I will tell you - farming is hard work for little pay. Personally, I am too lazy to be a farmer. It is up with the sun and to bed with the moon - with alot of back breaking work inbetween. Animals need to be fed and cared for even if it is Saturday and you would like to sleep in just a little bit longer. And that goat decided to kid at 2 am after starting labor at mid-night - well guess what, the cows still need to be fed and milked at 5:30 am before you spend 8 hours baling the hay before the rain comes tomorrow. Equipment breaks down and animals get sick, and you need to stay on top of it all. It is a dangerous job - one of the top 10 most dangerous job in the US.
There are wonderful moments - like cleaning off the newborn goat and helping it get its first drink. Watching the sunrise and the dew settle across the landscape as you open the gate to let the cows out to pasture for the day, the smell of a fresh cut hayfield and the feeling of triumph as the last bale goes up the conveyer just as the rain starts to fall.
There are many different ways to go in a career with animals, so start looking at what is available to you. Try many things. If you can, join 4H or FFA. Out here, the FFA has a barn where alot of the kids raise their animals for the fair. They put in X amount of hours taking care of the general barn chores and extra time with their animals. They get experiance with alot of different animals and types of animals, and have the responcibility of raising, training and showing at the fair.
You can always be a gentleman farmer - have a 9-5 career that pays the bills and a home with some land, gardens and animals to care for as a hobby for your non-working hours. I have a couple of friends that do that. They hire high school students as farm hands for the summer - to help with the crops and such.
There are wonderful moments - like cleaning off the newborn goat and helping it get its first drink. Watching the sunrise and the dew settle across the landscape as you open the gate to let the cows out to pasture for the day, the smell of a fresh cut hayfield and the feeling of triumph as the last bale goes up the conveyer just as the rain starts to fall.
There are many different ways to go in a career with animals, so start looking at what is available to you. Try many things. If you can, join 4H or FFA. Out here, the FFA has a barn where alot of the kids raise their animals for the fair. They put in X amount of hours taking care of the general barn chores and extra time with their animals. They get experiance with alot of different animals and types of animals, and have the responcibility of raising, training and showing at the fair.
You can always be a gentleman farmer - have a 9-5 career that pays the bills and a home with some land, gardens and animals to care for as a hobby for your non-working hours. I have a couple of friends that do that. They hire high school students as farm hands for the summer - to help with the crops and such.
