Not Your Average Farmer by Lily

Not Your Average Farmer by Lily - July 2021 Scholarship Essay

Absolute fear pierced through my body. I attempted to stand up as I had just come crashing down onto the grass and landed on my backside. Covered in dirt, sweat, and tears, I raced over to my squealing pig in an attempt to calm it down and lead it back to the pen it had just escaped. I could hear the sound of girls in the distance shouting directions at me in an attempt to help, but their attempts were futile as their voices were drowned out with thoughts of sheer panic and frustration racing through my mind. I chased the pig for several minutes before the both of us grew exhausted of one another. The pig gave in first and ran into the open pen. I shut the door triumphantly knowing I had won this battle, but the war had only begun. This was a daily occurrence during the first month raising a pig.
To give a backstory, I am the furthest thing from a typical agriculture girl. I didn’t grow up on a farm. I had never raised an animal before. I didn’t even know high schools offered agricultural classes until I accidentally signed up for one my sophomore year. The thought of owning a pig had never crossed my mind until I sat through a presentation about students raising and selling animals at the local fair. I heard about how much those kids loved the experience, and decided that I wanted to give it a shot. I truly had no experience in the field of agriculture; however, I am always striving to try new things.
I discussed the process with my parents, and they agreed to help fund my new adventure until I earned money for the pig at the fair. The new concern was where I was going to raise the pig. I live in a suburban community, and my backyard is only about 100 square feet. Needless to say, not the ideal conditions for raising a farm animal. I talked to my agriculture teacher, and she guided me through the process of renting a pen space at the school barn.
A trailer of pigs traveled down from North Florida, and my teacher helped me choose a pig to purchase. From that day on, I was at the pen before and after school everyday feeding, cleaning, and working with the pig. The weekends were more of a struggle to keep up with as I had to wake up early so that the pig would be fed on time. The other girls in the school barn were very nice and took pity on me and taught me how to keep up with the pig. I ran into several situations I would have never thought I would have encountered in my life. For example, I got caught in the pig pen after school one day in the middle of a tornado warning. Wind was whipping the doors and gates as water began flooding the ground around the pen. I recall trying to push as much of the water that gathered into the pen out as the pig paced anxiously. Not a typical teenage girl’s problem, but it seemed about right for me.
I learned an incredible amount of self-discipline and responsibility during my time with my pig. I was responsible for another living thing, and did my absolute best to give it the best life possible. I am very fond of trying new things, and I always dedicate myself to whatever I choose. I learned how far my hard-work could take me as I did very well in ranking at the fair. I discovered self-determination within myself and my ability and drive to take on difficult tasks. I learned the role and difficulty of caring for another living thing, as well as serious time management skills. At the same time, managing a large degree of money was new to me, and it taught me budgeting as well. All of these things were completely unexpected for me, but I would not trade the experience for the world.