The Farm

The farm is located in Kelantan. The total area is around 10 acres surrounded by a rubber plantation on one side and a swampy area on another. I used to work the land here as a 17 year-old, planting pineapples, lots of pineapples. But I didn't get to harvest a single fruit since I had to leave in a hurry for college. Years went by and I came back, the pineapples were gone, the undulating land has been reworked and converted into a cattle farm. The job offer came and I took it without any hesitation, all for the love for the animals.

The farm went on doing business for a good 9 profitable years. But as of late, the cattle industry in Malaysia is facing a bad prospect. If you should ask me who would I blame, I'd say the country's policy of not protecting small farmers by allowing the influx of imported beef from India, China, Australia, Sudan and Pakistan. Now that the farm is facing foreclosure, I can only hope that the owner will let me stay here, on this piece of land that I hold dear to my heart. The land that has been very good to me, teaching me the lesson of life under the merciless sun.

My only way out is to stay here and look after a small family of goats. The very first of these goats arrived here about 9 months ago. I gradually put in some more animals whenever I got a good deal from old folks who were no longer able to take care of their goats (opportunistic?). The animals came from various districts in Kelantan. Some of them never set foot on the ground and some of them have lived their previous lives by scavenging for food near dumpsters. Nonetheless, they got along just fine...