Lifestyles of the Persevering

For many centuries, families have made a living by raising their own cattle and growing their own crops. Families always had to work together in order to survive and get farm chores done. Farm life causes a family to work as one unit; each individual has their own responsibilities in order to fulfill the needs of the business and to survive. Farm chores entail hard work all seasons of the year and twenty-four hours a day, however, there are very positive aspects to the work schedules.

Families that own farms have to get up at sunrise and typically work until sunset. Most are either dairy or crop farmers (or both), but either way there is a large list of daily tasks that must be completed in order to ensure that the family will be fed and make money. Chores differ between the two farms and are somewhat seasonal. Dairy farmers typically do the majority of the work in the spring, summer, and fall. Wintertime is used for fattening the cattle and breeding. For crop farmers the blunt of their work is in the spring when they have to prep the fields and plants their crops. Summer is used for maintaining the crops and winter is their break time. One of the main advantages of farming is that there is always work to be done. Another advantage is that you can always take short respites or breaks whenever you need to. The work will always be there when you return and there is no time clock to punch in and out. Families learn how to deal with adverse situations, teamwork, responsibility, and create new ways to communicate with each other. There usually are not a lot of other people to associate with for entertainment, except on outings. Most entertainment is provided by pets, learned instruments, or the TV. What more of a life could you ask for?

Whether or not this is the lifestyle for you, you can agree that farming definitely has its benefits. No pollution or aggravation from crowds, no traffic, and no loud neighbors. Even though, times could be tough, families always learn to work through their problems and to be self-reliable. Most people who are raised on these farms choose to raise their families there. One thing is for certain: you would definitely see the rewards you reap from your labor directly in food you raise or grow and the closeness of family relationships.