Predators & Tariffs

Recently, I had two coyotes yapping at my dogs, taunting them from about 100m away from the house. Last week, they had attacked one of our sheep. Thankfully she survived. But the lambs that are being born at the moment don’t stand a chance against such cunning adversaries. That’s why they need the shepherd.

It’s a good reminder, that in this life, there will always be predators, disease, and decay. You may think that sounds pessimistic , but I prefer to call it realistic, because this principle of hardship is found in the natural world all around us. Every seedling has to push through the hard soil in order to become established. The fish has to swim against the current, to reach its spawning ground. Every organism that lives has its own set of troubles.

Lately, many people I’ve talked to have been troubled by the proposition of a 25% tariff, or even worse, a trade war with the US. There is no doubt that this would hurt the economy, and ultimately, the livelihoods of ordinary Canadians.

Even here on the farmstead, with our own sources of food and energy, we would not be immune to this hardship. But the optimist in me remembers, that the further you are from the “system” the less impact these things will have on you, when the “system” is damaged or collapses.

And so, tariffs or no tariffs, we will keep building up resiliency here on the farm. We will keep working on producing an abundance of high quality food, fuel, and fibre, for our family and the community. There is no tariff on the labour we invest in our own system.

The problems and predators will always be there. The real question is, are we watchful enough to see them, and wise enough to counter them, when these problems arise.