We're all
mystified. We've called the serviceman.
While throwing all the fuse boxes back
together, the whole system suddenly starts
to work. A call to the serviceman's home
tells me he is already on the road. There's
no way of calling him back. I'm going to the
house. Paul will just have to finish alone.
It's nine o'clock and the kids still aren't in
bed.
Wednesday. The cow and calves are
looking better - a good start to the day. The
port the Canadian Agricutlure Industry in a
manner that will guarentee its future
vitality. We will assist rural and urban
groups to find common ground so that they
may appreciate and assist each other to the
mutual benefit of each.
The Progressive Conservative Party
would press for reciprocity with our major
trading partners, particularly the U.S., in
tarriff levels for agriculture products.
Agriculture in Canada at the present time
receives slightly over one percent of the
National budget, yet when last years
announcement of cuts came from the Prime
Minister, the agriculture department was
hit with six percent of the cuts.
Until recently, there has been no fund
available from the Farm Credit Corporation
for at least seven months. Young farmers
who were verbally promised loans were
unable to secure them when the time came.
We would not allow these situations to
happen becaus e it disrupts the future
planning of many farmers future plans.
Also, we have been very concerned
about the lack of competent farm labour
and the increasing hardship in the plan-
ning and harvesting of many agricultural
products and we would encourage and
promote the entry of more people,
expecially the young, into agricultural
employment with a specific program in this
regard.
silo unloader still isn't working. I've done
the feeding. I guess I'll clean the outside of
the bulk tank.
While swiping merrily away with my
wash cloth, I manage to catch the over
centre clip on the spigot at the bottom of
the tank. The clamp, washer, metal spigot
and plastic screw on plug fly in four
different directions. Four days milk is now
gushing at full force through a two-inch
hole.
Frantically pawing through 38° milk and
screaming "Paul" at the top of my lungs, I
attempt to stem the tide. No Paul and still
the milk flows. Stuffing the rag in the hole,
I run to the silo room, scream "Paul" and
belt back to the tank.
By the time Paul gets to the milk room,
the language is definitely impolite and
unladylike. We stemmed the tide, but not
till 400 litres of milk have flowed down the
drain.
I rush to the house and shed coat, pants,
t -shirt and return to the barn to clean-up.
The vet returns and has the gall to ask
Custom built 5th wheel & ball type trailers' vacuum Hydraulic
Brakes. Livestock Trailers.
Replace your electric brakes with reliable
VACUUM HYDRAULIC BRAKES.
MacLellan
WELDING
Brucefield, Ont. NOM IJO
Bus. 482-7489 Res. 482-7444
THE RURAL VOICE/MAY 1979 PG 19