Like most parents, I sometimes think to myself, “Are we doing this right?”
Are we making the right choices for the good of our kids?
Is it the right choice to raise our children in agriculture?
Especially when we’re raising girls?
Would we be doing better by them if we put them in gymnastics… cheer… volleyball… or something that looks more “normal” to the outside world?
The other day, our 14-year-old daughter helped work cows. She worked the sorting gate while Brandon turned them down the lane. At one point he said,
“Hey Mollie, see if you can name the cows as they’re coming.”
One by one, she started.
“775.”
“Eileen.”
“Sugar.”
“346 — oh heck no,” as she stepped back behind the gate. (She knows 346 can get a little mean.)
She named them all.
Every single cow.
Simply by seeing their face as they peered around the gate.
No brands.
Just memory.
Not only can she recognize every animal coming down the lane, she can tell you their pedigree, their temperament, and the little details you only learn by showing up day after day.
No — she can’t do a toe touch or a round-off. She can’t really serve a volleyball or sink a basket.
But she can work.
She’s smart.
She knows responsibility.
She notices when an animal is sick, in their wrong pasture, or not quite themself.
She understands that animals depend on you.
She has empathy for life, respect for the land, and an understanding that nothing worth having comes easy.
Will she grow up to be a rancher?
I honestly don’t know.
And the truth is — it doesn’t matter.
Because whatever she chooses, she knows how to work hard.
She knows how to make deals, negotiate, and what it means to sacrifice personal things for something much bigger.
She knows what it feels like to build something from nothing.
She values animals, the environment, and the weight of stewardship.
She knows confidence doesn’t have to be loud, strength that doesn’t need applause, and grit you can’t teach in a gym.
So yes — I think we are doing this right.
And if you’re another parent quietly wondering the same thing while your kid is feeding, sorting, fixing, tagging, or helping in ways the world doesn’t always recognize… you’re not alone.
We’re raising kids who know how to show up. How to keep going, even when it’s hard.
And that will never be the wrong choice.
That’s why we’re proud to raise ag kids.