Growing up on a farm teaches children valuable life skills; don't hesitate to tout them when seeking scholarships

One of the writer's sons
working with a calf.

"Young people often don’t think of farm work as valuable experience, but it is. It shows they understand the value of hard work and responsibility," writes Lisa Foust Prater for Successful Farming, paraphrasing a neighbor who advised her three farming sons, to get her boys to talk about their farm duties as they applied for scholarships.

"When it came time for our older boys to apply for scholarships and jobs, they talked about managing their cattle herds, from doing daily chores to making business decisions," she writes.

In another Successful Farming piece praising childhood on a farm, Emma Henning details 15 things you learn growing up on a farm. Here are the first five:

1. You have endless opportunities for fun outside.
2. You learn responsibility at a young age.
3. You develop a strong work ethic.
4. Your siblings become your best friends. 
5. You come to understand life and death.