Left: Maas Roger unloads yams from his trusty donkey.   Right: Maas Roger is giddy after finding out that his yams are ready earlier than expected. - photos by Robert Lalah

Maas Roger is holding firm to his belief that donkeys belong indoors. This, despite the heckling he sometimes receives from his fellow yam farmers. "Yes man. Donkey only mek fi dry weather. Whenever time water reach dem, dem start get weak and slow down. Donkey fi live inna house," he said quite forcefully.

Maas Roger is one of dozens of yam farmers in the community called Chudleigh in the hills of Manchester. It's a cool, quiet community that borders with Trelawny. In fact, depending on where you stand, you can see several of the famous yam fields of Trelawny.

I met Maas Roger as he was unloading dozens of yams from his donkey's hamper. His donkey was, well, parked by the side of the road and Maas Roger was dropping the yams in some bushes. "When di van man come him pick dem up right yah so," he said. It was early afternoon and Maas Roger, was just returning from his field near Hector's River, a few miles away. "It fur fi walk, pupa. It fur bad and di road is very bad. Di poor mule can't take it no longer," he said.

The years of wear and tear on the donkey were obvious. It moved without much enthusiasm and its head drooped. "Di fellow do out him days now. Him fi go rest now," Maas Roger said. The talkative yam farmer now has his eyes set on a young, agile mule that's on sale in a nearby community. "Di man say him want tuty thousand fi di mule. Mi might buy it still because him young and strong bad. Mi will get couple years well outa him," Maas Roger was smiling widely.

Just then, another man dressed like Maas Roger, with water boots and short pants, appeared. He gave his name as Canto and started helping Maas Roger unload the yams. Canto is also a yam farmer and is proud of it. He smiled brightly and started explaining that he was getting a good price from his buyer for this latest harvest. "Yes sar. Is hard work you know, but we haffi make a living and when things good you can do well with the farming," he said.

"Goo up!"

A large truck came roaring down the narrow road and Maas Roger had to send his donkey up the hill in a hurry. "Goo up!" he shouted and the donkey zipped up the side of the hill, out of the path of the approaching truck. When it passed, the donkey, almost instinctively, returned to its previous position for the unloading to continue.

When it was done, Maas Roger and I walked over a nearby yard and had a seat on a small bench. There I met Andrew, another yam farmer who also runs a small shop from his home. He and Maas Roger started talking about yam prices, but I didn't hear much of it because I was staring at a short, dreadlocked man walking quickly in our direction. He seemed worried. "What a gwaan Culture?" Andrew said as the man entered the yard. It turns out that the dreadlocked man's mule had run off into the bushes and he was seeking help to find the animal. When he didn't get the response he was hoping for from his friends, the man hurried off.

When he left, Andrew explained that Culture too, was a yam farmer, but not the average yam farmer. He apparently is a jack of all trades. "Yes man. Is him build the church next door and if you look good you can see him house dat him build on the hill and is him make Miss Jenny house down a bottom," Andrew said, seeming impressed while pointing to a large, white house down the hill.

But as Maas Roger explained it, that sort of multi-tasking is the norm in Chudleigh. "More time you haffi do likkle a dis and likkle a dat. Right now I want to build a fowl coop and fling bout 25 chicken inna it. Mi also grow cane and mi want to buy a fridge. Dat might haffi wait 'til down inna April still, for di money nuh nuff," he said.

A man wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and a blue shirt walked up and had a seat. He was holding a small, clear plastic bag. "Is where you get dem okra deh?" Maas Roger asked him. "Dung a Jilly yard," the man replied. This triggered a lengthy discussion on Jilly and his or her business, most of which I didn't understand. But it was getting late and it was time for me to leave the yam farmers of Chudleigh. They bid me farewell with smiles and waves. "When you come back mi will carry you down a field. It will easy dem time deh, even though it so fur. By den mi will got a new mule!" Maas Roger said as he waved goodbye.

Send your comments to robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com. Robert is today roving in New York. Don't miss this special!