[getsmart-l] National Farmers Union Ontario Commentary There is always a Seagull, but there is much more too

[John O'Gorman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: National Farmers Union-Ontario Commentary 
To: National Farmers Union- Ontario Commentary 
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 9:20 AM
Subject: National Farmers Union Ontario Commentary There is always a Seagull, but there is much more too


There's always a Seagull, but there is much more too.

A commentary by the National Farmers Union-Ontario

By Grant Robertson

 

Even though it was not the original plan, I found myself spending Mother's Day not with my mother, or the mother of my children, but instead I was in the field planting until well after dark. Through a combination of soil type, field location, rain and bad timing our crop needed to get into the ground.  At this time of year planting takes over all.

 

 Like a lot of other people I find the hours driving the tractor up and back a time that generates a lot of thought.  These thoughts are not always great ones in the light of day.  You would be amazed at how many problems have been solved on tractors, only to be forgotten the moment your boots hit the ground. 

 

Amongst all the things we try to honour on Mother's Day, at its most simple, we celebrate the gift of life we receive from our mothers.  What truly makes a mother, or a father for that matter, is the broader life they give us.  Not just the spark of life.  It is all the rest of the things we are given that create our lives.  Chief amongst these gifts that allow us to continue living every day is food.  Food and eating play a central role in a family.  Whether it is sitting down to a meal prepared with love and care, or learning about the preparation of food and grandma's secret ingredient, food and its sharing is so central to the daily life of a family that we take it totally for granted.

 

Despite the risks, despite the need to work off the farm to make ends meet, farmers all over the country continue to honour Mother Earth, by growing food for so many others.  Their contributions, like so much of what mothers do goes unheralded.

 

As the day wore on and became a very dark night I was able to look across the farm to the lights coming from our house.  For those who live in town and have never been able to experience this sensation it is one of peace, at least for me.  Seeing our home and place of shelter, the place my wife has become the Mother in residence, floating in a sea of darkness, it reminded me that despite all the problems in the world, and all the concerns for the future of family farmers, and all the worries around what is happening to our food system- life is pretty good here in Canada.  Certainly we have problems, but the family we all belong to as Canadians is a fortunate one, nurtured by the gift of nature we have inherited.  

 

One thing about aging is that I can no longer work as long through the night as I once could.  As I laid down to rest for a few short hours I went to bed feeling pretty good, happy and content, if tired.   

 

Just to prove though that Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humour, I started out early the next morning on our non-cab tractor.  As the sun came up the seagulls joined me.  Within seconds, despite the fact that I was covered by coat, hat and little skin was shown, a seagull managed to place a huge 'gift' right smack on the top of my hand.  Yep there are lots of problems, and sooner or later you will get a good dollop of crap raining down, but the point of fighting for these issues, like a food system that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, is so we can all enjoy it and pass it on to future generations.  There are plenty of seagulls out there, but we should heed the lessons of our mothers -  that family, food and laughter are important values and that is what it is all about.

Grant Robertson is a senior official with the National Farmers Union-Ontario and a National Board Member of the NFU. Grant and his family farm near Paisley, Ontario.  The author can be contacted at grant at bmts.com

If you have been forwarded this commentary and would like to be added to the distribution list please send an email to grant at bmts.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. 

 

 

 
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