farming knowledge gone.

Dry Rot · Jun 24, 2022

For those wanting a good read and to learn about the transition from horse transport to motorised transport, I can recommend 'The Wheelright's Shop" by Sturt. Fascinating stuff. Changes brought about by WWI.

THE WHEELWRIGHT'S SHOP by George Sturt "George Bourne": Very Good Illustrated Card Wrappers (1976) Reprint | beckfarmbooks

Reprint - Illustrated Card Wrappers - Cambridge University Press, Cambridge - 1976 - Condition: Very Good - None - 236pp.A good copy in slightly age related dusty wrappers. The label of a former owner to the front inside cover. The conrents are clean and oitherwise unmarked. An original NOT...

www.abebooks.co.uk

Highland Mule · Jun 24, 2022

neilo said:
You’d surely have it changed and on your way again long before they turned up?

Without a flashing light and a van parked behind (wheels turned to the side), I wouldn't consider getting down to the side of the car in a place like that. I left through the passenger side without my jacket and wasn't even prepared to go back and get it.

It's not the time that matters but the time at risk.

neilo · Jun 24, 2022

Highland Mule said:
Without a flashing light and a van parked behind (wheels turned to the side), I wouldn't consider getting down to the side of the car in a place like that. I left through the passenger side without my jacket and wasn't even prepared to go back and get it.

It's not the time that matters but the time at risk.

Well yes, but you advocate quad bike helmets too.

Ffermer Bach · Jun 24, 2022

M-J-G said:
Plenty of industries are the same, look at the difference between building a flat pack kit house compared to a real house.

Skills are being lost all the time in farming, I know folks who are so poorly skilled that they won't even ted or row up hay without auto steer

there was an argument that building trades didn't need to know all the old methods, as everything is now produced in a factory etc, then a few years ago there was a fire in Windsor Castle ~ and a shortage of skilled trades to repair it!

Humble Village Farmer · Jun 24, 2022

M-J-G said:
Plenty of industries are the same, look at the difference between building a flat pack kit house compared to a real house.

Skills are being lost all the time in farming, I know folks who are so poorly skilled that they won't even ted or row up hay without auto steer

You are right but only up to a point. Humans are superadaptable don't forget and quick to learn.

100 years ago, no-one knew how to fly a jet plane or work a computer.

Cowabunga · Jun 24, 2022

Humble Village Farmer said:
You are right but only up to a point. Humans are superadaptable don't forget and quick to learn.

100 years ago, no-one knew how to fly a jet plane or work a computer.

We can all do those but there’s nobody left to unblock the drains or build a brick wall, harvest crops manually or milk cows it seems.

Humble Village Farmer · Jun 24, 2022

Cowabunga said:
We can all do those but there’s nobody left to unblock the drains or build a brick wall, harvest crops manually or milk cows it seems.

I know, I can't forget how sought after jobs on farms were when I left college in the 80s. All I wanted to do was milk cows.

Bogweevil · Jun 24, 2022

FonterraFarmer said:
I normally drive 80's utes, no ABS, traction control, power steering, manual FWH's, wind up windows ,no A/C or cruise control or sauna, it's bloody brilliant!!!

So do I but I had a reversing camera fitted - I am so crap at reversing.

Red Fred · Jun 24, 2022

Bogweevil said:
So do I but I had a reversing camera fitted - I am so crap at reversing.

I took some weaner pigs to be sausaged the other day, and the old boy in front of me came over and asked if I could reverse his pick up and trailer into the unloading bay for him. "Ha, no problem" says I so I hop in and can't find the clutch pedal. I've never driven an automatic before and made a right hash of it . After about 20 goes, I managed it and he said he'd just hired it for the day and couldn't drive it either.

Dry Rot · Jun 24, 2022

What I find really sad is country people not knowing the names of common birds. But then I'm sad myself as I don't know the names of common flowers and weeds. I have girls helping with the ponies and it is "What bird is that? What bird did that feather come from?" from me. It would have been the same from my uncle on the family farm and I'm grateful for that.

som farmer · Jun 24, 2022

Highland Mule said:
Without a flashing light and a van parked behind (wheels turned to the side), I wouldn't consider getting down to the side of the car in a place like that. I left through the passenger side without my jacket and wasn't even prepared to go back and get it.

