Have You got a friend?
Yesterday (Thursday) saw the untimely death of Bob Dearnley. (See News "Farmer Kills Himself" )
It seems he had become obsessed in a battle with his landlords, the council, The National Trust and The Environment Agency over is land being flooded. I didn't know the the man but from what I heard he just wanted to care for his rare breed animals and show them off to the public.
We all like the David & Golliath story, but It can be difficult to know when Goliath is going to win and when it is just best to give up something that you truely love. I'm not saying that anybody could or should have done anything different in this case as I don't know all the facts. On the surface it does appear that Goliath has one this time with some terrible consequences. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the coroners report.
What we should do in these difficult times is to keep that spirit that I've always known in farmers, to help each other out. That may be a difficult one at times because it takes a true friend to spot when someone truely needs help and to find the strength to tell them so. Even so some people find it difficult to accept help but at least you have tried.
Farmers may be bucking the recession trend but there is still plenty who are on the brink. Keep a look out for each other because farming can be a lonely business these days.