As farmers, we have a multitude of resources available to us. We need to make a conscious effort to utilize them to help us, our animals and our farms. There are two major areas where I feel we are granted a significant amount of help: webinars/seminars and veterinarians/veterinary teaching hospitals.

Last fall, I hit a wall both mentally and physically. I was deep in the throes of my busy season, both as a farmer and a photographer.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day lives. Many women in agriculture juggle numerous responsibilities from farm work or an off-farm job to children, extracurricular activities, household responsibilities and more.

It’s all too easy to look at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange right now and think, “Wow, class III is $23 per hundredweight (cwt)! It’s about time dairy farmers got a break.”

If there is one thing I learned while growing up on the family dairy, it’s that farmers wear a lot of hats. No, I’m not talking about all the free ball caps stashed on the shelf in the coat closet. I am talking about the occupational hats farmers wear.

As farmers, we pride ourselves in the things we grow, like our calves and crops. According to merriam-webster.com, growth is defined as “the process of growing.”

Raise your hand if “reading more” was one of your New Year’s resolutions. If yes, you’re in luck. If not, I’d reconsider it. I really committed to reading more in 2021 with my friend Dorothy – and yes, the audiobooks count too.