Farming has its own fair share of superstitions

Feb 13, 2015

Friday the 13th affects every industry in some fashion

It’s that day of the year.

When people take extra care not to walk under a ladder, make sure they avoid black cats and do everything in their power not to break a mirror and suffer through seven years of bad luck.

The day that’s the namesake of a series of slasher movies and when motorcycle enthusiasts make their pilgrimage to Port Dover, Ontario – Friday the 13^th.

Every industry has their own way of ensuring Friday the 13^th hopefully brings them nothing but good luck. For instance, Cleveland’s Hopkins International airport doesn’t have a Gate 13. In the real estate business, some believe if St. Joseph, the patron saint of home and family, is buried in the yard of the house the real estate agent is trying to sell, it will sell faster.

It seems farming and agriculture has its own superstitions, too.

Katherine Grossman, from Pennsylvania, described three of them.

“Keep a smelly billy goat with your cows and they’ll never get sick,” she said via Twitter. “Never plant peas or beans on the day that baking is done (and) to cure founder in horses from over feeding grain, pee on their hay before feeding.”

When it comes to machinery, some farmers will refuse Friday deliveries because if the machine breaks down, the repairmen aren’t available on weekends.

Some farmers believe the moon plays a large factor in the success of their crops and therefore anything that grows aboveground should be planted when the moon is waxing (transitioning from a new moon to full moon) to get the best results possible.

“Counting your crop before it’s harvested (or your chickens before they’re hatched) is bad luck,” said the people from @AgMoreThanEver on Twitter.

There are some superstitions that suggest animals can predict the weather. Some believe if horses are acting restless that rain is coming or if farm animals with fur will grow a thicker coat, the winter is going to be harsh.

Unfortunately, for those that are extremely superstitious, today isn’t the only Friday the 13^th that 2015 has to offer. There’s still two more – Friday, March 13, and Friday, November 13.

Join the conversation and describe some other superstitions, or if the ones mentioned actually work.

Friday the 13th

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