In the wise words of main bae, Luke Bryan, “You either lived on a farm or wish you did.” For most people I knew in my hometown, we got the chance to live on a farm. Some folks don’t understand the pure adoration some people, like myself, have for small town farm life. There could be so many things I could tell you about farming and how we live our life slower than most folks do… but if there is one thing I will always tell people, it’s the lessons I learned growing up on the farm.
Early bird gets the worm
The earlier I got up the more I got to witness on the farm. From watching the sunrise to being able to ride the tractor. The people who got up the earliest got their stuff done so much quicker and always had time
Make it home for supper. Plan for the future.
So many things can go wrong in life. While growing up on the farm, I learned that planning for the future is a vital thing to do. Sometimes there is no rain and the crops won't grow. Planning for the any possible thing that could go wrong was one of the very first things that my grandpa taught me. You never know when something could take a turn for the worse.
Hard work pays off.
This lesson is true, no matter where it is taught in life. Hard work does pay off. The harder you work, the better things you can get in life. I worked extremely hard one summer just to have enough money to buy a bottle feeder calf. At the end of my summer, I was able to get one and raise it in a little shed my father and I built for it.
Have faith.
Faith is such a big lesson taught on the farm. You have to have faith that God will give you what you need when you need it. Faith is such a big part of farming, you turn to the land to give you what you need and to help make your money. Farmers pray everyday that God will let the sun shine and the rain fall for the crops to grow.
Compassion.
Compassion is such a big thing to have, whether it's compassion towards people or animals. Growing up on the farm, I learned to have so much compassion for the animals we raised and for the people who graciously helped us farm during tobacco season. I have so much compassion for the animals that we raise on the farm. From helping the heifer deliver her calf to watching it first learn to walk. We learned not to judge a book by its cover and always help those in need.
Sometimes things just don’t work the way you plan.
I learned that sometimes things just don’t happen how you want them to. You can pray for something to happen as much as you want, but even then, it still won't work out. I prayed that a bottle feeder would survive only to wake up and realize it didn’t make it through the night. You always have to be prepared for multiple things to happen.
Whether you lived on a farm or wish you did, there were so many lessons that I learned growing up on the farm. From how to handle newborn calves, to plowing up the ground to plant crops for my family to make money.
