Dairy Cows and Duck Races - A Northumbrian Farmer Remembers (Paperback)

If all you ever wanted to do in life was to be a dairy farmer, nothing will stop you - not even losing the use of one of your arms! In this heart-warming tale, former Northumbrian farmer Philip Dixon recounts how he began working on a farm in Northumbria at the age of seventeen, acquiring his own farm in Yorkshire a decade later. In the process, he encountered all manner of challenges, which he met head-on.The "Dairy Cows" part of the title refers of course to Philip's progress from his time as a young lad, through his ever-increasing levels of skill as a cowman and a dairyman, to his acquiring his own farm, a wife and a family. The "Duck Races" part is all about his exploits with the local Round Table branches where he lived, raising money for charities and having a great time doing so. And yes, the local branch of the Round Table lays claim to inventing the plastic duck race, imitated all around the world!When Philip realised that his disabled arm prevented him from safely running a dairy farm, he set up a business producing dairy products, with his brother as partner. But then, strange things began to happen that would bring his business to the point of collapse.Philip is sure he knows who was responsible, but does not have concrete proof to enable him to tell whom, in print. Philip's story is told with humour and candour, and features his farming neighbours and colleagues in the north of England, as well as some of the less pleasant people he met as he moved away from farming and into the dairy product industry. The story brings up to date the world inhabited by James Herriot, and gives it a real edge.