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WHY ACADEMY RANCHES?
My Dad was a farmer and a schoolteacher and my Mom was a stay-at-home mom. I had four brothers and two sisters. We lived in town and had to drive a few miles to the farm a couple of times each day to do chores both before and after school. My weekends and summers were spent with my Dad and brothers out on the farm. We went to church on Sundays. Now as I look back I’m not sure I was a lot of help but I did have a great time and I actually did get some work done.
I would walk the irrigation ditches with Dad, mow, rake, and haul hay with a team of  huge work horses, ride the ponies up and down the creek and over the hills chasing jack rabbits. We would swim and play in the ponds and canal, feed the calves, pigs, and chickens, repair the fences and corrals, and clean out the stalls and pens. I felt bad when a calf, a puppy, or a little lamb got sick and died, but part of living on a farm is understanding that death and loss is a part of life. We worked hard and played hard. We learned some great life lessons growing up on a farm.
I want to provide an environment for your son to gain experience from these valuable life lessons. I want him to know how fun it is to do a hard job and do it well. I want him to have the satisfaction and the joy that comes from watching the sun rise and set while moving irrigation pipe or riding the horses in the pasture or down the river trail. I want him to enjoy school and life. I want this for your son, for you, and for your family. He deserves it and so do you.
My wife of 45 years and I have tried to make sure our six sons and two daughters have had similar experiences. We would like to see our many grandchildren enjoy and learn similar things. Life was meant for joy and happiness. One of life’s great lessons that I have learned over the years is this: Joy and happiness are the natural consequence of trying to do right. At Academy Ranches we want to do right.
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