Guest Blog

There are many misconceptions surrounding the dairy industry in today’s society. From misleading videos and information to a general lack of agriculture education, many people have no idea what a typical day on a dairy farm looks like.

John Haeckel of Madison is CEO of Clean Fuel Partners, which specializes in turning organic waste into fuel. His digester plant in Dane, Wisconsin, is located between three farms and processes the manure from the farms, turning it into fuel.

We all have a narrative to tell and share. How we tell that narrative depends on many factors. Opportunities to share our narrative can be quite obvious or strategically disguised. How can you promote the dairy community by sharing your narrative?

As wives, mothers, “farmHers” and other off-farm professionals, we tend to get caught up in the day-to-day activities that go along with each of those roles. We can barely keep up with laundry and vacuuming. There’s the never-ending bookwork, low commodity prices, battling the weather, restless children, and the list could go on.

If I had a dime for every time I heard, “He’s [or she’s] not a real farmer,” I would probably make more than I do currently milking cows. Actually, I don’t milk cows. I hate milking cows. In my opinion, I think it’s the most monotonous job on a dairy farm.

These are arguably the most difficult times in (dairy) farming history, with high costs and low market prices. The conversations and climate among dairy farmers and agriculturalists often reflect this. It can be disheartening, unsatisfying and, frankly, depressing.