Growing up on my family dairy farm in central Oregon, I was told “You can” more than “You can’t!” This is exactly what I tell my daughter, Cassie.
Strong and confident, bright and beautiful, willing and determined, my 15-year-old daughter is going places simply because she is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and work harder than everyone else in the room – or on the farm.
Perhaps it is because she is sandwiched in between two brothers on our family farm that makes her stick out. Cassie is not afraid of dirt nor backs down from hard work. I still remember when she was 11-years-old, she helped her grandfather haul round bales off the field. Cassie drove our dully and flatbed trailer around the field as her grandfather stacked round bales onto the trailer. The pair did this for hours and when they were done, Cassie pulled up around the barn and backed the truck and trailer in-between two semi-trailers and dropped the trailer. Her grandfather watched her in awe.
Don’t ever tell Cassie she can’t do something because she is a girl. I promise you she will see it as a challenge and demonstrate just what farm girls are really made of. Cassie can tube-feed a calf, pull a calf, vaccinate a group of heifers, plow a field, haul a wagon, milk a cow and the list goes on.
Cassie takes that farm girl toughness and carries it everywhere she goes. One year when we were down in Louisville, Kentucky attending the All-American Jersey events, Cassie received a check for a heifer she had received an award with. I told her she could spend a portion of that money and when she went shopping, she splurged on a new pair of work gloves. That’s it.
For all of you farm girls out there, continue to shine bright. The world needs strong leaders now more than ever before. Share with me your farm girl’s inspiring story.
