Make time to explain fully

[MRT]

Had a friend of my sons here today helping weigh the lambs. Started explaining small things and he got really interested. Growth rates, EBVs, on farm selection, IgA, fly strike, tail length, birth coats, skin thickness, culling policies, forage only vs cereals and forage quality - we talked about all sorts of stuff. I think as an industry we need to take the time to explain things fully when someone has the interest and capacity to listen. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm and interest from a non-farm child.

 

[ollie989898]

Had a friend of my sons here today helping weigh the lambs. Started explaining small things and he got really interested. Growth rates, EBVs, on farm selection, IgA, fly strike, tail length, birth coats, skin thickness, culling policies, forage only vs cereals and forage quality - we talked about all sorts of stuff. I think as an industry we need to take the time to explain things fully when someone has the interest and capacity to listen. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm and interest from a non-farm child.

Not just children- adults also.

 

[chipchap]

There was a time when I used to be like that, once.

 

[MRT]

There was a time when I used to be like that, once.

Miserable people slowly knock the enthusiasm out of you!

 

[tetein]

Of course you must have a lot of patience and explain the things slowly. You might wake up the passion in the people.

 

[BAF]

There was a time when I used to be like that, once.

Trouble with working/dealing with other people is they can suck the life out of you eventually! Something you used to love you can grow to hate!
I worked in racing since I was 14/15 keen as mustard every minute of free time. Trained race horses, had my own business etc. Ended up at covid being laid off from where I was riding out because I was "too expensive to keep on whilst there's no racing". Found some work closer to home and the resentment built and built. Finished there about 18 months ago. I'd done nearly 20 years in racing/horses and by the end of that I hated horses, I hated the people involved so much so I couldn't even bring myself to sleep through the racing on a Saturday afternoon.
Fortunately had a bit of GFW on the afternoons to tide me over.

Went away from horses completely. Took a new job on completely unrelated to horses and after 3/4 months I detested it. I've stuck at it because the money is good and the work is generally very easy! The people are nice to work for but the job sucks monkey dick! And I hate every second I'm there.
A week last friday, on the off chance, I phoned someone I know who works in racing but on the education side. I've had dealings with them for getting on 10 years now. I told her the situation and she said leave it with her. Phoned me back the following Monday having spoken to the big boss and they've created me a job!
I've got to jump through a few hoops and do some training first that they're going to pay for but hopefully in the new year I'll be in a new job back in racing doing something I'm bloody good at. It's like someone has lit a fire in me again. I've got big plans and if things go according to plan I may even be able to train a couple of pointers again (hopefully paying guests) as well as do the job.
Sometimes you've just got to f**k the right people off away from you to see the wood for the trees!

 

[Dry Rot]

I think it is important to teach kids to question and doubt. I got my leg pulled a lot when I was young, mostly by farming uncles, when my father was away at war. That taught me the annoying habit of questioning everything and which I still do and is fatal to bullshitters and liars who are quickly caught out and prefer that you didn't.

For example, a girl friend brought her daughter and friend over to see the foals. One asked if my bitch had had pups. I said I wasn't sure her eggs had hatched yet. Yes, there were broken egg shells in the kennel (surplus eggs go to the bitches in whelp) so they must have, but we had better not disturb her as the pups would be very young. I could see the girls, both about 10 - 12 years old, were perplexed at that and thinking hard, trying to work it out.

Then we moved on to the free range hens. Could they give me a hand collecting eggs from 'wild' nests that were sometimes hidden in the under growth? Of course, they jumped at that! But that wasn't straight forward either. About 10% of the eggs were Cadbury Cream eggs. The girls were delighted...while I moaned what a nuisance it was as they melted in the pan. We went though a list of probable causes. Diet too rich? Chocolate in the diet? They left pondering the problem after giving me strict orders to keep back the chocolate eggs, as they had a method for disposal....

I don't suppose they will go into adulthood wondering about dogs that lay eggs or hens that lay chocolate eggs, but is it healthy for them to accept the nonsense we adults spoon feed them (like Fr Christmas) without question when they are at the age when they ought to be able to work things out for themselves? I'd suggest there are enough adults around who haven't matured enough yet without keeping more. All the things we do because that's what we've been taught. Maybe there is a better way? Maybe time for a bit of nonsense and eccentricity? I often wonder what they thought of the first guy who invented the wheel? "Stupid beggar, that'll never work"!

 

[Tamar]

Don't need to just educate chilldren, I suggest we start with DEFRA ........ then the clowns at RT !

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Had a friend of my sons here today helping weigh the lambs. Started explaining small things and he got really interested. Growth rates, EBVs, on farm selection, IgA, fly strike, tail length, birth coats, skin thickness, culling policies, forage only vs cereals and forage quality - we talked about all sorts of stuff. I think as an industry we need to take the time to explain things fully when someone has the interest and capacity to listen. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm and interest from a non-farm child.

what is IgA?

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Of course you must have a lot of patience and explain the things slowly. You might wake up the passion in the people.

before lock down, we went camping to Snowdon, and camped on the National Trust farm that owns part of it. I saw the farm manager working in the farm yard so walked over to have a chat as I was interested in hearing about the farm (many years ago I had seen the farm on Cefn Gwlad with Dai Llanilar). The manager said of all the reams of campers or walkers going through the farm, virtually none were interested in hearing about what was going on. I was really surprised to hear that.

 

[ollie989898]

I can't emphasise the importance of communicating with the public, ramblers, walkers, local nut jobs or whoever more thoroughly at every opportunity you have. Let me give you a recent example of why you need to do this.

At the start of term I sat in a lecture from a senior doctor who is involved in some fairly high level medical research. At one stage I could scarcely believe my ears when he fell into and repeated the commonly perceived myth regarding how livestock are 'routinely dosed with antibiotics and this was going to foster resistance etc etc etc'. I wasn't brave enough to tell the wife what I had heard.

I also still hear the common refrain about farmers cutting hedges 'earlier and earlier', not allowing trees to grow and all the usual nonsense about hedges being ripped out and the like. There is also still a lot of bizarre beliefs regarding how agrochemicals are used and why. These myths are still very much in the public belief and only you guys can really combat this.

I did have a laugh though more recently when a consultant asked what I did in my previous life. He was most put out when I explained that I was basically a farmer. He was not impressed at all by this. However, he did change his tune radically about 180 degrees moments later when the conversation continued and he realised I meant farmer as in 'agriculture' and not pharmer which is apparently a much less wholesome profession to be associated with.

 

[MRT]

what is IgA?

Antibody produced in response to worm challenge

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Antibody produced in response to worm challenge

so would that be similar to a blood test for fluke infection? I was talking to Robert about that the other day, and he said he would recommend a faecal egg count for fluke rather than a blood test by the way.

 

[MRT]

so would that be similar to a blood test for fluke infection? I was talking to Robert about that the other day, and he said he would recommend a faecal egg count for fluke rather than a blood test by the way.

Similar, chronic fluke leads to low blood albumin high globulin, this more measures how hard the body fights the worm challenge than measures the challenge itself

 

[pdagriservices]

Things been explained fully in agriculture!!?? I ve been doing it for three decades and have never had anything explained to me zero info and just got shouted at until you got it right! Is an industry that everyone is meant to be physcic.