The farmer __71___ the nation and can be said to be the most important professional. But how many people would make farming their first choice of profession...

The farmer __71___ the nation and can be said to be the most important professional. But how many people would make farming their first choice of profession? The arduous task of turning a virgin rain frorest into farmland, of battling the land until __72___ are carved out and crops are __73__, of fighting off the weeds and __74___ the tender crops from pests, and of preparing the harvested crops in __75__ for long months, could scare off the lily livered. Farming is really not for the faint herated who are easily defeated by the __76__ of the weather and the uncertainties of the soil. 

But the fruits if farming are sweet. Farmers are assured of the __77__ yields of their farms. A farmer worth his salt can never go hungry, never mind that the dishes nay not be __78__ in a palatial mansion. Besides, the physical rigours demanded of him ensure that he is constantly kept __79__, that his muscles are forever well shaped. The clean air surrounding him ensures that his eyes remain sharp, that his breath is pure, and that his immunity level is always high. Finally, good and __80__ harvests, especially in these days of mechanised farming, do ensure that a good farmer in immune to poverty. 

In the following passage, the numbered gaps indicate missing words. Against each number in the list below the passage, four options are given in columns lettered A to D. Choose word that is the most suitable to fill 73 in the passage.