Growing a Farmer (Post 2)

Reading the book “Growing a Farmer” was a very interesting experienced. I am happy that it was assigned as one the readings for the class because I don’t think I would have chosen to read it otherwise. Timmermeister has an easy to follow writing style. He was very good at describing all his experiences while building his farm and the use of many examples helped me connect with the story.

Following the author’s journey was nice. We were able to see all his failures and success and how with each trial he was learning things and getting at better as a farmer. I have to admit that I was sometimes a little annoyed by his hasty decision making. He frequently found himself in difficult situations that could have been prevent had he made the proper research. An example of this is when he bought his first cow, Dinah. Timmermeister was not ready for all the task that buying a cow carries.

One of my favorite chapters in the book was the one about cows. Before I had no idea what having a cow might imply, and with this chapter I got to learn about different types of cows and their characteristics, as well as all the up and downs that owning cows to produce dairy involve. Moreover, this chapter was a roller-coaster of emotions for me. I felt sad and annoyed to learn the farmers play with the animals’ mind in order to trick them to produce milk. I found it funny to read the story about Timmermeister being mounted by one of his cows who was in hit. I felt bad for him getting hurt tough.  

As some of my classmates, he chapter that impacted me the most was The Slauther. I was not expecting it to be that graphic. Even though the way Timmermeister’s way of killing his livestock is less traumatic for the animals than the way it is done in a slaughterhouse, it was still difficult to read. I would not be able to take care of an animal for years and then take his life away that easy. Although I have always loved meet, this chapter made reconsider my diet choices.

Overall, Growing a Farmer was a good book. I was able to learn a lot about many of the products that I frequently consume. From now on I am going to be more conscious about the foods that I consume and where they come from.