Jumping from silo to silo

In our celebration of National Ag Week - here's my dad, Jack Anderson! We bought the farm from my parents, and my dad has helped us every single step of the way. I can't emphasize enough how we value his support, knowledge, and dedication. 

I don't remember when I took this picture, but I do know I took it to mark that dad jumped in between these silos - twice. 

In his own words:

Al and I were up on top of one of the silos one day working on some of the machinery up there that needed fixing. We had to next close the hatch on top of the silo right beside it. We looked over at that silo and speculated "rather than climb all the way down the silo we were on (80 feet in the air) and then climb 80 feet up the other silo, wouldn't it be easier and faster to just jump across?" 

We looked at the gap between the two silos (about 8 feet we guessed) and decided maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do without taking some precautions, because you would only get one chance to complete the jump once you started. So we climbed down to the bottom of the silo we were on and measured the distance the silos were apart and tried to jump that distance on the ground. We both were able to do it but not with much distance to spare. So we climbed back up the silo and looked over the situation from up there. We dared each other to try it but were both too scared to "take the leap". So we climbed back down and dismissed it as foolishness--which it was.  

However----I was back up on that same silo a couple of days later by myself and looked over at the other silo and thought what the heck. I took off without any preparation and cleared the gap by maybe a foot or so. It was perhaps the stupidest thing I'd done at that point in my life, but I was glad I did it. Unfortunately, no one saw me do it, so what was the point? I, of course, told everyone about the jump but that's not the same.  

I did make that same jump about two weeks later when I climbed to the top again but with Patrick Fitzpatrick following close behind. While he was still on the ladder coming up, I jumped over to the other silo again, so although he didn't actually see me jump, he knew that I'd done it because when he got to the top, there I was on top of the other silo. I never did it again.  

Surprisingly, that was not even close to a lot more dangerous things I was involved in while I was farming, but it was the most dramatic.

Here's to family businesses

Floyd (great grandpa), Ione (great grandma), Warren (GG grandpa), Elizabeth (GG grandma), Jean (great aunt), Dale (grandpa)

Warren and Elizabeth Casterline, my great great grandparents, bought the house I live in now and 80 acres of farmland around it in 1879. They had one child, Carrie Ione. 

She married Floyd Anderson, and they took over the farm.

Then a son - my grandpa Dale (and Caroline), then their son Jack (and my mom Cherie), and then - another daughter in the mix - me!

 

Here's to family businesses on International Women's Day!

~

We were fortunate enough to buy a field from a neighbor, and they gave me all the old purchase papers, and I saw - Warren Casterline bought it in 1879! It had the entire history of purchases, including the first one from the United States. So interesting!   

My grandma Caroline. I'm lucky to grow up down the road from my grandparents.

Floyd and Ione got married in my house! (So did Jean and Stuart!)

The core five of my family

 

Milk and grandma

 

My parents had us and Kris' grandma Carol over. Carol asked Kris if he could bring her home some milk from the farm, because now that Kris' family has finished dairying, she doesn't have it. She's turning 90 this year and is in great health, and she said, "You know how they're always asking people: to what do you attribute your long life? I always say raw milk." 

(Since raw milk isn't easy or legal for everyone to get their hands on, I think this goes for milk in general. There are no rules against giving your grandma some, and if there were, who would turn her down anyway?!)

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.