Women have been an integral part of the dairy industry for a long time. After watching my own mother tame a number of wild barn cats, I would guess that women were probably involved in domesticating the cow.

Last night, my 6-year-old proudly stated that after one week of school she learned “the big three.” When most people think of education, especially grade school, they would consider the big three to be reading, writing and arithmetic.

I find it ironic that fall, which is typically referred to as an ending season, always seems to be the start of something new. For students, it is the start of a new school year. For our company, it is also our (unofficial) start of a new year.

It is always refreshing to step aside from our regular topics and deliver content on a special subject. While articles on feed and nutrition, A.I. and breeding, calf and heifer raising, and milk quality are extremely important and likely to impact what you do each day, I always enjoy taking a step back from the day-to-day and taking a broader look at the industry.

Since my last editorial on supply management was published, I’ve received a few emails and phone calls about it, and it became apparent that my message might not have been clear.

On a pleasant day in March, I arrived in Red Deer, Alberta, for the annual Western Canadian Dairy Seminars. It is always a week where I know I am going to learn something, but heading in I don’t usually know what exactly it will be.

In just two years of raising calves, my husband and I have learned a lot. Here are a few key lessons that come to mind:

As I sit here in the waiting room of our local dance studio, trying to ignore the chatter of the other parents in an effort to squeeze in a few more working minutes of the day, I can’t help but notice the pictures on the wall. Hanging there is a decade’s worth of posters showing the full dance company from each year. Dressed in their recital attire, the children, ages 3 to 18, are all smiles as the moment they had worked for all year has finally arrived.