There’s Charm in the Farm

I believe in our family farm. I have grown up on a 200 acre farm in rural Arkansas. My brother and I have worked alongside my dad for as long as I can remember on our beef cattle farm. No matter the weather, raining, snowing, freezing, blistering, we have been there.

A typical day starts around 4:00 and, in my opinion, is finest part. A chilly walk to the barn, gazing at the stars sprinkled across the dark sky followed by the hungry bah of a Holstein calf waiting for its breakfast will brighten even the gloomiest feelings. After all the calves have been fed their morning rations, the next chore is to feed the cows. Hay must be hauled from the barn to the pasture to supplement the cattle’s food supply. My hands chill as I cut the red twine that holds the bale together and spread the hay across the hillside. Next, feed is loaded and hauled to a nearby farm for our steers. An accurate count is given, and back to the homestead we go. The day is filled with fixing fence, checking livestock, and feeding.

To many people, this busy day may seem boring and a waste, but It is through this lifestyle that I have learned a variety of things. Firstly, I have learned to take pride in my work, to fix the fence right and make it look nice even though no one will see it. Throwing something together and hoping it will work won’t cut it. There is a sense of pride when a trailer load of your steers go through the sale barn and look better than any others and a raising a small calf into a valuable commodity and knowing that you did an admirable job.

I have also known the joys that are associated with farming. Those seemingly boring and work-filled days are actually sprinkled with happiness. Freezing in a winter snow to feed is a time when calves are running and frolicking in the pasture. Cleaning the barn is hard work but watching the calves play in their fresh bedding is worth the effort. Checking the cows gives you the reason to look at the newborns as they chase their mothers.

With a day of continuous chores there is a sense of accomplishment. When all the calves are fed, cows taken care of, and everything is finished. After a load of steers has ran through the sale barn, the fruits of your labor are finally visible and makes all the cold days, late nights, and back-breaking work all worth it. I get a taste of accomplishment from getting the last hay baled or when a broken-down tractor runs again after intensive labor and lastly being finished with everything that needed done, for a short time at least.

But above all, working alongside my family through countless difficulties, growing closer to them than I ever could.