I’ve been struck with an odd realization this summer: I’m closer to having kids in 4-H and youth programs than I am to having been a participant myself.

Our cover photo features the adorable doppelgänger daughter of Editor Audrey Schmitz. When Audrey and I were planning the cover image for this year’s June Dairy Month issue, I knew I wanted to see yogurt as a key component. I Googled something along the lines of “first birthday photo shoot with yogurt.”

I wrote earlier this year about selecting “joy” as my one word for the year, based on the concept from the book My One Word. I’ll follow the example Editor Peggy Coffeen set in 2017 and provide an update on how it’s going. In short, not great.

By now, you’ve likely seen the advertisements for our new, tablet-and-smartphone-friendly digital edition, or perhaps you read Walt Cooley’s editorial from the Oct. 1 issue. If you haven’t had time to explore it yourself, allow me to walk you through some of its unique features.

I had the opportunity to attend the Penn State versus Ohio State football game on Sept. 29. Unlike my college days, attending a game now requires much more planning. Back in May, I organized a block of tickets for a college alumni group.

If you’re a regular reader of this front page, you may remember Peggy Coffeen’s editorials from early 2017 about choosing one word for the year to represent what you most hope God will do in you and focus on it for the year. The concept is from the book My One Word.

This holiday season, I’m giving myself a very special gift: low expectations. Last year was my first Christmas as a married woman, and I had big plans.

Progressive Dairyman’s Dec. 12, 2017, print issue featured Roy and Mary Bergbigler in Butler, Pennsylvania. The couple farms with their daughter, MaryBeth Guynup. The buildings on their 100-cow dairy showcase the family’s faith, Mary’s love for decorating and the emphasis the whole family places on farming with the Bergbiglers’ four granddaughters.

In 2000, Roy and Mary Bergbigler were looking for inspiration for a new milking parlor for their 100-cow Holstein herd in Butler, Pennsylvania. While they wanted to keep it simple, they had a few special requests.

My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary at the end of September by going for a swim at our friends’ quarry lake. It hit 91ºF that day, tying a record set in 1936.