The radio's crackling and blaring; calls for more help; fences cut; more cattle have been stolen. The farmers are out in force and some of them will be going right into Lesotho to track and round up cattle. This tracking can take days in the mountains and physical fitness is essential. Stock theft is an ongoing crime in the area and so almost every week there are incidents. Our airforce sit on the ground as there is no planning, fuel or support for the farmers. A new thing in our area is people coming up from the cities and slaughtering cattle on the roadside at night. They take the meat and abandon the rest of the carcases. It's a terrible thing for dairy farmers who nurture and love their animals. What madness is this?
City folks; there is no such thing as a "Rich Farmer Who Has Everything". The farmers are a hard working breed and so when you see them in their mercs or four-by-four's, remember the 24-7 time that is put in to their farms, the labour problems, the break downs, the costs, the late nights, the early mornings in the freezing cold and the work every day that goes into realising such pleasures. Life in the country is hard, but fun and challenging. Although I'm not a farmer I know the effort that goes into farming. I would not change my life living among the farmers for the world.
