The first rule of being a farmer’s daughter is listen and listen well. When it comes to teaching me how to do things around the farm my dad will throw me in the tractor, explain briefly how to do whatever it is he is having me do that day. He then leaves me to do the work. Within the first 30 minutes, 95% of the time I call because I’m already lost or confused and need him to re-explain something.

Another big lesson I’ve learned from working with my dad is to not be on the phone constantly. Even if I am not doing something at that second, my dad expects me to be observing and learning so he doesn’t have to explain later if I need to do whatever task he is doing. I have noticed that out of all the things I could possibly do wrong on the farm, it makes him the maddest to see me standing there on my phone when I could be learning.

On the farm there is always work to be done, always. Over time I have realized that if my dad hasn’t given me a job for the day and I’m not learning from something he is doing I better find something else to keep myself busy. If not, I will find myself regretting it later when my friends are all hanging out in the summertime and I’m doing the jobs I could’ve been doing during the day, but I decided not to.

Having a strong work ethic comes along with being a farm kid. I can recall strawing down the whole barn by myself in grade school, so the cows had a warm place to have their calves. When I was a kid I didn’t even realize I was building such a valuable quality. My brother and I used to race across the milo stalks to see who could pull the most posts. Working on a farm is not an easy task, however, being brought up doing tough daily work makes it seem normal.

Finally, being a farmer’s daughter isn’t always easy because, as I said earlier, there is always work to be done. This translates to my dad always being busy. Growing up like this I have learned to always take advantage of the little moments, whether it be driving through the field to check the cows or going to the sale barn. Quality time doesn’t always have to be spent at a fancy resort or on a beach. Sometimes quality time is best spent driving the old beat up truck through the pastures.

I can’t say I enjoy being a farmer’s daughter every minute of every day, yet I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I believe coming from an agriculture background has given me numerous tools I will be able to use for the rest of my life.

In sisterhood,

Chelsey Bieberle

#Agriculture #farmers #family