STOUGHTON - Farms come in all shapes and sizes, as one does not need to have hundreds of acres of land to feel they are farmers and know some of the work that is involved with the job.
Terrance and Kim Hagen moved to an acreage west of Stoughton 12 years ago. They have two daughters, Katie-Lynn who is 15 years old and Brooklynn, who is 11.
These two young women know what farm life is all about because they have horses and some of the work is similar to the big ranches.
With their parents owning an oilfield company, they have the equipment to move hay and straw, and to clean fields.At the age of nine, both were taught by their father how to drive the tractor, skid steer and backhoes. They help with snow removal and clear paths in the field for their four horses.
When a new hay bale is needed in the feeders, Katie-Lynn and Brooklynn know to pick up the large round bale, deliver it to the field and place it carefully in the steel hay feeders.
The equipment is also used to clean pastures and move feeders to a fresh spot, as it is all in a day's work, but on a smaller scale.
Out of the four horses, three are used in barrel racing.
They compete all summer long at all the events in the area, which can consume most of the weekends in the summer season.
Practising with their heelomatic is the next-best thing to having a cow, and it is a lot of fun they said. It gives the horses a break from running barrels. This is done in their large outdoor arena.
Katie-Lynn and Brooklynn have never been on a cattle drive, and this is something that the pair would love to experience someday in the near future.
They agree that living on a farm is great, as one can have lots of animals. They can quad and ski-doo without the worries of being on the road, as in towns and cities this is not allowed.
Sometimes living in the country can be hard as they always have to drive to visit friends and family, or buy groceries, but it is a small price to pay for the freedom of living on a farm.
