Because every single trip I make to the farm costs money, I need to make sure every trip counts. That means ensuring every journey involves a truckload full of stuffs to bring over to the farm. These stuffs could be anything from building materials, tools, equipment, plant seedlings, or just about anything that helps put me a step forward in the right direction. Most of these items are kept at my dad’s store at my parent’s home, accumulated over the years.
However, the return trip would be a different story unless I have produce or products for sale from the farm. In any way, having a truck gives me the opportunity to monetise its purpose by ensuring a loaded journey. That’s why I’m always a happy man to stumble upon discarded items by the road side to be reused at the farm, as I’m always scanning my surrounding for items to carry back whenever I drive.
It’s definitely easier to put on such a “picker” hat driving a pickup truck. One man’s rubbish, another man’s gold as they say. I may be paying more for my road tax and car upkeep, but I would want to make up for it by allowing me access to items that would otherwise be impossible to obtain driving a normal sedan.
A single return trip to the farm costs me about RM 8 – RM 12 in toll charges and about RM 15 – RM 25 in fuel. Other apparently hidden costs such as car maintenance, meals and incidentals definitely add up to the financial dent in every visit.
Hence, the need to ensure productivity for every visit; resulting in more often than not, a rather stressed-out time when I go to the farm. I would always feel too overwhelmed with too many things to do, trying to match returns with input expended. It’s inevitable but I guess I just got to learn to let go at times.
After all, building soil fertility as a crucial start and precursor to my success takes years. There’s just no keeping track and be troubled by the expenses. They are seen as necessary investments. The returns are surely many folds via other forms.
More importantly, running a farm calls for very careful financial planning (especially for a small time farmer with no backups and support). Delayed spending until absolutely necessary is always the order of the day. Maintaining a farm land is very much a blood-sucking affair with no returns seen until many years later.
Land is a guzzler. Sometimes I feel it takes a change in mindset to combat the perceived draining of funds. One such example would be considering the mental and physical well being of green therapy it affords. There’s just no monetary benefit to that. For that, I’m grateful.
