“Sometimes blessings come in ugly wrapping paper.”
—Robbie Norton

A small pack of dogs sat on top of the hill and watched us speed by. Everywhere in Bolivia, there are dogs.

All the experience and knowledge gained by producers through a lifetime in the beef industry is now being put to the test. Stunningly, it may not be enough to fully grasp the economic impact felt by producers in the supply chain.

The spread of COVID-19 has caused shifts in the beef demand structure; coupled with global economic uncertainty, it is affecting the entire beef supply chain.

Last spring we had an unusual amount of rain, for Montana anyway. I personally loved it. It was so good for our fields, and it really took some pressure off of irrigating.

My, oh my, how fast things can change. It’s hard to think a few short months ago, the word “coronavirus” only made us think about calf scours and masks were something you only wore on Halloween. I’ll tell you what, for all those folks last December who were making jokes about 20/20 vision, I can say they sure didn’t see this coming.

The COVID-19 global pandemic is bringing new meaning to what we previously thought of as a crisis. Milk prices plummeted, packing plants closed temporarily, and there may be more strains on our food supply chain in the weeks and months to come. With so much out of our control, maintaining our mental health and developing grit are essential to becoming better versions of ourselves on the other side of this health crisis.

Risks exist if there is something you don’t want to happen and it has a chance to happen. As dairy farmers, we face risks every day of every kind.