Before I go further, I should tell you that when I say, "I live on a farm." I should say, "I live on 13 acres of woods, have 17 chickens and, according to my mother, have way too many dogs (not hoarder, they are well fed etc), I aspire to keep goats and fish."
We don't have cows or horses. The things I grow aren't like the things my parents grew. Mom and dad did have cows, chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, a horse, dogs, cats. and a huge garden. They also lived on 40 acres. Much more room than we have here. Because of the smaller space, the living things here have a reason for being here.

Symbiosis is very important.