Ric Grummer Madison, Wisconsin Ruminant Technical Director Balchem

I have consistently been interested in women’s lives and stories, most particularly women living in rural communities. Over the years, I have often questioned what it is that makes women tick; and what do women need to fuel their spirit, feed their passions, relieve tension, and breathe freely? My experience as a woman, a mother, and an occupational therapist interested in women’s wellness education led me to engage in research with mothers of school-aged children living within rural communities. I wanted to know about their journeys in learning to care and nurture themselves when a major portion of their personal responsibilities revolve around caring for others.

Editor’s note: The following is an editorial opinion submitted to Progressive Dairyman by the author, who is the nutrition consultant for the dairy discussed. Read more about the incident he describes in this month’s issue of El Lechero. The news lead looked bland enough: Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested two dairy farm owners in Michigan October 6, alleging the couple failed to fully and accurately complete I-9 forms for new hires. The owners of the Aquila Dairy farm were taken into custody on federal charges stemming from allegations that they “defrauded the government,” following an ongoing investigation by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Dairyman Steve Hanson doesn’t like to wait. But, right now, he’s at the U.S.-Mexico border waiting to get approval to take supplies like clothes, food and building materials into the country. Just 10 miles from the border are 100 children who are also waiting. Hanson has driven five-and-a-half hours from his dairy in Clovis, New Mexico, to deliver much-needed supplies to the children at Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. This is one of the almost-monthly trips Hanson has made to the orphanage for the past five years. On his first trip, he was just accompanying a friend. “My wife and I were close with a couple, and the wife’s mother had started the orphanage,” he says. “They were coming down and asked if we wanted to come. We were interested in where she grew up, so we said ‘yes.’”

Check out the links below for a comprehensive review of events and topics that impacted dairy producers across the nation.

Christmas lights twinkle along sidewalks and glitter in store windows. Christmas carols softened the rush of shopping as people began to mimic the wise men who followed the star in the east and came to worship He who was born in Bethlehem. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.