Sometimes I wonder if I present too idyllic a view of life on a small ranch. It has its pluses for sure. There are moments when it is wonderful; but there is part of it, a routine part, that makes it hard.Farm or ranching life toughens a person, it has to if you want to stay with it. I know it has toughened me because I regularly live with life and death realities. All of us have death come into our lives but for most not nearly so often as for those who raise livestock. With ranching, it's a routine aspect that must be accepted or you have to get out of the business.
It's always a debate within myself whether to write about the tough side of this life because it seems there is so much pain in this world, why give someone else part of my own grief. But it's also not fair to present this as always a wonderful way to live. It can be, but like the rose, it has its thorn.
There are the unpredictable problems with say the coyote attacks. We lost three lambs this summer with one more wounded in the throat, who later died from infections that we didn't catch in time. That leaves a lot of guilt.
This was the gutsiest little ewe lamb, coal black, pretty little face. She was so determined to keep going; and it's part of why we missed her serious, life threatening problem. Sheep suffer quietly, and they keep going until they die. You really have to watch them carefully to catch problems, and we let her down. I know it's how it goes but it doesn't make it easier. Toughened-- yes. Tears-- yes.
But that's not the usual. There is something else that is. This is the purpose for which we have these cattle and sheep. Every time I open the gate to let them out into the larger pasture or am out among them, I look into their eyes and know that these young ones were born to be eaten. There is no amount of money that could compensate me for what that makes me feel like.
The compensation comes from knowing this is how life is. These animals are food for others. Their death sustains other life. Is that fair? Of course not. On the other hand, without that, they would not have lived at all. I console myself by knowing they have a good life until it's over. Some days it's not enough consolation.
I suspect it's easier for big ranchers of cattle or sheep because they are usually a bit more removed from their stock. I live with mine. They are right outside my door. I keep an eye on them all the time watching for problems (which obviously sometimes I miss) and checking how they and the grass are doing.
So it's getting to be the season when we will be butchering the first of the lambs born last spring. Yes, they will die a good death. It's not like commercially raised meat where they are treated often abominably. These are animals that are loved and coddled with good food and life as secure as it can be, right up until the hour they die. But they are born to die.
Sometimes I know why people become vegetarians, but I don't see myself able to give up cheese, eggs, fish, chicken, all meats. I know it can be done; but then I'd have to totally sell the livestock we have. It's not like anyone can afford this many cattle and sheep as pets. They may not make us a profit, but they don't cost us as much to feed as they would with no sales.
I suffer with the purpose of the young ones and try to console myself with knowing I then can give the old ones a good life and death when the time comes. It's not always enough.
14 comments:
It's one of the reasons I don't eat meat. I have often thought if I can't kill an animal myself (and I know I could not), I shouldn't eat it. I think if there is an ethical way to eat meat, you are doing it. Raising your own with care and love.
The problem a person has is when you look at the ethics of food, it's hard to not have a problem.
Dairies are the cruelest system there is for the cows who never get to raise their babies. Even if you avoid the big dairies, say goat cheese, the goats still have their babies taken away at birth to protect their udders and so that the producers get the milk.
Eggs, which I love, unless you buy them from local farmers, they are all raised badly and used. Raising your own eggs isn't easy either as I have done that. It requires good fences to keep out the predators, then the hens don't lay year round; so you have to face the downtime. They don't produce for their entire life and what do you do with the old ones who still eat? etc etc.
Vegetables don't require killing animals but they take up space. Things like soybeans may not be good for the ecosystem and on it goes.
I could kill the animals if I had to do it but it doesn't make it easier to do it. One thing that helps is to take the Native American attitude toward it. That you kill it and thank it for giving its life.
Sometimes I think the ones that the coyotes kill get the luckier ending. It's fast and they die where they were living; but if we let that go on, we'd go bankrupt with feeding the rest.
No matter how you look at it, humans, with their ability to look at many sides of something, have a tough go of it where animals seem to have it easier although who knows. They eat what they can find and don't worry what it does to anybody or thing. I think about it sometimes when I see flocks of especially the tiny birds and know every single day they have to find the food to eat for that day. They don't stockpile and if the bugs aren't there or whatever it is that they feed upon, they die. Simple at least.
Rain . . Have a cousin who lives on a small ranch. Raises kids and pigs. One of his porkers was named "Dinner". He disappeared at Easter time. So sad. The children just couldn't eat dinner.
I have no problem if people choose to be vegetarians. It is a choice, but please do not try to force me to be one.
