Dropping Milk Prices, Emotional Stress

If you don’t know by now, consider this your notice, milk prices on-farm have been dropping for months and currently are at the lowest point they have been in almost 7 years.  The last time financial impacts like this hit the dairy community there was a mass exodus of producers, many of which wish they didn’t have to sell their cows but they couldn’t provide for their families anymore.  This is our current reality.  Today I read articles about record cheese inventories in the United States putting pressure on milk price to drop even lower.  I heard from fellow dairy farmers that the exodus has started again, dairy farmers are being forced to sell their herds and even land in order to pay off debt and save themselves.  This dip in prices will have long lasting effects on the dairy community, no matter the size of the farm.  It does not discriminate.  So as a reader, why should you care?  What is my purpose in sharing this with you? 

These dairy farmers work tirelessly for their families, their cows, their farms, and yes you the consumers.  They are experiencing emotional stress that you can’t even describe.  These dedicated farmers wake up every morning fully aware that they are literally paying admission to milk their cows.  They are not receiving income from their farms, but paying just to keep them.    Many farms are accumulating thousands and even millions of dollars of debt just to feed and care for their cows.   But it isn’t the financial situation that concerns me the most.  What concerns me the most is the emotional and mental health of these amazing people.

These men and women will most likely sacrifice everything they have to give to keep doing the one thing they know and love, milking cows.  I talked to a dear friend in Ohio who has a small herd.  He told me he will farm until he’s completely broke and go to a food bank for himself and his wife before he sacrifices his cows.   That’s right, he would sacrifice for his family before he would sacrifice for his cows.  He’s not alone, I know many just like him.  I know of farmers trying to make cuts to the budget, but they refuse to compromise their soil, water, and cows’ well-being.  These passionate men and women believe in a hope that is impossible to describe, because many believe if they keep pushing forward through the hard times that good times will soon follow.  Their perseverance pushes them to keeps them fighting for their calling.   Crops were planting this spring and hay is being harvested, farmers’ optimism continues, but at what price?  I can see the stress on their tired faces.  The worry is in their eyes: how will they feed and clothe their families, how will they pay even part of their monthly bills, how long will this last and can they make it that long? 

What can you do to help farmers?  Keep drinking milk, eating cheese and enjoying yogurt.  Dairy foods are some of the most local foods we have available, with the average gallon of milk traveling no more than 100 miles to the grocery store from the nearest dairy farm.  By drinking milk, you are helping your neighboring dairy farmers.  Please help these amazing farmers provide for their families and yours, by doing something as simple as making sure you and your family enjoys 3 servings of dairy each day.  And while you’re at it, please pray for these hard working heroes, they need all the love and support they can get!  Thank you!

Inspired by Youth

It was another busy weekend at the farm. Besides the usual milking and feeding chores we have been trying to haul out some manure to the fields when the soil is frozen and solid or where we have dry hills. The top soil is drying nicely and it looks that we may be planting corn on time this year, with little risk of snow. The flood waters are disappearing as quickly as they appeared...but in places, especially near the Minnesota River, the flooding is still very present. I saw some awful sights of flooding while driving north this Saturday.

I had the honor of judging a local dairy princess contest on Saturday afternoon. I didn't know what to expect, as this was the 1st time that I actually judged a contest. Don't get me wrong, I think I was qualified to judge, I was a "butter head" in 2002, I have been a county princess coordinator for 3 years, and I have been actively involved in the dairy industry since birth ;) I have just never been on the other side of the table. It was a HARD job to judge those candidates. Each of them had such great skills and talents, each different and valuable. Some were great speakers, others were so genuine, and others were extremely knowledgeable. But ALL of them had passion and dedication for the dairy industry. Their positive attitudes were so contagious! Even though judging them was hard work, I left filled with pride in the princess program and the great connections it makes on behalf of dairy farmers.

These 4 talented women also gave me reinforcement that this blog has value, that giving tours to school aged kids has value and that each positive connection that I make as a dairy producer will hopefully help a consumer make the right choice at supper or dinner time.....I hope they choose dairy. Dairy foods supply so many valuable nutrients that the average consumer doesn't get enough of during the day....so have you had your 3 servings today???? If not...make sure you start Monday out with a glass of cold milk and a cup of yogurt! Thanks!

Dedication...the word of the day.

Before I get to dedication, I would like everyone to know that Yevette is doing much better today! She was up and alert this morning, ready for her bottle. After drinking 2.5 pints of fresh cow's milk, she napped all day! It was so cute! And she's passing manure too! So we are going to keep her on antibiotics for the next few days. We know we are not out of the woods yet, but she's giving us positive signs!

We also started weaning Joey today. Weaning means that we are gradually allowing Joey to eat more dry feed and water instead of being dependent on milk for her food source. We start weaning by providing water in the morning instead of milk, and feed milk only at night for about 5-7 days. We closely monitor how well the calves adjust to water, and when they are ready we transition them to water for both feedings. So far Joey is taking to weaning just fine! She's eating lots of dry feed as well. We switch calves to water at about 45-60 days old. We do this for a couple of reasons: cost, convenience, and the most important reason: dry feed and water help to stimulate and rumen development. Dry grain and water stimulates the papillae in the rumen to grow and develop, therefore growing into a very healthy and efficient stomach to digest forages in the future. Milk is digested in the abomasum, therefore it does not help to develop the rumen. Anything we can do to make healthy future cows!

As for dedication...Dairy farmers are dedicated, more than most consumers would ever know. This week we celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary. Most married couples would have went out to for drinks, a romantic dinner, and a stroll by starlight, but not us. Don't get me wrong, we did have plans, plans for dinner and drinks anyways. BUT...the cows had other ideas. We worked hard all day. Even though we could take ALL day off for our anniversary we thought we would take the evening off after milking. We hurried through the tasks for the day and started our chores early in the evening. As hard as we worked to get ahead, the "farm" pushed us back twice as hard. It's frustrating some days, but dairy farmers often learn to deal with it. Dairy farmers' wives have a harder time dealing with it, including me. Even though I understand, it still doesn't change the fact that I am a woman and I like to have my special nights ;)

Nevertheless, we had 2 baby calves born that day. The sprinkler system for the cows was broke and needed to be fixed ASAP. One of the pulsators in the milking parlor was not working, so it needed to be fixed. AND because the weather was so hot and humid we needed to water the cattle and calves multiple times. After all of that it was too late to go on our date. Instead we finished up, headed home after 10pm, had a small supper, and went to bed-romantic huh?

When I was working at the local cooperative I worked with many dairy farmers. Some who had enough cows that they could afford to hire labor to handle the farm so they could go out with their families and wives. Others, who did not have enough cows to afford hiring labor, but still found a way by being flexible. Some dairy farmers have not ever gone on a vacations and others only leave the farm to go to town for parts and Sunday church-and they were proud of this! Dedication. Dedicated to their cows, not because it makes them money, but because they genuinely want the best for their cows. They don't walk away when a cow is calving or sick to be with their families, but tend to their cows first. Vacations take a back seat to making high quality feeds to make healthy cows and quality milk. Often dairy farmers make sacrafices, most of which go unknown to the consumer. So here's to you, Dairy Farmer! For your deidcation, putting your animals first, supporting your family and caring for your farm. You should be in the Webster next to the definition.

Dedication.