Farming Guilt

I understand why people resent farmers.  I am not talking about Welsh Hill Farmers or the National Trust's farming tenants at Hilltop.  I am talking about us "prairie" farmers in East Anglia  (an old article but still a widely held view).

Farming tends to run in 5-7 year cycles.  And those cycles are anti-cyclical.  So when everyone else is going on holiday and buying new cars, houses, carpets or sofas, we are struggling to pay the increasing costs of fertiliser, fuel and seed to produce enough grain to break even.  When food is cheap, farmers are struggling.  When food prices rise, we begin to make profits and have money to spend on replacing old machinery, repairing buildings and splashing out on a new combine harvester.  Not good for PR.

I bring this up because today is going to be my first official trip in my husband's new farm car.  It is the first new new car he has ever owned at the grand old age of 44 and he is, justifiably, proud of it and proud that we were able to afford it.  However, I am riddled with guilt that we have got a new car when people are really struggling financially to put food on the table, heat their homes and put fuel in their cars to get to work.

Is this my social conscience?  Or is it my own insecurity?  Should I be worrying about how other people think, when they don't know or understand the facts?  Or should I just brazen it out?  Too many decisions.  Instead I shall put on one of Carrie Arnold's beautiful hats and enjoy the ride.