A year ago, as we headed into lambing, I increased the amount of grain we were feeding. I was concerned we would have thin weak lambs.

Getting enough nutrition into the sheep last winter was an issue because the hay was not great quality. The previous summer had been cold and wet. Almost all the hay had been rained on after it was cut, reducing the nutrient value. The only thing we could do was feed more grain to up the energy intake for the mothers and the lambs they carried. That meant purchasing grain when we ran out. Which meant planning how to get the truck from the mill up the hill, around the curve, to the barn. Which meant coordinating with the mill to blow the snow when they could come.

In the end, lambing went quite well. And once the lambs were weaned, they gained quickly because our second cut hay was quite good due to an August dry spell. By the time those lambs were shipped to market, they had eaten a lot of expensive grain. Again, we were lucky to be able to co-ordinate the sale of some with a major festival and a spike in the price per pound. Still, the profit margin was thin.

By the time the last lambs went to market, we had sold off the ewe flock. Other considerations had come into play by then. If we still had sheep right now and were heading into lambing, we'd have had another worry: the heat and lack of rain last summer meant that the hay crop was thin. Sure, it was easy to get it dry, but the volume was half what it normally would have been.

Because hay was short, people with livestock to feed had to calculate what they needed, what they had, and where they could get more hay. And I have seen folks hauling hay this month on those few days when it hasn't been storming. They didn't get it home in the fall because there were more urgent things to do on those days when it wasn't raining.

Last fall, grain crops were light too. So even though the hay farmers are feeding is good quality, getting the extra energy into the mothers so that the lambs are strong enough will mean buying grain. I've heard that getting oats and barley isn't that easy. Less is planted these days as there can be more profit in beans and corn.

Those crops didn't do too badly last summer. The rains came just in time to fill out the pods and cobs. However, once the rain started it didn't stop. Even city folk started to notice that there were fields of beans and corn that had not been harvested.

Fields of beans got written off. They don't stand up to snow and excess rain. Fields will be plowed down. But because the beans didn't come off early enough, very little winter wheat got planted. That means there will be a shortage of straw this summer. And last summer's straw was short. If you have straw to sell, that's great as the price is good. If you buy straw, that isn't good news.

Corn is a bit more forgiving. I saw folks in the field between snow falls in November. And corn can stand through the winter. Some will be harvested as soon as the white stuff is gone and the ground is hard enough for the combine to manage. One year recently, those who harvested in the spring did better as the corn didn't have to go to the dryer, saving money, and the price had improved. There is no guarantee that will be the case this year.

Actually, with farming, there are no guarantees anywhere. There are lots of worries, lots of problems outside your control, and very little back up. There isn't much time off. And there are seasons when there are three jobs that demand your immediate attention.

This week Grey Agricultural Services in Markdale provided a workshop on stress and mental health for farmers. In it, we were reminded that the farmer who feels over-stressed isn't alone. There were conversations about where a farmer can go for help. And a reminder that getting help is a good thing, not a sign of weakness.

So, if you are a farmer who managed to find a few minutes to read this, are you doing okay? If not, reach out and ask for help. If you know a farmer, and notice they don't seem well, ask how they are. Offer emotional support. And as you sit down to your next meal, realize that a lot of effort and worry went into growing it.

Cathy Hird is a retired sheep farmer living in a farming community.