THERE is darkness within the original Christmas.
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It's the part that doesn't exactly make the Christmas cards or get replicated in front yard lights displays.
Circa 4-6BC, King Herod, fearing a new king will usurp his reign, tries to talk the wise men into coming back to him after they've found Jesus themselves, so he can go and "worship Him too" (read: kill him).
The wise men find Jesus, deliver their gifts, but then, being warned in a dream, take a different route out of town, leaving old Herod a touch irate.
The king orders the murder of all boys aged two and under, in and around Bethlehem.
Not too many celebrities are lining up to sing a song about that on the main stage at Carols in the Domain.
The sheer darkness and evil of this makes the birth of Jesus stand out even more for the miracle it is.
Likewise, the dark times of the year, the hardships and low points, should make Christmas an exceptionally bright patch.
Farmers throughout the country have copped a lot, predominantly on the weather front.
Parts of Queensland experienced their share of flooding early on, while vast sections of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania have also been drenched to saturation point.
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The knock-on implications of such events; abandoned crops, low yielding fruit (lack of sunlight), boggy paddocks, road closures, increased disease pressures, chemical availability and access, lack of worker willingness and marred produce lines all weigh heavy on a farm business undergoing flooding.
And that's just those with crops in the ground. Spare a thought for the other rural army closely connected to these growers; beekeepers.
They, particularly those in NSW, have been thumped with the mallet of Varroa mite. Some have lost entire livelihoods.
Perhaps, in this season of goodwill toward men, it's time to pick up the phone to contact that colleague, mate, business partner, product rep, agronomist, driver, agent or worker, to connect, to cheer up, to encourage, to motivate, to help re-focus on that light.
These factors, these hindrances, they are the darkness, the grim bits to be endured.
And yet, that famed Australian farmer resilience will likely shine through.
The ability to see that light, move toward it, like some men from the east long ago drawn by a star hovering high above a certain stable, will make hope abound.
They may have to adjust, adapt and alter plans, but they will get there.
Sure, it might not be a warning via a dream but if they have to take an alternate route away from the darkness, no doubt they will do so.
But leaving them alone to get on with the job may not be the solution.
Perhaps, in this season of goodwill toward men, it's time to pick up the phone to contact that colleague, mate, business partner, product rep, agronomist, driver, agent or worker, to connect, to cheer up, to encourage, to motivate, to help re-focus on that light.
Better yet, focus on the actual Light of the world, the reason for Christmas in the first place.
From all the GFV team, have a very happy Christmas, and a bright New Year.
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Ashley Walmsley
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
