Sometimes you park the tractor at the gate. You know the pasture is wet, the road is rutted with standing water and the expected rain will only make it worse, so you plan ahead. That's all it is, planning ahead.
The trouble with parking a diesel tractor at the gate is that it is exposed to the weather. When the temperatures plunge, diesel gels and the tractor doesn't start, so you take steps to mitigate that issue. Again, you are planning ahead.
Fortunately, if it is so cold the tractor won't start, the ground should be frozen enough to drive on with the pickup -- unless it has snowed and drifted and you can't get through. The cattle still have to be fed. What is the contingency?
The cattle also must have water. Water tanks are great for keeping fresh water to the cattle, but they can freeze. Tank heaters can correct that problem, but what happens if there is no electricity? What do you do?
Winter is a time when thinking and planning ahead are critical for those in the livestock business. It is something our society is conditioned against. In a world of instant gratification where anything you might need or, desire, is delivered right to your door, the critical thinking skill of planning ahead for how to deal with various contingencies has faded to non-existent -- except among those charged with caring for livestock. Even then, most have learned through experience. They have dealt with the issues and found ways to overcome.
When most people were tied to agriculture -- even loosely -- critical thinking skills like planning ahead were much more common in the general population. The drift to urbanization threatens more than we realize.
No comments:
Post a Comment