View from Our Place
This teen farmer learns that sometimes the best view is the one from the barn.
A farmer’s daughter shares her life on a Minnesota farm.
Down a scenic road in Todd County, Minnesota, is a busy little farm with a lot of plants and animals that need nurturing. I live here on the farm with my parents, Nathan and Anna, and my brothers and sisters: Jedd, 17; Dale, 15; Pascal, 13; Stewart, 11; twins, Lucy and Winston, 10; Eugene, 7; and Vivian, 1.
In the morning as the golden sun rises, the last of the deer disappear into the dark safety of the woods. When everyone has awakened and eaten breakfast, we head out to care for our variety of animals.
While the calves stand eagerly in their stalls, the cows wait at the gate to be milked. The cats sit patiently, knowing that they will soon receive their share of the warm, foamy delights.
On fall and winter days, we go out to feed the beef cows their hay. We also spend time cooking and baking, filling the furnace with wood (cut and stacked during the spring and summer), scraping snow and, of course, attending school at home.
Wintertime fun includes riding our snowmobiles in the fields, sledding down hills and engaging in other cold-weather activities.
At all times of year, Dad services and repairs John Deere equipment, and we all help him do that.
On spring and summer days, the cows simply graze. After they have been taken care of for the morning,
I love this place and what we do here.
we focus on providing fresh feed and water for the poults (chickens raised for consumption). The little ducklings and goslings eat, too.
After feeding, it’s time to collect eggs. When my siblings and I open the door to the chicken coop, the hens, which have already laid a fair portion of eggs, greet us with much squawking. They, too, receive fresh feed and water.
Once we complete all of our morning chores, we proceed with our very unpredictable day.
Summer is a busy season as we work together to prepare for the long, cold winter. We bale hay when we can and tackle the muchdisliked job of weeding the garden. Everyone knows it must be done in order to have good, healthy fruits and vegetables. On other days, we might harvest ripe, juicy fruits or fresh vegetables grown to delicious and plump perfection.
After harvest, we’re in the kitchen chopping, grinding and
dicing fruits and vegetables such as peppers, apples, plums, corn, potatoes, and many varieties of berries and cherries. We can or freeze the food so we will have a taste of summer in the winter.
Of course, not all chores are the same each day. Sometimes we stay up late at night caring for a sick animal, encouraging it to eat and live. Or we’re surprised with a new litter of kittens or a healthy, playful calf (sometimes two or three).
At the end of a hot day, we retreat across the road into the cool, shady woods bursting with sweet-smelling flowers. On the way we might see a pretty bird fly from its hiding place. On other evenings we have supper on the lawn, taking in the beautiful surroundings and nice weather. When it gets dark and the stars start to shine, we catch fireflies and let them go inside. It’s quite a sight! When the long day is done, it is time to hit the hay.
I love this place and what we do here, growing our own food and caring for the animals and the land. There’s nowhere else I’d rather live!