4 Benefits of Living on a Farm

Farm life includes more than work ethic and long hours. Though it does require a healthy dose of both, it involves other valuable factors as well. For those who have plowed fields, baled hay, milked cows or tended to chickens, they can identify many intrinsic lessons they’ve learned from growing up in the country. 

After leaving the Dallas metroplex and the big city as a teenager, Tonya Bradford appreciates the slower pace of rural life. From marrying Brad in 1979, a dairy-man back then, she learned the value of farming. Their kids grew up in the same community their Dad knew as a child. And at their house, Tonya recalls, “I remember the feed truck or milk trucks that would drive down our dead-end road.” 

Together, Brad and Tonya raised generations while living on their acreage for over 43 years. From that time, they’ve discovered 4 benefits their farm life offers:

Family Values.

Running a ranch or farm takes a team effort. A lone ranger will struggle to maintain the necessary tasks needed to keep things running smoothly. But especially in times of crisis, for example when cows “jump” the fence for greener grass on the other side, extra hands help. And help also comes in handy when gathering large groups for holidays or special events. Farm life stresses family unity and the importance of neighbors and friends.  

Kindness.

Practice happens on animals and humans alike. Taking care of animals also means chores and responsibilities as well as, how to be gentle with their pets when tending to them. Tonya’s adult kids had lots of pets growing up. Rabbits, German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, and other types of wildlife. Not to mention, the human connections on a farm. Depending one another allows you to better understand the importance of kindness toward one another and puts it to tangible, applicable practice whether it be animals or humans.  

Appreciation of Beauty.

Being outdoors allows you to slow down and smell the roses. Literally. Whether it is admiring the dogwood’s floating white petals, the oak’s budding green sprigs, or the waving of Bermuda meadows in Spring, walking in nature gives you a break. It allows you to step away from the noise of social media and truly admire the beauty around you.

Creative Outlets.

Playing on the farm fosters exploration and imagination. Tonya’s kids and grandkids know the freedom to explore as they imagine things to do outside. Whether it is hunting, fishing, holding (harmless) bugs, making forts, or following animal tracks, the farm life gives you ample acreage and time for the kids (and adults) find ways to entertain themselves.