There are stories my Father told me which are with me though he is now gone,
Stories from a life of adventure, for his life was both well-lived and long.
He was raised on farms around Beachburg, finished his schooling in town,
He served in the air force during the war, and we’re thankful he made it safe home.
One of the stories I’ll tell you today started while he was away;
You see Dad loved Ayrshire cattle the best and he planned to farm with them someday.
His dad, my grandfather, knew this of course and with faith that his son would return,
Went shopping one day at a sale in Quebec and brought 3 purebred Ayrshire cows home.
He cared for them diligently, said not a word, until Harold arrived back again,
And dad was quite thrilled when grandpa at last presented those 3 cows to him.
So dad added more lovely cows to his herd, their milk so creamy and thick,
With their huge soulful eyes and their brown and white coats, no better cow could you pick.
Then, some years later, disastrous news, Brucellosis was found in the herd,
The only choice was to take them away to be slaughtered, a terrible word!
Grandma she cried when the trucks passed on by, you could just see the horns sticking up,
O’er the racks, and the silence once they were gone, was enough to make some men give up.
Dad was heartsick for certain, the family stunned, it would have been easy to quit,
But dad didn’t do that, he soldiered ahead, built a herd up again bit by bit.
He had Holstein this time and they did serve him well as he farmed on for many years more,
And his faith and commitment to this way of life showed a strength we could all use for sure.
That was just one example, one story, one time, there were many more over the years
And just like all people who work on the farms, who know struggle, heartache and tears,
There are many more stories of happy times shared, and achievements too many to tell,
But the country folk are of a breed all their own, they work hard and serve the land well!
Hat’s off to our farmers, and my father as well, Its they who have made our land strong.
I am proud of the legacy farmers provide, and I know it will last on and on.
