Have you ever pondered what it would be like to live on a farm? I know I sure have.

To live with animals, near nature – it would be a drastic change from what most of us encounter in modern living. Although this thought occurred to me originally when I was younger, it recently came back to me with the growing demands of life and because of transitional thoughts of going from senior year to college. To sate my curiosity and to find out what its really like, I sought out senior Tommy Wegman, whose parents own and operate a farm.

17-year-old farmer Thomas Wegman has grown up all his life around farms. The Wegman farms aren’t farms in the stereotypical “grow your own crops” sense though – they take care of horses. The management of horses, at least according to Thomas, is one of the best aspects of working on a farm.

Wegman states that one of his “best friends” in the world is a Belgian Draft (which is a type of horse), named Pete. Pete must require a good amount of care, though, as working on a farm isn’t all fun and games. Tommy states that, despite being part of the immediate family of the owner, he often times “has to start homework and assignments late” due to his responsibilities on the Wegman estate. Among his duties are setting traps for pests and bailing hay. Another little-known downside of working on a farm is being known as the “farm boy”, Wegman states. Although he really enjoys working there, the stereotypes that regular, more urban people have of farmers seem to annoy him. Despite this, some of his best memories have been made there. Wegman learned how to drive a tractor on the farm and also has grown and eaten food cultivated in his backyard.

After interviewing Wegman, were my idle daydreams all they were chalked up to be? Yes, and no. Farming certainly is a good lifestyle according to Tommy: you have freedom, lots of land (40+ acres in his case), and animals. In contrast though, you have more responsibilities, responsibilities that can get in the way of your studies and any future ambitions you might have.

Although I have always thought it would be interesting to live and work on a farm, I have to admit: I like where I am now. I’ll leave the farming to Wegman.