The five worst jobs on the farm

1. Pulling Ragwort

It. Never. Ends. No matter what you do, that bright yellow flower always returns to haunt your summer months.

Pulling it by hand is back-breaking (especially when you go up against a massive specimen) and heart-breaking (when the stem snaps in your hand, leaving the roots in the ground).

Did I mention it’s potentially harmful to humans?

2. Dagging sheep

It may be essential to their health, but no one wants to spend their time removing soiled wool from a sheep’s backside.

Also hard on your back, especially when you have lots of sheep.

Knowing that the thick coats and long tails that lead to this chore were bred into sheep over the centuries doesn’t help at all.

3. Picking stones

Where do they come from? Why do they keep appearing? Questions that probably pop into the minds of the many unfortunate young people press-ganged into removing stones from fields this summer.

Try using the monotony to philosophise on life, it might take your mind off your aching back.

4. Powerwashing sheds

It takes ages, it’s noisy, you’re probably going to get drenched and it’s probably going to smell.

Try to make it more fun by using the pressurised water as a sketching tool.

You get an important job done and improve your artistic skills. Win win.

5.Covering the pit

So many tires. So much stress trying to keep the plastic from flapping all over the place.

And if you don’t do it properly, your silage quality goes down. Yay.

“Be a farmer,” they said. “It’ll be fun,” they said.

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