11 reasons why I want my children to grow up in agriculture.

1)   So they will understand freedom and responsibility.  Agriculturists enjoy the freedoms that come with owning and operating their own farms and ranches.  They know the joys of standing out in wide-open places with plenty of room to grow.  They also experience the responsibility that comes with being their own boss.  Agriculture is not really an occupation where someone else is going to pick up your slack.  Either you are going to make your farm/ranch successful or it won’t be.  There is no one else to call in sick to, no one who is going to open for you if you are running late, and no one to switch shifts with.  You either show up or the job simply won’t get done.  I want my children to grow up understanding the beauty of freedom.  I want them to run wild, without fear or reservation.  However, I also want them to understanding the meaning of freedom and the responsibility that comes with it.

2)   I want them to understand unconditional love.  There are few experiences in life that can outcompete the feeling of unconditional love, and the unconditional love that comes from loving animals so beautifully mimics that of our Lord.  I want my children to know the feeling of loving –and being loved by—an animal.  Unlike people, animals do not pay attention to how we look or what we are wearing.  Nope, animals just simply care about how you treat them.  If you are kind, giving, and gentle you will surely win them over, and they will love you in return. 

3)   In order for them to experience loss and failure.  Life isn’t fair.  To quote Charles Dickens “Life is made up of a series of meetings and partings, that is the way of it.”  Sometimes the horse you love dearly dies.  Sometimes you can try your hardest and do all that you can do, and things still simply don’t work out.  I want my children to understand this very critical truth.  I want them to understand that sometimes there isn’t anything you can do to change the outcome of a situation, and that your best is not always going to bring the outcome you desire.  I want them to understand that there will be moments in life that will test them-they will be heartbroken, they will feel small, they will feel incapable.  I want them to learn that it is in these moments where God’s faithfulness will be most revealed, and that there is nothing too big for God.

  

4)   So that they will see faith lived out.  Agriculture is a business that is completely based off of faith.  Sure, you can go to college or gain years of experience in order to learn how to help push the odds in your favor, but at the end of the day having faith is really all you can do.  There is no way to predict the weather, markets, or any other factor.  So, you do the best that you can and leave the rest up to God.  I want my children to be raised around this daily example of faith.

5)   So that they will learn to live life.  I don’t have cable.  That is because while growing up I had an entire ranch at my fingertips.  I don’t want my children to grow up binge watching Netflix and wasting the precious minutes that they have on this earth.  I want them to LIVE!  I want them to sit quietly and bask in the warmth of the sun.  I want them to run until their legs hurt.  I want them to get dirty and scuff up their knees.  I want them to be present and make their mark on this earth, not pacifying themselves with meaningless distractions.

6)   So that they will learn to be grateful.  Have you ever felt the overwhelming joy of the rain?  Do you know how it feels to trudge through two feet of snow carrying a newborn calf, your heart pounding full of panic, only to watch that same calf bouncing around the feed ground three days later.  Agriculture is a way of life that highlights the preciousness of God’s small gifts. 

7)   So they will understand that you reap what you sow.  All farmers know that if you plant corn in the ground eventually corn will grow up out of the ground, and if you don’t want corn to grow...don’t plant it.  This principle is displayed in all areas of agriculture, and is a lesson in life that is irreplaceable.  I want my children to grow up being aware of the seeds they are sowing.  I want them to understand that if they want an abundant life they need to sow good seeds into their life

8)  So they will cherish the lives of others as much as their own.  If you have ever calved out cows on a mountain top in Nevada during January you know what I mean.  I have felt the true hurt that comes with losing the life of a small calf.  Agriculture breaths a companssion into your heart, because the very livelihood of an agriculturist comes from the lives of the animals they keep.  This relationship fosters a deep sense of respect.  I want my children to be brought up understanding the value of every life they come in to contact with.  I want them to harbor a deep respect and compassion for all living things.

9) Because I want them to understand that anything worth doing comes with sacrifice.  Being a ranch/farm kids isn't always the most glamorous.  You don't always have the nicest clothes or the coolest things.  However, growing up I was always aware that the ranch was bigger than that.  I was aware of the sacrifices my parents had to make in order to keep everything going, and sometimes parts for the tractor took precedence over my desire for Silver jeans.  I want my children to grow up with this same awareness.  I pray that they will see that nothing that is just given to you is as rewarding as the things you work hard for.

 10)   So that they will know the great joy of living simple.  We really need very few things in life to be happy.  Sometimes it is the people who have the least who give the very most to others.  There is a purity and a clarity that comes from a simple life.  I want my children to know this.

11)  So that they will know from their own experience that God is everywhere.  You just have to look.

**Bonus** So that they will know where their food comes from and what it takes to produce it.  As well as be aware of their impact on the earth and that they are a part of a larger plan.  I pray that they realize the role of agriculture in this world.