Farm24

For anybody who doesn’t know me, I am a major farm fanatic! I just love the fresh air, the beautiful countryside views, the sun on my face, I even love the smells! But farming is certainly no bed of roses: it is tough manual labour that does not stop for bad weather, ill health, or fatigue, and certainly does not allow a day off. Despite the long hours put in, the job comes with very little financial gain or appreciation, which is where Morrisons’ #Farm 24 comes in. I have been pretty excited about this for ages now, and just could not resist doing my bit to help fill social media sites with insights into the hectic lives of the people working so hard to put food on the nation’s table. And so I bring to you…

6 Reasons We Should Tip Our Hats to British Farmers

1. They Re-define ‘Working Hard’

Farming is not your standard 9-5 office job: it is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 (and a quarter!) days a year. It does not matter if its Christmas day, your daughter’s wedding, or the day you have the worst bout of flu you’ve ever experienced, farming never stops and nor do our farmers!

2. The Farm Always Comes First

As I said, farming doesn’t stop for anything, and so many farmers give up so much to look after their farm and their animals: they might have to miss weddings, birthdays, appointments, all to keep producing food for our tables.

3. They are Scientists

No, you don’t have to have a degree to be a farmer, but farmers are one of the most intelligent group of people I have ever come across! They know so so much about so many topics from grass growth, to parasite life cycles, to animal physiology. In short, if someone says they are ‘a farmer’, correct this in the back of your mind to ‘biology expert’.

4. They have an Amazing memory

Sure, if you’re a vet student on EMS, farmers will forget your name, etc etc, but ask them when cow number 132 calved and he can tell you the date, time, medical history, and how much milk they gave that morning!

5. They are the Ultimate Multi-tasker

Farmers have a million and one things on their mind at any one time: have I got someone to milk tomorrow morning, do I need to cut that field of grass, does that fence need replacing, do those sheep need moving to a new field, have I got enough feed for the winter… Honestly, I just don’t know how they do it! It’s incredible!

6. They still find time to Teach the Tricks of their Trade

Finally, certainly the farmers I have come across, are super enthusiastic about teaching people about their work and always find time to give really detailed answers to any questions a pesky vet student may have. I have found this amazingly helpful and have gathered far more information through talking to farmers than any textbook can offer!

And there are so many more reasons our farmers deserve our respect! Have a look at the Farmer’s Guardian, Farmer’s Weekly and UK Farming Facebook pages for more #Farm24 stories and photos!