18/05/2024
It’s so interesting to me that city folk just think the meat magically appears and will keep reappearing, yet they can have zero respect for what farming entails and what farmers go through and the day to day of keeping their animals safe and healthy. This right here is an example of what farmers go through. Having to take the head off their prized heifer for post mortem. Would love to see city folk attempt that 🙄.
Perfect "catalogue photo day" one day........
Post mortem (or necropsy) the next.
Literally, the next day.
Many interesting quotes have been heard on the farm over the last 48 hours.
Jumbled thoughts, ideas and guilts considered and mentally debated.
Philosophies have been silently created, all whilst trying to come to grips with this turn of events.
We'll get to them shortly.
I know many of you will have some great advice, but just for now, for the sake of all involved, we shall simply await lab results.
Rarely, with a single death, do I bother calling the vet for a post mortem. Often the reason of death is obvious, or, with no other animal showing symptoms, it can logically and intelligently be put down to- "if you've got livestock, you'll have dead stock.
When other sale heifers in the same mob are unwell though, call the vet.
Repeat. Call the vet, and get a post mortem done.
And as for those quotes, thoughts and philosophies? Let's consider a few.
The obvious one.
* "F**k" There is no other word more suitable regardless of the political correctness of the page, nor the acceptance of the readers. It is what it is, that word suits and it can be said through tears.
* $10,000 at least in animal losses, vet bills, sale substitutions- the details we will not as yet go into.
* Seeing your animals, that you are responsible for, suffering, is pretty hard to take. Take my word for it. The guilt, whether warranted or not, chews at your confidence, challenges your concept of competence..... and darkens your day... days.
* Am I, "Beaten but not broken", or "Broken but not beaten"?
* F**k- again.
* Vet. "If the next one dies tomorrow, whilst I'm away, can you take off her head, body bag it and put it in the freezer?" Vet was teary as she realized what she had just asked me to do.
* I'm teary as I contemplate and accept what needs to be done.
* Not everyone can be a livestock producer. It is way harder than Disney would have you think.
* In the big scheme of things, individual people are being confronted with life challenges that are way more serious than this story.
Wars, deaths, famine, illness......
I maintain, I live in a lucky country, but sometimes, life's sh*tty challenges, regardless of how they appear to others, are a bit hard to take.
We all have them.
Perhaps simply being a feeling, empathetic human is the biggest challenge we face?
