Overcoming Adversity Pushes Greatness
Flashback to the world pandemic of 2020 when life turned upside down and so much uncertainty surrounded us. Challenges flooded the economy, especially labor – or a lack of. This was also very much felt on dairy farms around the country. Many producers had to get creative to figure out how to still manage to milk their cows and feed their cattle. Our farm did the same.
Speaking of which, because our children were not in school, they naturally helped fill the job vacancies our farm faced. They moved cows to and from the parlor, cleaned stalls, vaccinated heifers, fed calves, plowed fields and the list goes on. Thankfully, farms still operated 24/7.
Thank goodness for farm kids.
Many people think back to COVID-19 and tremor with the pains their business and personal life felt. I feel fortunate that my children were able to thrive during a time when so much of the world struggled in numerous ways.
While the pandemic is in the rearview mirror now some four years ago, I look back to what my children were required to do during that time – fix broken equipment, genomic test heifers, learn to breed cows (kudos to the A.I. breeding class going on at our farm), move heifers, fix fence and complain about how unfair it was that their friends could stay up as late as they wanted and could play an endless amount of video games.
Life can be so unfair at times. Only if my kids knew that the unfairness was truly directed at their peers, who didn’t have the open landscape to breathe, a reason to rise out of bed, firm expectations to lend a helping hand that would help build their minds and put their bodies to good use. Farm kids were truly blessed during a time that their counterparts were not.
Now those farm kids and those around them reap the benefits from that challenging time. Or at least that is what I see outside my farm window, as I watch my 17-year-old daughter, Cassie, taking the lead helping her grandfather get equipment ready for spring field work. Naturally, farm kids like Cassie have learned to not only show up, but quickly survey what needs to be done and take the lead to get it done. No questions asked. This is one reason farm kids stand out. They’ve learned firsthand some of the best values that are nearly hard to teach in another venue.
Remember, when tough times surface, embrace it.
Actress Mary Tyler Moore once said, “You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you.”
Just look at a farm kid and you’ll be reminded that life’s adversity is the best preparation for future success.
Check Out These Stories on Farmer Resilience:
- How a Barn Fire and Lost Processor Forced This Dairy to Make Big Changes
- Farm Kids Make Good Athletes
- How Feeding Calves Helped This 33 Year Old Farm Mom Recover From a Devastating Brain Tumor
- The Value of a Hard-Earned Dollar
