Horsepower...

I've never been a huge fan of working with farm machinery. The fact that most of the equipment costs so much money scares me to the point I try at all costs to avoid using it in case I bump it or break it and they end up needing major repairs. However, the past two years I have had to put my big girl pants on and improve both my skills and knowledge for the machinery on my farm.

I was thrown in the deep end in the harvest season of 2022 and learnt a lot of skills I never thought I would need to. I was pretty stoked at the end of the season at how much I had achieved not realising that for the 2023 season I would be back to do it all over again. Driving around the last harvest field of the 2023 season in the early hours of the evening I felt extremely grateful for getting the opportunity to learn the new skills, but it also dawned on me the realisation of the confidence I had gained the past two years. I was trusted single handily to just get the job done and in all honesty it felt pretty good.

My grandfathers generation are lucky to have seen probably the most amount of changes within the agricultural industry any generation will probably ever see. From working with horses in his early years right through to the technical machinery the modern day farming contractors and businesses use. He was recently invited to be interviewed for an upcoming storytelling series about our local farming area and was a little nervous and unsure what to expect as he had never been filmed before therefore, he asked me to sit alongside him in case he needed a little extra support.

He was asked about his farming journey and how he came about living in the local rural community he now gets to call home. Before the interview we were asked as a family to try and provide old farming photos to help prompt him through the interview and filming process to help visualise the location and landscape he was farming within. Those who know me well, know how much I love looking back at the old family pictures we have as well as trying to continue documenting the farming story we are all living for those who may wish to see them in the future.

One of the pictures we shared is the one above of a pair of working horses on the farm. My grandfather is lucky to still remember working with horses when he left school at 15 years old to go farming. He explained how after the second world war, farmers were encouraged to produce more food for their country which meant better, quicker methods of planting and harvesting were required. With small tractors starting to appear on farms to help this process, the need for using horses started to decrease. He went on to explain how men from the collieries would also come out to help at harvest time and were happy to be thanked with a good plateful of food and home brewed cider. A real community spirit towards getting the harvest done.

One story in particular made us all chuckle. When the first tractor appeared on our family farm, my great grandfather took it out to one of the fields next to the woods. My great grandfather was from a generation who had only ever used horses, therefore when the tractor was getting closer and closer to the boundary, instead of putting his foot on the brakes which myself and my generation are so used to, he shouted at the tractor to whoa (stop) like he used to do with the horses. Obviously the tractor didn't stop so he shouted the command again. I'm sure you can work out how the tractor did eventually stop thanks to the boundary fence of the neighbouring woods. Grandfather bursts into laughter every time he tells it and I'm sure it's a story we will keep telling for years to come.

I mentioned in the interview how its always lovely to see my grandfathers generation get really excited when a team of horses are taking part in our local ploughing match. It's impressive for everyone to see but it made me realise at that point that it's probably more breath-taking for both my grandfather and his generation who attend the local show simply because they were the last generation to use them to manage the land, therefore having the treasured memories and stories of a time gone by. Grandfather was asked how he thought this change from horses to machinery impacted the industry? Has it? He thought about it for a while, but the answer he gave was so simple.

" You could talk to the horses throughout your working day. Talking to a tractor is not the same".

Grandfather went on to explain that every evening after a hard days work the horses would be fed and watered and then the next day they would go out to work alongside their owners all over again. Agriculture is a very isolated industry anyway, but talking to the horses was a very different feeling than sitting on a tractor on your own. Feeding and caring for them at the end of every working day meant that they worked hard for you in return. He cared for them and in return they cared for him.

I'm grateful to be part of a farming generation who are happy to share their farming experiences and stories just like the generations before me. We may no longer use horses, but I get to experience and witness a broad range of equipment of all shapes and sizes in order to get the work done. I recently got to have a go at driving a vehicle I will NEVER in my lifetime probably ever get to drive again as well as sitting alongside farm workers who drive theses machines day in day out. I question what direction the equipment will go towards next? Will horses ever have a place back working the land like before? Will us as human beings loose our role in farming the land? Will my generation see the amount of changes my grandfathers generation have done? All I know is that I am going to treasure these memories and experiences from my farming journey.

Horsepower. From four legs to four wheels. Where next?

Until next time

Hx