2012 The Spring Cow Revelation

The year is very wet, the farmer works in deep water

Rains fall from summer to winter

A poor harvest will lead to supplies depleting

High-land vegetables will sell like ginseng

Farmers in low land with their seedlings

May worry but will be happy for it is "gold" they are planting

Everybody will be happy - the produce is pest and disease free

Price are good and the harvest is aplenty

Not just from land but also from the sea

Everybody will drink and be merry

The cowboy poem reveals that there will be plenty of rainfall in 2012. This unusally high amount of water is feared to damage crops, reduce the yield of agricultural produce and cause prices to soar. Despite these fears, agricultural output will actually be very good and fetch good prices for the farmers.

Therefore, 2012 will be a good year. The 5 cycles 6 forces concurs that there will be heavier rainfall but the planting season must begin early. The ancient Chinese have a simple yardstick for predicting the amount of rainfall:they look for the first Dragon Day(R5) of the lunar new year. In 2012,it falls on Day 10,indicating a 10-dragon year. As dragons symbolise rain,there will be plenty of rain for the year.

Similarly,the amount of plough work and oxen can indicate farming opportunities and the success of agricultural output,respectively:2012 is a nine-plough and seven-ox year,suggesting a good and successful harvest.
 
In a global economy,poor yields in one country can be compensated by abundant harvests from another nation. In 2011,droughts in China did not affect food prices because other exporting countries did not experience drought. For example,potatoes were so cheap - as low as 4 sen per kg - that farmers threw them away.
 
More rain and water are expected this year. The mountains are green and verdant and wheat harvests will be abundant, as seen in the illustration. Summer will be wetter than normal and the rice fields are covered with more water. It appears to yield little and causes concern among low-land farmers. However,harvest will be good at the end of the year. Droughts,pest and other natural disasters are not expected, and hence the sun is not scorching as in the previous year.