One of my favourite stories to tell is about the time my grandmother made pancakes with a dead mouse.
She lived on a remote island in British Columbia and spent her winters in Mexico. I went to visit often. On one visit, following her return from a recent Mexico trip, my grandmother – or Nana, as I call her – decided to cook me and my mum pancakes.
The three of us were chatting in the kitchen, watching my nana cook for us, when my mum got up for a water glass and noticed an odour and flecks of red in the pancake batter. We started to run through the potential causes: The eggs were fresh from a nearby farm, and the milk we had bought the day before. They dared to take a bite of a pancake and immediately spat it out.
Finally, my nana had the idea to check the oil. She opened the cupboard below her and pulled up the bottle of vegetable oil; we looked at each other and screamed. Floating at the bottom of the bottle was a perfectly preserved dead mouse.
What ensued, after my nana came back from running the oil straight to the bin outside, was a rigorous oral cleansing routine and fair bit of theatrics.
After nearly two-and-a-half years at Progressive Dairy, I can’t help but think if my nana had used butter this never would have happened, but I don’t have to make that case to you.
This issue of Progressive Dairy will be my last as an editor. My time here has ended as I prepare to move to Scotland this month to pursue my master’s degree. Thankfully, butter’s superiority isn’t the only thing I’ve learned during my time here, and for that I want to express my gratitude to the Progressive Publishing team. I am very fortunate to have been a part of such an uplifting team, and I am thankful for all I have learned from them.
I often struggle concluding my editorials because I feel an imaginary pressure to close with some parting words of wisdom when any attempt to do so would be in vain. At 23, I am likely younger than most of you, and I certainly have less life experience, at least in the agricultural world.
At any rate, the more I read and learn, the less I feel I know. So instead of attempting to leave you with a mildly intellectual-sounding tidbit, I defer to the wise, accomplished people featured in this issue. For example, the article (3 Open Minutes with Dr. Temple Grandin), I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Dr. Temple Grandin about her thoughts on the latest trends in dairy and what they could mean for animal welfare. In the article (Lindenright Holsteins named Master Breeder for second time), Progressive Dairy editor Matti McBride shares the story of two-time Master Breeder winners Lindenright Holsteins and their well-rounded management philosophy.
And article (RockyMountain Holsteins’ legacy continues six years after quota sale , you will learn how RockyMountain Holsteins leveraged genomics, international connections and the spirit of the West to earn their Master Breeder shield. On page 45, John van Beek, a retired robotic milking technician, reflects on the lessons he gathered while in the industry.
I am very excited about this issue; I hope you enjoy it. Farewell and thank you.
