Farmer Resilience
In the aftermath of a mass shooting earlier this year on the campus of Michigan State University, the university’s dairy has served as a place for comfort by inviting students to de-stress by petting MSU cows and calves.
Raising teens isn’t for the faint of hearts. Raising teens is not easy and while many of those years are spent watching our children thrive on and off the farm, other times we are just trying to survive.
Are you interested in being more effective in business and personal interactions? Are you tired of butting heads with that annoying person on your team? JD Fiechtner, DVM, shares tips to “Be Better Than Before.”
Negativity breeds negativity, right? Remember that. But the same can be said about positivity. Positivity can grow if we choose it too. Flip a switch on your mind, that will turn up cheerfulness on the farm.
Producers feel exhausted dealing with the highs and lows of the industry. Add in the current state of the dairy economy with low milk prices, and it’s not too surprising that mental health is also impacting producers.
Gar-Lin Dairy Farm is thrilled to have Luke Bryan make his way back for the second straight year as a tour stop at their dairy farm in Eyota, Minn. Gar-Lin Dairy Farm will again host the show on Sept. 23, 2023.
Twenty years, Scott and I were married on our family dairy farm. It all goes by quickly, especially when you build a family and expanded a farm simultaneously. It’s all kind of a blur.
Two things have had a huge impact on Jeff Corle’s life—music and dairy cows. After high school, Corle headed south to Nashville, to pursue his dream of working in the music industry.
Adversity is a character test. From low milk prices, rising interest rates, weather and supply chain hiccups, farmers are used to dealing with adversity and things beyond their control. Our character is challenged daily.
An ongoing march to pay farm workers more continues to unfold in the state of New York as agriculture labor regulations have drastically changed. From farm owners to farm workers, this has all led to confusion.
Tucked in the rolling hills of a quaint New England town, Fairholm Farm in Woodstock, Ct., a century-old farm’s recipe for success also includes technology and securing additional profit sources.
Often times, life reveals a path greater than anything we could have planned on our own. That’s how it worked out for Cindale Farms when they embarked upon the journey to Southern Craft Creamery.
A winning tradition unfolds in the midsection of the country each Memorial Day weekend for the biggest motorsports event in the world. The Indy 500 is a tradition that Indiana dairy farmers get to help orchestrate.
An estimated 12,000 youth were injured on farms, with 4,000 of these injuries due to farm work in 2014. Sydni Mell and her brother Sam, both who grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, understand that statistic all too well.
Farm moms are in the fields, milking cows, feeding calves, paying the bills and somehow still manage to put supper on the table. They are very involved in their community and show up at their kid’s school events.
I wish grandpas never had to die. Especially the ones that sported bib overalls and rubber boots. I promise you this, the younger generation will reshare your stories and remember your advice long after you are gone.
When the going seems tough, don’t give up. Be brave, even when milk prices drop, feed prices rise and the next chapter of your farm seems like an uphill battle. Remember, the younger generation is watching.
Imagine receiving a phone call from the government telling you to euthanize your entire herd. That’s the nightmare Art Schapp, owner of Highland Dairy in Clovis, New Mexico, wished had never come true.
It is hard to think about what our dairy operation could look like three to five years from now. Consider moving one thing on your to-do list off for another day and make time to talk about the future of your dairy.
Last week Tillamook County, Ore. was blanketed with a foot of snow causing barn roofs to collapse and playing havoc to local farmers and milk haulers.
A dozen years ago, Walnutdale Farms experienced something a farm never wishes to happen. The Michigan dairy lost its milking parlor in a fire in 2010. Since then, the family dairy has grown in more ways than one.
Challenges surface—whether that is from the world around us, our industry, our farm, our family, or even the challenges in our own head. Although dairy farmers are not the kind of people who make excuses.
While a winter storm is par for the course for many upper Midwest dairies, the workload for Joe Vander Kooi of Ocheda Dairy in Worthington, Minn., quickly turned into a life-or-death rescue situation.
The bomb cyclone has sucker punched California. While farmers have prayed for rain to end the drought plaguing the state, a leading expert says that the bomb cyclone will not end California’s persistent drought.
While normally any moisture to the Golden State would be welcomed, the massive “Bomb Cyclone” storm hitting California is far from normal. High winds, heavy rain and power outages have impacted California farmers.
Tyler Bohnert gnawed his way to the top by illustrating the very same qualities demonstrated on the family farm. Hard work, teamwork, sacrifice and commitment. Show up. Work hard. No excuses.
The statistics surrounding mental health are alarming. The reasons varied, but while the holidays can be a time of happiness, it also can be challenging. Follow these tips if you notice your mental health worsening.
Dairy farmers are the real champions, as you are all a source of inspiration, showcasing anything is possible when it is combined with faith, determination and hard work.
New York dairy farm families work hard to care for their cows, even when a historic snowstorm dumped three plus feet of snow on their farms.
One year ago, a tornado completely devasted Wellacrest Farms, New Jersey’s largest dairy farm. Community support outpoured from a group of Amish to a GoFundMe account that helped with the rebuild.