More than 208,000 jobs could disappear if we were to eliminate the immigrant work force in the dairy industry. These hard-working folks are performing jobs that, year after year, go unfilled by our domestic workforce.

My husband, Eric, and I have officially been owners of the farm for almost three months. We finished our corn silage recently, which made our first summer of harvesting our own crops complete. This means we have survived busy summer weekends, crazy weeks, finding a babysitter and everything else that comes along with farming in a summer.

At the end of the school year last year, Tucker and Cassidy pulled me into an aisle during our weekly Theisen’s trip. “Mommy, we want a drone,” Tucker said. “I have tons of money in my savings account. Can we get it?”

When I meet readers in person, they often ask me: “What are you seeing out there? What’s new?” One of the things I’m seeing frequently is an emphasis on training and employee development.

Family traditions have always been an integral part of my life. We celebrate holidays and have family reunions, like many other families, but we have other traditions that fill our daily lives.

The beef calf is like the troublemaker in class. The look in their eyes is not one of intelligence but defiance. They’ll cut in the lunch line if they want to. The other kids shake their heads – but also kind of respect them.

Henry Hemminghaus, my great-grandfather, was born in Germany in May of 1858. Born to parents who made their living in agricultural work, Henry worked alongside them, learning all he could. He was a hard-working, industrious young man pursuing a big dream.

Cats. Some people love ’em and some people can’t stand ’em. Internet cat videos constantly rank among the highest number of views. But always running a close second place to the 2016 Buckeyes’ football upset loss to Penn State, 24 to 21. That was for my readers in Michigan.

Proposals to reform U.S. immigration policies and address the labor needs of agriculture continue to mount as the congressional calendar gets fuller and shorter.

What is it that you want to do? What’s your dream come true at World Dairy Expo (WDE)?