Most people will know Dorothea Mackellar's famous line 'of droughts and flooding rains' from her poem 'My Country' in 1907. Not many will know the full poem, however there are a couple of other lines worth us considering in 2022. In the same paragraph she refers to 'Her beauty and her terror'. Later, she shares 'For flood and fire and famine, she pays us back threefold'.
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In 1859 Abraham Lincoln gave a speech on agriculture at a state fair where he recounted a story of an ancient king. He asked his counsellors to give him a sentence that would be true in any situation and worthwhile for anyone to hear. They came back to him with 'And this too shall pass'. Whatever 'this' is, it will pass away and come again.
Why am I reminiscing about centuries old poetry and presidential speeches referring to thousands of years before? I find it is a useful reminder that we have seen before these extremes in weather we are experiencing. Does that take away from the pain and frustration of living this now? No, not at all. It is okay to be upset with losing crops and have days that feel too much, however we don't want to spend too much time there.
In agriculture we are a truly resilient bunch of people. Sometimes this resilience wears very thin and can tear, so we need to help each other out. Sh!t happens, it's what we next that counts. On Thursday November 17 I'll be facilitating a free online meeting sharing strategies on what to do when sh!t happens (contact us to register).
One of my mentors drummed into me the importance of accepting my current position working out how to make that work for me. What was the next step to recovery? What opportunity did this position present? He didn't care what I did, as long as I did something.
Our thoughts are with those affected by the current floods and rains. As an industry we need to support our peers through this period and help them get to the next harvest or muster. Reach out to your friends and network, work out what you can do and take it one step at a time. This year is one of many that you'll experience in agriculture. This too shall pass.
The link to register for the free session on November 17 is https://www.rcsaustralia.com.au/mfp-farm-resilience/
- David is chief of delivery running Grazing for Profit Schools and advisory work with RCS Australia. www.rcsaustralia.com.au 1800 356 004
