Growing up I always thought living so far out of town was a pain. There was nothing to do. Nobody wanted to come out because it took too long to get there and worst of all... we were not in the delivery zone for any pizza place. Today I catch myself dreaming of cornfields and sunsets. I long to be able to walk down a gravel road for miles. I guess I owe you an apology for dissing your choice of where to settle down. I've never been to a place more peaceful than my own piece of heaven in the middle of nowhere. No matter how "boring" it seemed to be there was always something that needed to be done.

To my dad, the farmer....

Being a farmer's daughter means you don't always get to go to the mall with your friends. You have commitments and responsibilities that come first. Maybe you are needed to help bail hay or dare I say it... clean the barn. This is something that I will value forever. This message has been drilled into my brain from a young age. Now that I am in college, I can tell the difference between the people who work now and party later and those that handle tasks in the opposite way. If you don't take care of you who will?

From you, I also learned compassion. Animals people no matter how big, small, old or young we all need it. You never forget your first cow (or other first farm animals that you really care about, for me it was a cow). Remember Lettuce, my first pet? I think we got her before we got a dog. I loved that cow with my whole heart. I watched her grow old. She had children and grandchildren. You wanted to get rid of her, but I didn't want you to because I loved her. From what I recall you kept her until she died, or at least that's what you told me. You understood my love for her and didn't want to take that away from me.

I thank you for all of your late nights that I never really understood. Couldn't you finish fixing the tractor tomorrow? Why do you have to finish the field in one night? I know that you did this for the family. You and your late nights put food on the table and even kept the lights on some years. A lot of those nights are spent in the barn by yourself. Having a full-time job and being a farmer is not easy by any means. I regret not helping you on some of the nights that I was able to. I know that for much of my teen years I felt as if we never had any time together. I know that I could have done more to contribute.

None the less, I love every bit of being a farmers daughter. I have values and a perspective that differs from many of my peers due to the environment I grew up in. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty. I always have a plan A,B and C lined up in case something goes wrong. I know that if something goes wrong I need to take a minute to think and then act. Like when the cows get out, you can't just run toward them. Lesson learned dad.

Above all else, I have learned to love. I love and I love passionately. Farming takes heart. Would it be easier to just sell it all and move away? Probably, but you love what you do and it is easy to see that. Through farming, you meet so many people and eventually they all become like family. Heck, even the crop insurance guy hangs out at the house for hours at a time. Aside fro the people, you love your livestock. Maybe you don't name them all like I used to make you do, but each and every cow and pig that comes into the barn is always well fed and well taken care of.

More than the job and more than the animals, your love for your family is strong. That's why you do it, you do it for us. I am so thankful to have grown up the way that I did and have such a great dad to call my own.