READING AND speaking

7. Read and translate paying attention to the active words and phrases.

Farmer’s Year

The farmer’s yearbegins in spring as soon as the ground can be ploughed - usually around March. It’s time to prepare the soil for planting. First, the farmer fertilizes his field with cow manure or a chemical fertilizer. Then he ploughs the soil, turning it over and mixing in the fertilizer to provide a rich soil for the crops. Later, when the days are a little longer and the sun has warmed the soil, it is time to plant the seeds. Now the farmer has to wait until green shoots peep through the earth.

In summer the farmer cares for the young plants. He waters them, especially when the weather is dry and hot. The famer watches carefully for signs of plant disease and attacks of insects. Many farmers spray their fields with chemicals to keep away disease and harmful insects. It’s impossible to grow good crops without weed control. With water, sun, care and protection the plants grow strong and healthy. Depending on the crop, harvests may start in summer or early autumn. Some crops, like alfalfa and hay, can be harvested early enough to plant and harvest another crop in the same growing season.

Harvest time is the busiest time of the year. In autumn the farmers have to work quickly. Often it is necessary to call in extra workers to work in the fields and bring in the crops. Work starts when the sun rises and finishes when the sun sets. The days are hard and long. But when the job is done, it is time for celebrating, for dancing, eating, drinking and having fun.

In winter the days are getting shorter and shorter. The farmer sells harvested crops in the markets or stores them in the barns, ready to feed the animals through the winter months. The farmer repairs agricultural machines, buys the seeds to be planted next season. Winter is the time for planning, for deciding where and what to plant next year. For soon it will be spring again and the cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting will start again.