magazine, you wrote that many farm kids

wanted to live in the city. Well, I am a farm

kid and I don't want to live in the city. In

fact, I want to explain exactly why I think

it's better to grow up on a farm than to grow

up in the city.

First, farm kids are too busy with farm

work to get into trouble with guns, drugs,

and alcohol like a lot of city kids do. We

usually go home right after school to work

on the farm and help our parents. We have

to milk the cows, feed all the animals, drive

the tractor in the fields, fix fences, help with

watering the crops, or any other kind of

farm work. All these things keep us busy

and out of trouble.

Second, farm kids understand at an early

age what's really important in life. We help

our parents when animals are born, and we

take care of these animals until they die.

I remember getting to pull my first lamb

when I was six. Watching the birth of an

animal always makes me feel warm and

happy. At the same time, I know why we

raise these animals. They are going to be

hamburgers and fried chicken. Like me,

most farm kids are used to seeing life and

death on the farm. That gives us an

understanding of human life and death that

city kids don't have.

In addition, farm kids have a much better

understanding of nature than do many

city kids. We work outside all year. We

almost always get to watch the sunrise. We

understand how heat or wind or snow can

change our crops. We understand how

much water different crops need at different

times of year. We can put our hands in the

soil and know how much water it needs.

We know how to choose the best trees in

our woods to cut down. Those are just a

few of the many outdoor skills that farm

kids learn young.

Finally, farm kids have a greater sense

of responsibility than most city kids. We

know that crops and animals are totally

dependent on us. We know that they can

die if we don't do our work. I learned at

an early age to feed and water the animals

on time, and to water the crops regularly.

Sometimes I'm tired or sick, or it's freezing

that I have to do these things because the

animals, the crops, and my family depend

on me.

For all these reasons, I think that it is

better to grow up on a farm than to grow up

in the city. My own experience growing up

on a family farm in southern Colorado tells

me this. I know that growing up on a farm

made me the responsible, hardworking, and

thoughtful young person my parents and

community can be proud of.

year ago. But the farm kept losing money.

"You look at the numbers at the end of the

pencil," said Mr. Halley, 44, "and you

realize it's time to try something different."

With a heavy heart but a clear head,

Mr. Halley became one of the thousands of

American farmers who sell their land each

year. What surprised Mr. Halley and others

is that the move to the city was so easy.

The farmers are finding jobs and their

families are enjoying the city way of life.

a scientist at North Dakota State University.

His income is now double what it was when

he was a farmer.

But even for those farmers who find

good jobs, there is a price to pay in leaving

farming.

"It's not just about making money, but

about having a life that is meaningful,"

said Dr. Michael Rosmann, a farmer and

psychologist who helps farmers. "For

most of them, that grieving' lasts for the

rest of their lives. To make the decision to

quit farming, to do what's best for the

family, takes an awful lot of courage." Mr.

Halley feels the pull of the land every day.

Once a week, he drives eight hours to

work a small piece of his old farm, just to

keep his connection to the land.

It was hard to leave, but Mr. Halley

knows he did the right thing. For most

families that leave the land, income goes

up and stress from worrying about having

no money goes down. Both parents and

children are happier.

Halley's children love living in the city.

"The kids don't want to go back now,"

said Mr. Halley. "The telephone never

stops ringing."

about her new school. She especially likes

art and computer technology. "Back on the

farm," she said, "the old phone system took

five minutes or more just to dial up the

Internet."

"It's cool here," said Megan. She loves

clothes and get the latest CDs of her

favorite group. The closest store to the

Halleys' farm was a ten-mile drive.

Before moving to the city, Megan

worried about getting along with city kids.

"The boys here aren't any different than

back in the country," she said. "There's

just a lot more of them."