High-Speed Farming: A Tailgate Tale

So there I was, enjoying a rare moment of peace with a cup of tea at the kitchen window—my brief pause in another chapter of "Farmer's Frenzy." But, as fate would have it, relaxation was off the menu. One of our cows decided it was the perfect moment to calve, right out in the rain-soaked field. So much for my break!

With a heavy sigh, I set my cup down (tea time was over before it even began) and geared up for an impromptu rescue mission. Time to chat with the boss about my lack of breaks—oh wait, that's me. Note to self: be more generous with downtime.

I hopped on my quad bike, hitched up the trailer, and raced off. Now, this particular field has a slope that would give a mountain goat pause, so I parked the bike as horizontally as possible. Safety first, after all! 

The calf was safely tucked inside the trailer, its mom tenderly licking it dry—nothing out of the ordinary there.

Then, as I hopped back on the bike to head home at a cautious pace (because who rushes with a newborn?), things took a literal downhill turn. In my haste, I’d forgotten to bring the tailgate for the trailer. No big deal, I thought—the little guy's too wobbly to stand, let alone jump ship. 

But apparently, mama cow had other ideas about family outings. Before I knew it, she’d decided to join her calf, hooves-first into my trailer. My trusty two-wheel drive  chariot lost traction as my rear wheels came up in the air, and there we went—zooming down the field like a cow-powered rocket!

Disaster was narrowly averted when the cow, realising that maintaining a speed over 20 mph was a tad ambitious, decided to bail. Thankfully, her quick thinking (or perhaps, lack of endurance) saved us from a bovine bonanza crash landing.

Looking back, I suppose there's a silver lining: I got back to the farm quicker than ever before, and let’s just say, it was one heck of a way to shake off the afternoon lull. Next time, though, I might just put a bit more thought into bringing the tailgate—and maybe, just maybe, squeeze in a full cup of tea.