What does it mean to emerge? That is a question we asked children in preparation for our annual Dairy Summit, with a “Kids’ Perspectives on Dairy Farming” video one of several elements added to break up the monotony of watching presentation after presentation on the computer screen. The kids’ answers ranged from bursting out to dipping…
Winter is my least favorite season, especially on the farm. Every morning you break the ice out of the calf water buckets. Making sure lines are emptied and doors are shut tight is an every-evening routine so that nothing freezes up in the barn. Double checking all the animals becomes even more important, as pneumonia…
I have many fond memories of the holiday season growing up. Shortly after Thanksgiving, you could smell Christmas cookies baking when you walked through the farmhouse door and hear Christmas music playing all throughout the day. My mom would love hiding Christmas presents around the house, and my siblings and I would try all…
Ever since I can remember, people have described watching the volatility in dairy markets as something like riding a roller coaster. But, in 2020, it’s more comparable to a whipsaw. Those who work in the trading industry often use the term “whipsaw” to describe when a market abruptly moves in the opposite and unexpected direction….
Fall is my favorite season of the year. It’s not just because of the changing leaves and beautiful landscape, or because it’s harvest season when cooler temperatures finish out the soybean and corn crop awaiting in our fields. One of the reasons this is my favorite season is because I get to spend evenings at…
Earlier this summer a bad storm with straight-line winds went through our farm. The winds took out nine trees and a garage roof. Trees that towered over our house and had been there for longer than anyone can remember were pulled out of their root bed in a matter of seconds. They ended up lying…
This year has turned into the summer of “the have’s and have not’s”, in more ways than one. We have all become very familiar with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has caused havoc on many people’s lives. Some families are facing food and financial insecurity for the first time in their lives. It is…
Recently someone shared a list of 24 experiences that you would only have if you grew up in the country. People were supposed to count how many items from the list they experienced in their lifetime, and the goal was to get as close to 24 as possible. The experiences were things like sucking nectar…
Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated “Memorial Day” in our country and honored military personnel who died while serving in the US Armed Forces. It is a day many hold sacred to remember the battles our country has fought for the safety and freedom of its citizens and to remember those who fought those…
There is a lot of frustration out there right now – not just in the dairy industry, but throughout our society. People feel helpless and like they have lost control. It is easy to understand why. In the past two months, the unemployment rate went from 3 percent to 15 percent. Those who are working…
