Weeds of Illusion

Things farmers know are seemingly infinite.  With my abbreviated knowledge in farming, cultivating, raising livestock, I have learned to ask a lot of questions.   It seems that things are never as they appear so education is vital to be successful.

The farmland we have is mostly for cattle and hay.  My husband and I spend a lot of time riding around the farm checking fence and fields to make sure everything is in good condition for the cattle.  On one such escapade,  we were riding through the field and came upon a patch of really pretty purple flowers.  I pointed them out and said how pretty they were. “Those are weeds” he said “ We should spray those”. That made me a little sad. To me they were so pretty.  To a farmer, they are a hindrance and get in the way of the grass available to the cows.

We have had many conversations like this over so many plants I thought were visually stunning only to find out that my husbands ultimate goal it to eradicate it all.  The more I learned about the different vegetation that grew around the farm, the more I understood.  Most may look beautiful but they spread like crazy and take over fields and render them uneatable to livestock.  Some can even kill the cattle. 

I realized just because something is visually enticing, doesn’t mean it’s good. Or good for you.  So much of the world is based on “pretty” or “good” when that couldn’t be more deceptive.