National Dairy Quality Awards!

We are honored and thrilled to be a recipient of the National Dairy Quality Awards! We received a Gold, and this is our third year in a row of being recognized.

We were nominated by Brittni Tucker at our co-op, and the description reads: "These operations stood out for having produced high-quality milk consistently Applications were evaluated for measures of quality, systems of monitoring udder health, milking routine, protocols for detection and treatment of clinical and subclinical cases of mastitis, and strategies for overall herd health and welfare."

Thank you to the sponsors, especially Hoard's Dairyman, and thank you especially to our team members. It's because of their dedication and attention to detail that our cows are so well cared for and produce such great, high-quality milk. 

Hello 2022!

 

I just saw Progressive Dairy published my little year-end article. You can read it here!

"At the beginning of a new year, it’s always interesting to look back and catalog how much you forgot from the last one. We’re heading into our 15th year of farming, our 20th year of marriage, and the 144th year of our farm and home. What does that mean?

Well, it means we’re not doing home improvement as much as just trying to hold the house together until the next person lives in it. We’ve made changes every year on the farm, right after saying, “It’ll be nice to just have things the same.” And of course, we’ve been married two decades, so we have the long-married power of knowing what each other is thinking just by facial expressions. Happy? Sad? Bewildered by our children? Yes to all. Let’s see where last year has taken us."

Read the article > 

Goodbye to 2021

I wrote an article for Progressive Dairy that's going to be published in January 2022, and it really sums up our year on the farm. I'll share that when it comes out! 

When I started this blog in 2010, Max was two months old, and Ty and Cole were three years old. I've always been a writer, and I wanted to share with everyone about our farm life. On the side, I wrote books, freelanced, and worked on contract. I also started sharing about the farm much more frequently on Facebook and Instagram, because those are much easier to do quickly and while I'm outside.

This year I took a full time job as a writer for an agricultural lender. It seemed the time was right, because my kids are older and it's remote. It makes me really happy that I've been able to make my entire career doing what I want to do. (Take heart, English majors!)

I love running into people who have read the blog over the years, and they are always so kind. So as I enter the 13th year of writing this, I just want to say - thank you for reading over all these years. I'll continue sharing about dairy and our life on the farm as long as people are reading it! 

As with most years, this year has had some positives and negatives, but as an optimistic person, I always focus on the best parts! The biggest changes this year to our operation - custom harvesting, manure management, and adding free stalls. The biggest change in our lives - me working full time, and our kids starting middle school and high school. 

Our team came over for our Christmas party last night, and I just want to reflect on how incredibly fortunate we are to have such great people here with us. My parents came too, and I'm grateful to them for bringing in the families that worked with them long before we came along! We couldn't do this without such great, hardworking, and nice people.

Merry Christmas, happy new year, and may your 2022 be the best yet!   

  

  

Black and white...but not

It's the last day of November. We had our first snow...and then more snow...and the world is beautiful.

Of course, it makes everything take longer, and we have to plow snow, and we have to make sure the cattle are comfortable, but the beauty of it makes it all worth it. 

Everything changes day by day, nothing is for certain, and we are thankful for yet another great fall as we head into winter. 

Thanks for sharing the road

 

This week we're hauling manure out of the lagoon. As I took this picture as they went by me on the road, I wanted to thank everyone for moving over and going slow for our equipment.

I know it's hard to be patient, so thank you today and every day!

Michigan State University class tour

Today Michigan State University animal science professor Miriam Weber Nielsen brought her class out for a tour! She's brought many classes in the past, but it has been a few years now, and so it was so wonderful having them back.

Kris and I talked about our farm, how we do it, things that might be different than other farms they have been to (like cattle on pasture and natural bull breeding), and the economics of dairy farming. We walked through the calf barn, then went to the dairy barns, manure lagoon, and showed them the expansion on the free stall barn - the stalls and the maternity section.

Points:

- I love giving tours of the farm. Many of these students had been on a dairy farm before, but there are always questions you have never gotten before. 

Today, my favorite question came from Tony, who said, "I've been to farms, and I have to ask - why the Toyota Sienna? Why do you all have one?" 

My answer was immediate. "Farmers usually have a lot of kids, they get great gas mileage, and if things really got bad and we lost everything, we could put down the seats and sleep five in the back of it."

Ha! I didn't even know other farmers had Siennas! 

- The students were talking about how they had a presentation from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan last week, and Ryan said, "I bought a gallon of milk after hearing that presentation. I've been drinking a glass a day." That warmed my dairy-loving heart.

- I encouraged all the students to find a favorite calf and take pictures with it, and they played along. Of course, animal science people are usually animal lovers. No one took me up on my offer to take a kitten or a tire home. (I was kidding about the kittens, but I was not kidding about the tires. Everyone - come and take a tire!)

- The students were talkative and enjoyable, and Miriam was great as always. We have an open door policy - come and visit anytime! I'll even give you a spin in my farm Sienna.

Thank you Miriam, and thank you students!

I post much more frequently at https://www.facebook.com/TruthOrDairy and https://www.instagram.com/truthordairyfarm/ - come and join me!

Sudax in ten days

We put our cattle out in our sudax field to eat it instead of chopping it - it all ends up in the same place! (Sudax is a sorghum and sudangrass hybrid that looks similar to corn, but without the ears. It grows fast and cattle love it.)

Our neighbors are so great...we had four of them contact us to ask if the cattle were supposed to be in that field. Isn't it nice they're watching out for us?

Kris and I were guessing how long it would take them to eat it, and all the leaves were gone, with most of the stalks chewed, after ten days. Ten days in one field! It was so interesting. First you couldn't see the cattle, then you could see some, and then you could eventually see them all.

Before

 

After

We have new Team Chocolate Milk gear, and I love it! I had a half marathon in Lansing this month, and it went great. I love this picture the race photographer took, because it captures how happy I am when I run.

I spend a lot of time working my full time job, driving the kids around, helping with homework, and hanging out with my friends and family. Kris spends a lot of time working, working with our team, and spending time with our friends and family. I run into strangers from time to time who read the blog, and I appreciate every single one of you. Thanks!