Fergus MacGregor: Faith sustains farmers in difficult times
Fergus MacGregor © Supplied by Fergus MacGregor I hosted a group of farmers for a farm walk recently.
As we all know, farms don’t look their best at this time of year. My guests politely commented on my organic wheat and my now rather drab cover crops, but we quickly ran out of talking points.
It was a pleasant surprise when our conversation turned towards faith and how we, as farmers, must have some.
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When crops are planted, we have no idea what the growing conditions will be like, nor the price once it’s harvested – or indeed what our current beloved (cough) government will do.
Yet, we all carry on in the hope that this year we’ll get bigger yields, higher prices and a sympathetic Defra minister. In doing so, we build perseverance, character, and faith to carry on.
I do not envy those who have had continuous rain for what seems like decades, but I bet they will faithfully head out into the fields when the time comes.
Is that not the essence of faith – that willingness against all odds to dare to believe you can see success when the odds are stacked against you?
At a certain point, after all the hard work, we must stand on our faith to see a harvest.
What we put our faith in is the hard decision, as the weather, government and prices all seem to be increasingly unpredictable.
It seems to me that placing it in something greater may be the answer. A divine power is at least consistent and, by the nature of belief, brings a sense of hope.
As we got back to the farmyard, I felt relieved and somewhat revived.
Often I find it hard to think about anything other than farming, so to dwell on the divine – if only for a walk – was interesting.
Doing so gave all of us perspective and I believe a greater sense of hope for the future.
So I commend you all as we head into this spring to keep your faith up and your eyes on the sky. You never know, a miracle might happen.