My involvement in animal agriculture began with a childhood dream. Ever since I was a little girl, I was fascinated by horses and I was determined to have one of my own.
“Horse” was always at the top of my wish list…until the day my dad decided to strike a deal with his pleading 7 year old daughter.
“You can have a horse,” he said carefully. “But first you have to do chores with me every day for a year.”
Chores. For a year? At the time my family raised only sheep. How hard could it possibly be?
My dad must have understood the type of proposal he was offering. After a few short weeks, my enthusiasm to throw on my chore boots and tend to the flock quickly faded. But what my dad didn’t know, was that his plan would eventually instill in me a hard work ethic I would later draw on to chase after my dreams.
By the time I was in fourth grade, I was a member of the local 4-H club. Thanks to my involvement with the youth organization, I gained a renewed interest in raising and caring for livestock.
Lilly, the bottle calf, was my first 4-H project that taught me the meaning of responsibility. I can’t help but laugh a little when I think of my grumpy and groggy 10 year old self rolling out of bed, tucking my pajama bottoms into my muck boots and trudging out to the machine shed to mix up Lilly’s first meal of the day.
Despite the round the clock work, I became passionate about caring for animals. One livestock endeavor led to another, and before we knew it our farm was home to a barnyard of chickens, calves, rabbits, pigs and sheep. One thing was still missing.
I don’t know if my dad recognized my shared passion for animal husbandry, or if he simply wanted to fulfill my childhood dream. In the end, he kept his promise. After faithfully (although some days reluctantly) doing chores for over a year, I earned one of the best gifts I have ever received. He arrived on our farm in red and white horse trailer, and his name was Blue Star Dakota.
Today, Dakota is still a part of the Banwart family farm. In addition to being a source of some of my favorite memories, Dakota is a beloved pony who serves as a constant reminder of the hard work ethic I received as a result of being raised on a farm. This same work ethic gave me the strength and tenacity I needed to pursue my loftiest educational goals and career aspirations.
Looking back on my childhood dream of owning a horse, I may have ended up with a lot more livestock chores than I bargained for, but the experience taught me about my ability to succeed as my dream transformed into reality.