I have helped slaughter and butcher chickens and rabbits and even deer. I would not care to do it for a living, but I still enjoy a good steak or a piece of bacon. I do not need to know exactly what happens at a slaughter house, just like I do not need to know every detail that the CIA is doing to keep our country safe.
Of course, ingineer, you might want to ask if torture did keep you safer even if you had no moral reason to behave ethically...
I am not just talking about during the Bush Administration Rain. I don't need to know what the CIA is doing right now, especially since we know they are doing nothing illegal since Obama took over. But I guess it does not matter that the Justice Department told them they were doing nothing illegal before and now seven previous CIA Directors have asked Obama to stop Eric Holder's witch hunt, but Obama has to pay back the far left with something since he is expanding the war in Afghanistan and in Africa.
What you said, ingineer, was you didn't care what they were doing to keep us safer. Who knows it did? And I have no reason to think Obama is not engaging in some of the same illegal actions. Once a people give up power, it's hard to get it back. I said that during the time of Bush and that you might not like giving it up so much when it's not your people in power. I don't like it either way. That ability to call anybody an enemy combatant and not have to prove it, that is what you gave up when you didn't care about Habeas Corpus. Now it might not be Bush calling the shots but the power is still there and I don't like it one bit, nor rendition, nor torture and I think no American should-- whether it keeps you safer or not-- and that is debatable. We should care what they do and be damned sure it's done legally and ethically and if we don't, we have the government we deserve.
I made a poor rancher's wife for the few months that we tried it for the reasons you cited. Plus, I didn't like being tied down. Animals have to be fed, watered and protected daily. I admire you and Paul for your dedication to your animals and for being pragmatic about why they are there in the first place.
Well Rain there have been no attacks on US soil since 9/11 while there have been attacks in other countries. So yes they did keep us safe. And I did not say that I did not care what they did. I said that I do not need to read about it in the New York Times the day after it happens. I am happy with Senate Oversight and reading about it in a history book 25 years later. As has been the case since the clandestine service really got going during WWII.
And Darlene you are totally correct. I lived on a dairy when I was young and the cows wait for nobody. My friends now that have orchards or grow rice have much more freedom to live their lives than ranchers with animals.
You do not remotely know that torture did anything to stop new attacks. First of all if you read my earlier blog, I made the case that Osamabin Laden achieved more than he ever hoped with one attack. We have bankrupted ourselves and tied up our military in a war that had nothing to do with the attack. Adding to it we then didn't finish the job in Afghanistan leaving them time to regroup and us to face a worse situation there.
On attacks on our soil, bin Laden himself hasn't appeared to plan attacks anywhere regularly and most of the supposed attacks that they stopped were phonies with people having no ability to really do anything. Attacking Fort Dix? give me a break.
According to what I read it's likely that other methods could have gotten more information fro prisoners and did if someone in the Bush White House didn't get off on the idea of torture.
When someone is tortured, they will tell you anything including making up things. There is absolutely no proof it did anything to protect us and may have made it much worse.
People like you who accept the word of the Cheney types, support what was a failed government in our own country. Why trust them with anything? My bet is you don't read anything that conflicts what you want to believe but there are plenty of opinions out there about the damage torture did. McCain's was one of them. It doesn't work like on TV.
I don't know how you do it, Rain. I don't think I could...I suppose it is some form of denial because I am not a Vegetarian, though I never eat anything but Chicken and Fish--still, they too were living creatures at one time...I'm just not sure I could raise animals andcare for them knowing they will be slaughtered. You are a strong woman Rain---and yet sensitive and very caring. Having this Ranch/Farm has it's wonderful compensations, I know, but this other side I'm afraid would do me in.
Plants have feelings too.
I never mentioned torture. I do not think we should torture people either. I never mentioned anything about the previous administration. I was speaking in general of this desire to put all the CIA secrets out in the open. And I do read and listen to opposing view points. I get my information from many different sources including the ones that you rely on for your information.
Thanks for sharing what it's like and how you are sometimes torn both when the animals are killed as prey and later when they are killed so we can eat. I would not be suited to do what you and Farm Boss do but I admire that you do it.
The issue of what the CIA is doing is whether it uses torture or more accurately whether it was ordered to use it by political powers. And it's good for everyone to get information from diverse sources because it's what I do also even when reading the articles on Drudge or NewsMax causes my blood pressure to rise. I did give up Breitbart and WorldNetDaily on a regular basis but still will sometimes read opinion pieces from there.
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