Weekends and Farming

Many people visit farms on weekends. Farmers' weeks have no end.

Ah, the weekend…. A time for rest (often more exhausting than work), reflection, visiting with family, or traveling about.

Or not. 

For most farmers, there is really no such thing as a weekend. In fact, most cultures throughout history were tied much more closely to agriculture, and they too lacked weekends – this included the majority of American colonists. The routine of a modern weekend is truly a uniquely present-day result of technological changes and the Industrial Revolution. Are weekends actually beneficial?

The idea of a “day of rest” (expanded to two days for weekends) is found in many societies, especially the Jewish tradition in which God Himself rested after creating the material universe:

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

(Genesis 2:2-3)

I wish to relate here what a farmer’s life is like, and how very different the routine is from a “regular job.” My work each day begins with animals. I can pause for a cup of java before I venture out, but generally I prefer to feed the critters first. This means water for all, and hay for everybody (unless they are on pasture). It also means checking on the well-being of the animals, inspecting for predators, and even routinely counting the flocks and herd to make sure no animals are trapped, lost, or dead.