When I was in that annoying teen I-hate-everything phase, I hated (naturally) living on a farm. A lot.  But since I’ve moved away from my home in Saskatchewan, I’ve gained perspective, and realized that growing up on a farm actually benefitted me quite a bit, teaching some life lessons I’ll always carry with me. Here are a few of them.  

A solid work ethic 

Growing up on a farm made me a hard worker. I watched my dad work from sunrise to sunset on many days. And when I say work, I mean he was working hard. Helping out on the farm and watching my grandpa and dad work their butts off has instilled a wicked work ethic in me which I know will help me for years to come. 

Nothing in life is ever certain 

Farmers know that things don’t always go as you expect. You may be over-the-moon thinking you have a bumper crop this year, (that’s lingo for a wicked crop) but all of a sudden there’s a hail storm and that crop is ruined. In life, like in farming, you expect things to go a certain way, but reality is full of twists and turns and loves to throw curve balls at you. 

Plan for the future 

Farm life teaches you to plan for the future. There’s a lot of planning that goes in to farming, and it encourages you to look at the bigger picture. Beyond  seeding, spraying and harvesting, there is also budgeting that’s necessary for the winter months, and like I said before, you never know what’s coming your way. 

Farm life gave me a strong stomach 
When you shovel out bins of rotten grain full of bugs and rodents, you learn to have a strong stomach. I don’t get grossed out by most things. I’m usually the girl who’s on bug-duty with my friends and there are not a lot of smells or creatures that can make me squirm.

Neighborly love is still alive 

I see a lot of things in today’s society that sometimes make me lose faith in humanity, and to quote Jack Johnson, it makes me think “where did all the good people go?” But I know inside that there is a still a sense of community and neighbourly love in this world. When there is a fire on a farm or in a field and you see people come from miles around with water-trucks to help out because they saw the flames and smoke, that warms the cockles of your heart.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it 

Every farmer has their own personal way of doing things, and they want to stick to it. It’s simple, if you find something that works for you, keep it the same.

Nothing can compete with the beauty of nature and wildlife (Cheesy, but true)
I’ve always been a sucker for architecture. I love buildings and structures. But, when you grow up surrounded by fields and trees with deer, moose, rabbit, antelope, and foxes in your back yard, nothing competes with the natural beauty of this wonderful earth we live on.

Growing up on a farm has taught me a lot. It’s taught me about the importance of family, to stay true to your roots and, ultimately, that with hard work and determination you can accomplish anything, no matter what life throws your way.