March was a big month for us. We celebrated our heritage, we celebrated the coming of warm weather, and we celebrated Women’s History Month.

Balancing hours spent working on a dairy farm with family time can prove to be quite a challenge for many in our industry. With countless farm tasks that need to be completed each day, it can be difficult to set aside time to focus solely on family.

Picture this: An adorable one-year-old boy donning a red bandana and cow-print diaper nestled next to a dazzling white and black speckled Holstein calf lying in a picturesque green pasture.

To this day dairywoman Judy Springstroh, age 75, gets up at 3:30 every morning to milk cows alongside her daughter Amber on their 65-head tiestall dairy in Freedom, Wisconsin. Springstroh grew up on a dairy in Forest Junction, Wisconsin, and originally said she wasn’t going to marry a farmer.

When it comes to commemorating a milestone, what is the best way to celebrate? With cake, of course. The cake to celebrate the milestone in this story is carefully baked, decorated with purple frosting and an array of colorful sprinkles, and topped with 25 candles.

When local specialty hardwood lumber store owner Lou Irion called, I thought it was about an upcoming orchard pruning demonstration I had organized for our Woodland Owners Association.