What’s a farmer?

Farmers don’t think much about what words describe their occupation. A couple of years ago a friend said that his dad, who was a western farmer, once asked him this question. The first response to the question is usually that a farmer produces the food that we eat.
When farming started in this valley two centuries ago farmers had to be very self-sufficient because there were no tradesmen or any other specialized help at hand. In today’s modern world with a five-day work week, eight hour days, long weekends, holidays and most equipment dealers and repair services miles away; the farmer is again left to be self-sufficient many more hours and days than not!