In the fast-paced lifestyle of today’s society, it’s often easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of each day. Wisconsin dairy farmer Tom Heck uses stories from his personal life to remind people to cherish the small but important moments that happen every day. They’re stories about his kids, his wife, the challenges they’ve faced and the good times they’ve had. It’s something everyone can relate to, whether they’re a fellow dairy farmer or not.

It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes my kids will say something out of the clear blue that totally surprises me. Such is what happened here a while back. I was working in the barn with Catherine one day when she asked me a question that caught me totally off guard. She said, “Dad, you know what the most fun thing was that we did here last summer?”

Lately I have been thinking about my heritage and how lucky I have been to have parents and grandparents who left a clear path to follow. They were devout Christians who came from the roots of strong pioneer stock. You know the kind who worked every day of their lives to build for the future.

I know am I preaching to the choir when I tell you that making the most of every input is paramount to the success of a farming operation today. Folks that cannot control costs (at least those outside of government) simply don’t last too long in the business world, whether their business is farming or not.