“Exceptions are expensive,” said a dairy producer at a recent conference. This producer was explaining how his farm prefers to use sort gates to pull out cows that need attention after they are milked, as opposed to headlocks where the entire pen of cows is held up to treat those that are the exception.

My oldest daughter works in human resources for a business that manufactures food processing equipment.

I’ve been fortunate to grow up in the cow business. From the time I was young, I traveled with a professional cattle photographer to all parts of the country, showed cattle across North America and attended hundreds of sales, as my father was a sale manager.

As I look around my neighbourhood, in a right-to-farm community, there is one word that comes to mind as we begin a new year – build.

Our school had its annual fall fundraiser, an evening of family fun activities with food and a live auction, put on by a group of volunteer parents, teachers and staff members.

One of my favourite stories to tell is about the time my grandmother made pancakes with a dead mouse.

Some people spend their summers at the beach or on a lake. With second or third crop in by now, you’re probably thinking you’ve spent some significant time in a hayfield.