In my father’s milk herd, there is one little Jersey that stands out in contrast to a whole herd of Holsteins. Although she doesn’t stand taller than the rest or match the consistent black and white, she isn’t afraid of being different.

In fall 2011, my husband and I purchased a retiree’s small herd, which was mostly A.I.-sired. We added them to his family’s original herd, which was mostly herd-bull sired. None of the cows were registered, but all were Holstein.

Every day, dairy farmers go to great lengths to care for their cows. In this series from Dairy MAX, Jodi Jackson of Bentwood Dairy in Texas shares her story about caring for an older cow who was frequently pushed out of the feed trough. Can you relate?

Among the masses, prayer has become a thing to post on Facebook, a thing for only church-goers and religious fanatics, and seldom a thing to change the course of one’s life. Jesus meant it when he said, “Ask and ye shall receive,” but for many it is a matter of, “I don’t know how to ask.”

Dragging our moldboard plow through the fields in the spring always tended to turn up more than just the soil. Sometimes there would be a cow’s lost neck chain that got scraped into the spreader or parts of a deer carcass turkey buzzards might have pulled off the road.

For me to effectively tell this story, we need to go back in time. The year is 2002, and my husband, Nate, is in his third year of college pursuing a degree in political science with goals of becoming a lawyer.

We all love a good story. We all like to see the bad guy lose. And we all like to see a big girl squeeze into a wedding dress that’s three sizes too small just to watch her family cry. That’s why they created “reality television.”

I sat down the other day to write down all the upcoming appointments, church activities and sports for the kids. As I continued filling in the space for the next couple of months, I found myself feeling a little overwhelmed. How in the world am I going to do all this with a newborn baby? I caught myself wondering why in the world would I sign up for this many things.

Starting next week, I begin training a new calf feeder at Cedar-Pine Farm. The title of calf feeder has been mine for six years, and believe me – I am ready to give it up!

As a family we have been thinking about our farm transfer for over five years. We have talked about it. We have changed it. We have lost sleep over it. We have made plans. And more plans. And then a few more.