It’s 6:00 a.m. It’s below freezing. It’s dark. And, it’s time to feed the cattle. This is what my young teenager does each morning before school. He goes to the barn lot and checks his small herd and feeds them. In the winter, it is often dark and cold and for the evening feeding as well. But, he does this each day willingly to raise quality beef animals.

Knowing where food comes from is part of raising it on the farm. Our kids are keenly aware of how animals and crops are raised start to finish. They also realize how farmers feed the world.

My son decided he could raise his own small beef cattle herd and sell the beef locally. He takes great pride in having positive feedback in the quality of the beef and that he has repeat customers. One family who purchased beef from him in the past said their daughter would only eat his hamburger. She would not eat the store-bought meat.

He spends months feeding the animals twice a day. I sense there is a hint of sadness when the animals leave the farm. But, there is also satisfaction in a job well done.