This entry might well become a theme.

I've been thinking about the basic rules of farm life that might not seem obvious.

Some involve common sense, others common courtesy. I like to think I have both, but I'll admit I learned some of these things the hard way.

And by the way, here's a quick list of essential gear:
Muck boots -- Not the cute puddle-jumping kind but the lug-soled, durable brown or green ones that hit just below the knee
Rain gear -- Keep in mind that fabrics must withstand snagging on barbwire, spray from four-wheeler tires, and other not-so-pleasant encounters
A pocket knife or retractable carpenter blade -- There's nothing worse than needing to cut wire and not having the tool to do it.
A headlamp -- Sometimes the work isn't finished when the sun goes down.
Durable pants and socks -- Shorts and capris won't protect your legs from nettles or cow shit.

Anyway, here goes:

1. Leave gates of any kind as you found them. If they're open, leave them open. If they're closed, make darn sure they're closed -- and latched the way you found them.

Here's why: Open gates allow safe passage for animals and people driving equipment. We'll leave a pasture gate open intentionally, knowing the next person through it will likely be driving a tractor with a sickle mower, for example, and won't want to stop to open a gate -- or would be surprised to find one in his/her way. It's very easy to drive over/through a gate if you expect it to be open but some unknowing person has closed it.

Likewise, we leave gates closed when we think they might play a pivotal role in moving our herd. There's nothing worse than moving animals into a field and finding them in another the next morning because a gate was left open in a far corner. Cows can and will find the narrowest of gaps in a fence; an open gate is like a four-lane on-ramp.

2. Also, learn where gates are on the farm. If you find a steer on the wrong side of a fence, you'll want to push him toward the closest gate so he can rejoin the herd. When things go wrong, it's always best to know in advance which direction to head.

3. Learn to tie decent knots, particularly a half-hitch to take up slack, keep the "tail" end of electric fence from dangling, and allow for quick and predictable untying. It's a farm-wide system: if all knots are tied in much the same way, any greenhorn can learn how to quickly release them, when, say, a frothing cow having trouble calving needs to be pushed back through several fences to the corral for veterinary care.

4. Don't scream at the animals unless they're endangering you or themselves. You'll break their trust. And there are other ways to communicate your intentions.

5. Think ahead. Imagine what could possibly go wrong and be prepared to improvise, both mentally and physically. One extra 20-foot section of temporary fence could guide the herd straight into the corral -- instead of leaving open the possibility of squeezing around the barn, where the garden sits waiting to be trampled. 

6. No tutorial would be complete without this one: If you can help it, avoid sorting or loading animals with your partner or spouse. Especially pigs (which have no "herd mentality"), but also calves and stubborn cows. If you MUST work together in the corral without a third person to mitigate baggage and enforce courtesy, outline your goals in detail (cows sorted first; keep the bulls separate; calves all together in the last load), decide who's running the gate and who's pushing the animals, and make sure everyone knows how to use necessary equipment, such as temporary gates, chute latches, and trailer doors. I've seen the most methodical, cow-whispery person I know lose it over calves that wouldn't load. And he's not even married.

7. Learn how to operate equipment. And how to repair equipment. Or know precisely who to call. On a Sunday morning. In the rain. This includes chainsaws, four-wheelers, passenger vehicles and trucks, water tank valves, hose clamps, weed eaters, tractors and implements, tillers, skid loaders, electric fencers, etc.... I'll admit I hate our chainsaw in particular. But I could probably get it going if I needed to. After about an hour of expletives.

8. Put stuff back. If your tools aren't kept in some kind of order, devise one and stick to it. No exceptions. Chances are good that you'll soon need to find a particular tool in a hurry to avert some kind of crisis.

9. Start early. This one is a struggle for me, since I'm most productive after dinner, between 9 and midnight. But it helps your cumulative sanity to roll out of bed with the sun and feel great about the number of things you got done before 9 a.m. Also, this habit wins points with older neighbors who have never known a different schedule.

10. Take time for lunch and dinner around the table. Or dinner and supper, as some folks call the noon and evening meals. These are valuable opportunities to check in with family or co-workers and be sure you're all eating the fruits of your labor.