It's not the time that matters but the time at risk.

nearly got the sack, as a student, bringing a load of straw, down the A4? dual carriageway, trailer puncture, pulled of, unhitched, drove and got the spare, changed tyre, drove on to farm, Boss and manager went absolutely nuts over it. I should have driven back, found some help, and flags, before doing anything, personally couldn't see what the fuss was, trailer well off the road.

som farmer · Jun 24, 2022

Ffermer Bach said:
there was an argument that building trades didn't need to know all the old methods, as everything is now produced in a factory etc, then a few years ago there was a fire in Windsor Castle ~ and a shortage of skilled trades to repair it!

right bitch, of a cow, lived in the village, doing some barns up, for 'ultra delux offices', decent stone man doing the work, got to a 'difficult' bit, as being done to English Heritage standard, she said he wasn't 'qualified' to do that 'bit', 2 specialists duly arrived, got out their truck, said 'hello Graham' to the builder, she said, 'do you know him?', they said, 'yes, he taught us'.
Rumour has it, husband had to shell out £2 mil, to get rid of her, general consensus, cheap.
our digger driver trenched water and electric pipes in, the same ones, 6 times.

Highland Mule · Jun 24, 2022

som farmer said:
nearly got the sack, as a student, bringing a load of straw, down the A4? dual carriageway, trailer puncture, pulled of, unhitched, drove and got the spare, changed tyre, drove on to farm, Boss and manager went absolutely nuts over it. I should have driven back, found some help, and flags, before doing anything, personally couldn't see what the fuss was, trailer well off the road.

Big difference between a lay-by or side lane off an A road and a narrow hard shoulder on a motorway. When the lorries are passing at NSL and only 18” from your elbow, you don’t want to be there.

som farmer · Jun 24, 2022

verge was wide, well off the road, but very fast stretch, had to move cattle over it sometimes, we all got given 2 red flags, cars didn't take any notice at all, that was scary.
some sheep on dual carriage by us, 2 knocked over, police came, and we went to help. not our sheep, he put his lights flashing, in the middle of the 2 lanes, and nobody took any notice, l would never have believed it, but l saw it happen.

Highland Mule · Jun 24, 2022

som farmer said:
verge was wide, well off the road, but very fast stretch, had to move cattle over it sometimes, we all got given 2 red flags, cars didn't take any notice at all, that was scary.
some sheep on dual carriage by us, 2 knocked over, police came, and we went to help. not our sheep, he put his lights flashing, in the middle of the 2 lanes, and nobody took any notice, l would never have believed it, but l saw it happen.

Best is to get a friendly artic driver to stop in each lane. That was always my default - before I opened a gate.

M-J-G · Jun 24, 2022

Humble Village Farmer said:
You are right but only up to a point. Humans are superadaptable don't forget and quick to learn.

100 years ago, no-one knew how to fly a jet plane or work a computer.

Of course, nobody was born with these skills, but the numbers of teachers are disappearing fast, meaning that the learning part is becoming more difficult.

But as you suggest, not impossible.

Red Fred · Jun 24, 2022

Looking at some old local history books, the vicar in 1895 was complaining about the rapid decline in agriculture in the locality. As well as claiming that the best lads were emigrating to the colonies, leaving the idle and unambitious behind, he was also complaining about the enormous growth in dairying.
Because of the long lasting ag. recession, the local estates were throwing up small dairy units which could be rented out to take advantage of the new railway connections which allowed the rapid carriage of fresh milk to the expanding towns like Bournemouth and Southampton. To a lesser extent, they were creating small market gardens on the sandy soils and selling them to good lifers who couldn't afford decent land, and who tended to sell up once reality had set in.
The traditional mixed farmers (or so the vicar said) saw this as shameful profiteering and dairying was very much seen as "cashing in" and not proper farming at all. The general feeling was that knowledge and skill was being lost due to the modern greed and newfangled ideas.

kiwi pom · Jun 25, 2022

M-J-G said:
Of course, nobody was born with these skills, but the numbers of teachers are disappearing fast, meaning that the learning part is becoming more difficult.

But as you suggest, not impossible.

Just Google it or watch a YouTube video.
Got me past lots of problems

Derrick Hughes · Jun 25, 2022

FonterraFarmer said:
Some blokes couldn't even put the spare wheel on their own car ffs!!!

Modern cars don't have a spare wheel, so knowing how to put a spare wheel on is just taking up brain space ,

FonterraFarmer · Jun 25, 2022

Derrick Hughes said:
Modern cars don't have a spare wheel, so knowing how to put a spare wheel on is just taking up brain space ,

Reduced memory???

Think even after a crate of Waikato I could change a flat tyre!!!

farming knowledge gone.

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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