All the new things to learn tax your brain
Like what to do in which season
And how important it is to get rain.
There’s talk of pasture improvement
What the hell can a D.S.E. be?
What’s the difference in ryegrass and clover?
It all looks like grass to me.
It’s all in your corner assembly!
Or at least that’s the talk going round
As to whether your fence will stand up,
Fall over, or pull from the ground.
Cutting hay, now that sounds simple
But doing it right, that’s the knack,
Too dry, the sheep just won’t eat it
Too wet, it’ll burn down the stack.
The habits of sheep are a mystery
Experience helps, well that’s nice!
But how can one learn in a hurry
About footrot, flystrike and lice?
Along comes a bloke called a shearer
You’re the rousy, well more like a fool!
You will find in a couple of hours
You’re knee deep and losing your cool.
Throw the fleece on the wool sorting table
That doesn’t sound like too much,
You now need to know about classing,
And sorting and pressing and such.
At last the bales are all stenciled
All lined up and ready for sale,
Send it off and pray for good prices,
When the wool cheque comes in the mail.
That this,or that’s proved it’s worth,
But nobody’s mentioned the good fun
About who helps with the difficult birth.
You can bet, no matter the season
When the lambs start to cover the ground
That it will be cold, wet and windy
And not a warm spot to be found.
In winter the water pipes freeze up,
In summer the hot north winds blow,
Just smile and take it all calmly
“It happens each year don’t you know?”
And even though you’re a greenhorn
It really isn’t your fault,
The mice have got into the haystack,
And the chooks have decided to moult.
But things would be worse in the city
Where you work for a boss nine to five,
The hours here are much longer
But it’s a pleasure to be alive.
Peter Holt
* D.S.E. stands for dry sheep equivalent, and we’re still not too clear on that!
What happens if it’s raining?
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