Ranchers

Karen has quite a good disscusion over at Big Sky Blog this morning on farmers. It is really a kind of ironic/funny discussion to me since yesterday I helped a neighbor ship and we got on a real similar disscusion.

It's amazing these rich people that come along and buy ranches and call themselves ranchers and have no concept what it means. They don't "neighbor" with the person next to them or even talk to them. They seem to be above that kind of thing. They don't want to see cattle on "their ranch" so when they are present there is no cattle around, but when they leave, the ranch manager brings cattle in to graze all the grass to reduce the fire danger. They don't want any "dangerous pesticides" around, so the ranch manger only allows them to be used when the "boss" is not present. They want to see wildlife when they are around, so the ranch manager baits them in so the "boss" can see them. Then if there is a government program that they can involve themselves in that provides them with income for doing nothing (conservation program) they are the first at the trough waiting to get fed. Then they call this, farming and ranching.

As Kalamity says, real farmers and ranchers work their land and are proud of what they do. They're not like the rich guy since they don't have an outside source of income to pay all those taxes, which are signifigant whether farm ground or grazing ground, so they have to work the land to hold the place together. Most do it willingly and lovingly getting manure and dirt in their hair and face because this is what they like to do, whether farm bred or city bred. Working all days of the year, including Thanksgiving and Christamas, is what they do and don't even give it a second thought. They don't sit around and say they "deserve a vacation," (one of the most detested phrases I hear people utter along with "I deserve a three day weekend because I work so hard") they get away when work conditions allow and even if it is only a couple of days, they call it a "vacation."

Farmers and ranchers work hard for a living, enjoy it, and would have it no other way. I guess thats why the rich and famous might want to emulate them.

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. Kahlil Gibran