The Cows Don’t Know It’s Christmas Season
By John Parker One does not need to be reminded that Christmas is less than a week away. These next few days are probably busy…
By John Parker
One does not need to be reminded that Christmas is less than a week away. These next few days are probably busy ones no matter where one lives. It is particularly true on local farms where certain jobs have to be done regardless of the Christmas and New Years holidays.
While dairy farm families do make some adjustments to find time to be with family and friends, they still know that the cows must be milked two or three times a day and fed and cared for regardless of the day. The cows don’t recognize holidays and the farmers that care for them accept that fact. If they chose dairy farming as a business, they know the 365-day responsibility that goes with the cows and young stock.
Looking beyond the farm itself, there are related jobs that must be done every day of the year. Once the cows are milked, the milk is cooled, put into the bulk tank and transported to the processor. That means the milk hauler has to be at the farm on a regular basis to load the tanker with farm milk. While some farms are on every other day pickup, it still means the hauler has to be on the road every day picking up at scheduled farms. That is regardless of the day and the weather.
A processing plant may be operating on a limited basis on Christmas, but someone still has to be there to check each load and make sure it is pumped into the right storage tank.
When one thinks about it, there are a number of people that work on holidays to make sure people have essential services. Out there on the dairy farm, because cows need good care, there is extra responsibility. But everyone should be thankful and remember all those that continue to work day in and day out.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the real meaning back of the Christian religion. When studying the Bible and reading about the birth of Jesus, one finds an agricultural touch to that wonderful event.
For example, the book of Luke tells that Jesus’s mother Mary “brought forth her first born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” That indicates that Jesus was born in some kind of building or structure where animals were housed and cared for … quite a humble and agricultural background for His birth.
Looking a little further, one sees that an angel appeared to some country shepherds who were tending their flock of sheep and gave them the good news about the birth of Jesus. They immediately made the trip to Bethlehem to find and pay tribute to Jesus. It is of interest to note that the first people to learn about and spread the good news about this birth were involved in farming.
So, agriculture has played a part in everyones lives for centuries and still does. When we enjoy that Christmas dinner, be thankful for all those who provided it, including those in our own family and those we don’t know. Let us also remember those in the military far from home, who are fighting to preserve and protect our freedoms.
Parker is retired from The Ohio State University and is an independent agricultural writer.
