Farmers do not necessarily have to spend all their time in their crop fields or ranches. They are expected to rest sometimes and to even spare some time to visit the local club for a drink and to socialise.
However, every good farmer must allocate sufficient attention and time to the farm just as he should to his wife and children. Some people divide their attention and time between the farm and some other activities, such as taking up employment in a private company, or in government, or in politics, only to go to the farm maybe late in the afternoon, or during the weekend and some public holidays.
It is always important to spend enough time with your animals and birds. Devote sufficient time to the inspection of the crops. Let your animals and crops know you, and make sure you also know them and their condition each passing week. There ought to be a close relationship between the farmer and his crops, animals, and birds. When they are attacked by drought or disease, or any other calamity, the farmer should be the first to know.
We must remember the writing in John 10: ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.’ It is good to have a farm manager and to trust him, but in the Bible, it is written that a hired hand abandons the flock when danger appears. Yet the good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, demonstrating a sacrificial and protective love.
We must also remember the English saying: ‘The sole of the farmer’s boot is the best manure on the farm.’ You have to walk to every nook and cranny of your farm to do inspection.
It is your farm. It is you who raises financial and other resources to run it, whether through savings or borrowing. It is your responsibility to do the planning regarding the acquisition of inputs such as fertilisers, feeds, tools, medicines, acaricides, pesticides, and herbicides.
It is you who ensures that the machines on the farm – the water pump, the pipes, the spray pumps – are in good working condition. You face all the business risks involved – floods, pests, bush fires, and farm thefts. You must take care of the farm records and ensure that your labourers are promptly paid. You have to worry about marketing and the prices of your farm products.