"I would rather be on a farm than be an emperor of the world" - George Washington
Living on a farm is an experience that most people never get to try. The skills and memories made while living on a farm cannot be fabricated elsewhere in the same way. I wouldn't be the same person that I am today if I didn't grow up on a dairy farm. Which is why I think everyone should take the chance to spend some time on a farm.
1. There's a lesson in everything.
Whether it is picking weeds out of the dirt or shoveling cow manure, hard word, and determination are never absent. Every action we take to maintain the farm symbolizes how the small things matter in the biggest things.
2. Fresh dairy every day.
Milk, ice cream, cheese and yogurt. There's enough said after ice cream. The difference between store bought dairy and fresh-made dairy is indescribable. There isn't a single word that represents the difference. It's an instinctual feeling that someone just knows when something is freshly made.
3. Vegetables picked from the garden are better than from the store.
Having the ability to go out and pick items for salad or your side for lunch is unmatched by anything. Just like dairy, there's a difference between going to the store and buying vegetables and hand growing it. Hard work always pays off, and tastes better too!
4. Animals become your best friends.
There comes a time where you are involved with more animals than people, so naturally they become the ones to talk to. Honestly, they are better listeners than people anyway. They don't talk back.
5. Seasons are more amazing.
Being so intertwined with nature truly gives someone a hyper-focused experience of the world around them. Colors are brighter, temperatures seem much hotter or colder than they appear; the storms seem more ferocious, and the sunny days all the more beautiful.
6. Freedom.
Freedom to do build whatever we want, grow what we want, make pretty much what we want. There are the parameters that we have to live in, however, they don't limit how we live. We can be completely self-sufficient if we choose.
7. Stronger family bonds.
With all of the hard work and labor involved on a farm, everyone has to get involved. Through all of that work, there are definitely some laughs along the way. There are more ways for siblings to connect, be it through a hatred of chores or a love of animals.
8. Tranquil environment.
Nothing compares to laying down in a grassy field on a cool sunny day and hearing nothing but the wind rattling some tree branches. My farm is completely surrounded by woods and mountains and a backroad. The only major sounds are the animals going about their day.
9. Baby animals.
There isn't much to say about this one. Who doesn't love baby animals? I still remember bottle feeding our first calf.
10. Friends are jealous.
Everyone wants to come see the animals, have a bonfire, or simply just be here. Something that I hear time and time again is how people don't want to leave here. How everything here on the farm makes them want to stay.
