Scott Grote, age 15, Centralia, IL, September 2, 2001
Robin Bowman

Scott Grote, age 15 Biggest thing has happened to me was I had a teacher when I was in seventh grade. She had horses, and her hay suppliers, one of them got sick and the other one quit. And she sort of figured out that I was a farm boy, and she asked me one day if we had hay and I said, “Yeah,” and she said, “Do you know if you would sell it to us?” And I said, “You could call my dad,” and there’s been many doors opened up to us and lot of work. We have around forty acres of hay and hope to grow every year. It made a bigger business for my family. I’m happiest being out here with my animals, and working with the hay, and mudding with my four-wheeler. My biggest fear is losing the farm. I like being an only child at times, because I get all the attention. But I miss times having a brother or a sister who we can go out with or go four-wheel riding. It’s pretty boring doing stuff alone. The toughest thing about being a teenager is mainly going to school and making the grades. And who can be the popularest and nicest and everything. Family is important. You have to stick together to get stuff done. A perfect family is one that believes in Christ, and that works together, and that can make a living on the farm.