By LEAH MOORMAN
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
It has come to my attention that, unfortunately, people often see kids who grow up in rural communities as “just” farm kids. There is no such thing as “just” a farm or ag kid. Growing up on a farm teaches kids a plethora of life lessons and applicable skills. From time and money management to the value of hard work, the life of many farm kids will help them succeed in their future endeavors.
Because of the skills they develop, individuals who grow up on farms or are involved in 4-H and/or FFA are more employable. Daily chores such as feeding and watering livestock teach farm kids the value of hard work, and therefore they develop a passion for their work. Farm life teaches kids true motivation: Getting up early to feed, water and clean so that the animal is ready for show and then market. Even when they lose or make a loss at market, ag and farm kids just head back home to start over and try again.
Furthermore, kids involved in 4-H learn the pledge including the line, “I pledge my hands to larger service.” FFA encourages students to be involved in their communities and give back as well. For kids involved with these two organizations, community service is the norm. Farm kids grow up knowing the importance of giving back and continue to do so throughout their lives. 4-H, the FFA and farm life in general teach children how to become leaders. Whether it be in their school, community or a future job, farm kids are taught from an early age the skills and traits necessary to become true leaders in their endeavors.
Aside from work ethic and values, farm kids know how to communicate with anyone. Growing up on a farm taught me a lot, but I realize now that if it weren’t for my upbringing, I would probably be a lot more socially awkward than I am now. Going to various elevators selling grain, talking with local farmers about yields, and bartering prices for steers or used machinery teaches farm kids how to effectively communicate. 4-H and FFA help teach kids how to introduce themselves properly and communicate in a professional manner. Competitions such as ‘Job Interview’ help teach members of these organizations how to not only apply for a job, but also how to do well in the interview. For farm kids, this social networking is a daily activity that will come in very handy in college, as well as in future careers.
Professional development is just one of the many other benefits growing up with a rural lifestyle develops. 4-H does a phenomenal job of teaching farm kids how to accept criticism. It’s pretty hard to stand in front of the judge and listen to him/her explain where you went wrong with your project, whether it be for horticulture or showing a steer that you thought deserved Grand Champion. After spending all year getting up every single morning – including Christmas and every other holiday – to feed, water and take care of an animal, and to spend countless hours walking it and practicing, it’s not very fun to lose. But 4-H’ers learn through this process how to accept criticism from the judge and use it to make their project even better next year.
For FFA members, reading over the evaluation sheets after contests helps develop the same skill. Judges will mark where you went wrong and what you should’ve done and will usually make notes in the margins of their critiques. Similar to 4-H projects, sometimes these criticisms are hard to hear after spending countless hours striving to make a project perfect. For farm kids who aren’t involved in these organizations, sometimes the criticism comes from the elevator when discussing seed. Or when, for some reason, yields just aren’t doing well. Or when you’ve stacked all the hay, but the farmer you’re working for says you didn’t do a good enough job – do it again. This criticism can hurt and be a pain, but farm kids, 4-H’ers and FFA members learn to take it in stride and learn from it. Many kids who aren’t involved with rural life don’t learn how to do that until much later in life, which can serve to their detriment in future careers.
Lastly, for most farm kids, family is the cornerstone upon which they stand. From gathering together for birthdays to helping another farm family with harvest, rural life teaches kids what true family values are. They’re raised to know how important it is to show up for family events. Farm life teaches kids the value of serving others through family relationships as well. Whether it’s helping a local farmer harvest wheat because he was injured by a steer or fell ill, to loading up supplies and food to help a family in a rough spot, farm kids learn that it’s never all about them. There’s always someone else who can be helped, somewhere else to be served. Rural communities are frequently rather close-knit, and many farming families grow up together, so this mentality of service bears helpful to all.
In conclusion, there is no such thing as “just” a farm kid. People who are raised on a farm or involved with agriculture develop a plethora of skills that will be forever beneficial to them.