Blogs

More than a year ago, I received a random direct message (DM) on Instagram. It was from a female farmer out in California who I had never met. She asked if I wanted to join a female farmer group. If I am being honest, it was pretty random. (We laugh about this now.) Why would I want to join a group of women I had never met? But, I thought, “What the heck? I am a millennial. Why not make friends with random strangers on the internet?” So that’s when I decided to say yes to joining the group!

I’m not gonna lie. As a farm kid, I dreaded when school was out for the summer. Ahh, when school gets out for the summer to a farmer’s kid, what does it mean? Three times the work and no money. I failed algebra three times on purpose just so I could stay in summer school.

There’s no doubt the dairy industry is in challenging times. Low milk prices, changing consumer preferences, devastating weather conditions and an ever-changing political environment has resulted in much uncertainty throughout the industry.

The year was 1990. The task: coloring a beaver. It was my first day of kindergarten, and there was a lot on the line as we sat on miniature chairs and looked each other over, trying to figure out where we were going to fit into society.

Lately, I have been studying the book of Isaiah. I love that book because every time I read it, poetic treasures spring from its pages and I understand their significance for our day. This time was no different. I found a treasure in Isaiah’s account of King Hezekiah.

My dad is the most selfless and caring person I know. I think he’s so good at it because he practices those traits day in and day out with his cows. Dairy farmers put their cows’ needs before themselves so much that they dedicate their lives to the sole purpose of their cows’ comfort and well-being.