God Speed the Plough

Greetings one and all, Dave here.

This week I thought I would share with you… a bit of farming talk!

This is one of the really busy times for Arable Farmers across the U.K. and most of the Northern Hemisphere. Harvest Time! It is the time when farmers can literally ‘reap what they have sown’, and this has been true since man first planted the first crops, the first seeds.
When people say ‘Oh farmers, they are always complaining about the weather’… just think… the whole harvest is largely weather dependent, from sowing right through to harvest.
So the Combine Harvesters are working day and night right now to
“bring the harvest home”.

This of course is closely followed by ploughing or cultivating to get the ground ready for next years crop… Yes it’s endless!
With the need for farmers to produce more and more, for less and less returns, many farmers will plough straight after the crop is harvested. It’s always a gamble whether or not to plough and sow in the Spring. Global warming (and climate change in general) has far reaching affects, as we all know.

So how does he know this you may ask?

Well all my family on my fathers side were farmers; my father, his two brothers and his sister. They were all Tennant Farmers, not wealthy landowners, but all reasonably successful in their own right.

Pictured above is my father (in about 1960) astride his brand new Massey Ferguson 35 Tractor. He and his two brothers were part of an advertising campaign for this new line of tractors… yes I believe they all bought one. There must have been some financial incentive!!

So as a young lad I would spend hours (if not days) following the plough, sometimes walking in the furrow behind the plough, just mesmerised by it all. The soil being turned over to reveal maybe earth worms or perhaps a shrew… and if you were lucky, a harvest mouse. Yes they are that small.

When I was big enough to reach the pedals on the tractor, I was then set to plough my own furrow! (That’s a whole other story!!!)

Oh how times have changed.

God speed the plough” was originally a phrase in a 15th-century song sung by Ploughmen.

So at this time of the year I often think about the Ploughmen of old, who would have walk ten miles behind a horse drawn plough, just to plough one acre.

Recently I dug out this old Mug. It has been around as long as I can remember and it reminds me that whilst farming has become (by necessity) more of a business nowadays, the roots are still there. It is a way of life.

“Let the wealthy and great, roll in splendor and state
I envy them not, I declare it.
I eat my own lamb
chickens and ham,
I shear my own fleece
And I wear it.
I Have lawns, I have bowers,
I have fruits, I have flowers,
The lark is my morning alarmer.
So jolly boys now,
Here’s God Speed the Plough,
Long life and success to the farmer”

Some traditions have been retained to celebrate harvest, in Churches of many faiths. Harvest festivals and the like. Also the ploughing matches, which would have been held all over the country next month.
Sadly they are mostly this year cancelled due to ‘the virus’.
But remember, there is no ‘furlough’ for the farmer!

So spare a thought the next time you are stuck behind a tractor on the road… They might just be bringing in the wheat.

“It’s man versus weather, yes the days are long
When you say harvest home,
Our work’s still not done” (DJR. – MMXX)

Stay Happy, Stay safe… Dave x

18 thoughts on “God Speed the Plough

  • 5th August 2020 at 11:21 am
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    We can hear the harvesters behind the bungalows opposite. Hope it stays fine for them. Thank you for making us think about them. X

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  • 5th August 2020 at 11:25 am
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    My grandfather was a champion ploughman – I have some of his medals – only some as my father’s elder brother grabbed most of those in gold!

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  • 5th August 2020 at 12:12 pm
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    Wise and happy words Dave, but I fear many take the farmer’s lot and our food supplies for granted. With what may be coming down the road in terms of climate change and trade deals we need to support our farmers and fishermen as much as possible, as well as a cheery smile and wave whenever we see them toiling away! God speed the plough, indeed! Stay happy, stay safe Dave.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 12:55 pm
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    Gone are the days when all fresh fruit and veg came from Grandad’s garden and greenhouse. We must be grateful to our farmers who work so hard at all hours in all weathers. Without them where would we be. Does us good to be reminded how lucky we are these days.
    Love hearing your stories Dave, it lightens the day.
    Stay well, stay safe.
    🍒🍒

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  • 5th August 2020 at 1:19 pm
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    Thank you Dave for reminding us about the lot of the Farmer and how much we take for granted. God speed the plough always. Keep safe

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  • 5th August 2020 at 2:30 pm
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    We need to build up British farming again. Far too little of our food is produced here. I always thought of farmers when clapping for keyworkers as no one could work or be shielded without them. May the harvest be good, safe and speedy.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 2:47 pm
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    I have total respect for farmers. Where would we be without them!!! I hope your foot is better.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 4:22 pm
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    We certainly need to support and respect our hard-working farmers for everything they do.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 5:49 pm
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    What a great keepsake and insight into the farming world.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 6:12 pm
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    There’s next to no arable farming up here for some reason. It’s mainly sheep and cattle but we do have tractors around. You’re very like you dad. That’s quite a tradition you come from. My mum’s dad was a shepherd and several generations before him but that line ended with him just before I was born. Nice to look back though. Enjoyed your blog. Stay safe. Hx

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  • 5th August 2020 at 7:16 pm
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    I am lucky enough to live very close to several farms and a lot of our produce comes from local farm shops especially at this time of your. At the beginning of the week we could smell the familiar ‘Plasticine’ smell of muck-spreading, so i’m guessing local farmers have got in the harvest already, and are preparing the fields for the new crops. I haven’t been out so haven’t see what is going on this year -but I can smell it!! I love the smell too. LOL

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  • 5th August 2020 at 7:37 pm
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    Very interesting Dave and thought provoking. As a child we often had holidays camping on a farm, I can remember putting the tops on the milk, and staking the hay like little wigwams.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 9:09 pm
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    Living in Cornwall we are always appreciative of the farming life and I try to buy our local produce, it tastes so much better. As the wife of a fisherman and the mother of two more l’d like to give a shout out for our fishing community. It’s a hard life with long hours and out there in all weather but it’s a bit like farming and it’s in the blood. My husband and boys wouldn’t want to do anything else.

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    • 6th August 2020 at 7:44 am
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      Thank you Mary… I agree with you wholeheartedly . I have huge respect for the Fishermen .
      A big shout out for the Fishing and Farming Community ….we are after all, ‘all in the same boat’ .
      Sorry about that ! Buy local if you can. Dave.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 10:39 pm
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    Here in the US, much of our food comes from giant factory farms. It’s frequently tasteless, especially fruit which is picked long before it’s ripe as it travels better. I love this time of year when I can purchase from my local garden center. It’s more expensive, but it’s worth it.

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  • 5th August 2020 at 11:30 pm
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    That was a lovely story of a different world. I was hoping to have got to stay with my daughter while she was in Lorton , Cumbria. They will be busy in that part of the country, although they may be a bit later up there to Kent. That was a very special mug you have. Thank you for your blog

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  • 6th August 2020 at 7:16 am
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    My 25 year old nephew is a young farmer and, at this time of year, works about 18 hours a day in his tractor. Farmers have my total respect. Thanks Dave, your blogs are always interesting and thought provoking.

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  • 6th August 2020 at 11:29 am
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    My Dad was a farm foreman on a mainly arable farm. It was a hard life……winter was dreadful cold (Dad wore as many clothes as he could and was still frozen when he came home) and summer meant 7.30 a.m. starts and 10.00 p.m. finishes with no proper breaks (I took lots of meals along to him at work as he couldn’t stop – it was harvest time) – and 7 days a week in summer! Most people wouldn’t put up with those hours now.

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