Day on The FarmLife on a Michigan Dairy Farm

In America, we have the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food supply in the world.

Consider this: just about everything we eat, wear, and use comes from American agriculture.  In Michigan, agriculture contributes over $91.4 billion annually to the state’s economy. With the state’s wide variety of climates and soil types, Michigan farms produce over 200 commodities, second only to California in terms of agricultural diversity (they grow citrus as well).

Cranes and Canada geese enjoying one of the fields on our dairy farm

Sugar beets, potatoes, dry beans, logging, vegetables, fruit, floriculture and, of course, dairy are just an example of the commodities produced right here in the state.  Michigan ranks first in production of blueberries, cucumbers for pickles, flowering hanging baskets, geraniums for seeds and cutting, impatiens and petunias.  Milk is Michigan’s top commodity, with the dairy industry annually contributing $14.7 billion to the state’s economy. In 2012, Michigan produced about 8.9 billion pounds of milk.

Diversity can be seen right here in our own county.  In Calhoun County, farmers produce and raise corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, bees, pigs, beef cattle, dairy cows, chickens, turkeys, equine, sheep, llamas, alpacas, chestnuts, sod grass, Christmas trees, popcorn, potatoes, hay, fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

We grow our own corn and alfalfa to feed our animals

Are you surprised the list is so long?

The next time you sit down to dinner, get dressed in the morning, or light a candle be sure to think of a farmer and be thankful because of their production, you are able to have those items.

Thanks to Andrea Boughton, Calhoun County Farm Bureau Co-Chair for her insight into Michigan’s diverse agriculture industry.

According to the calendar spring has sprung.

I am here to tell you that spring has not sprung here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Even Peyton the farm dog is waiting around with her ball for spring to arrive!

In the mean time we are patiently waiting for the rest of our snow to melt and soak into the earth so we can start to turn over some fresh dirt and plant some seeds.

Snow is still covering most of the ground!

Still snowy in April... Spring where are you??

We have gone over every piece of farm machinery and they are ready to go as soon as the weather turns.

I did go out the other day and rake a small grassy place right in front of our house but couldn’t get through the snow to dump my wheelbarrow!  We are thankful for all of the moisture after the extremely dry summer.

And, so, we patiently wait for spring to arrive…..

Spring is always such a beautiful time of the year. Flowers and trees are starting to bloom, birds are chirping and the weather will be getting beautiful. Lately, I have seen my bulbs starting to poke out of the ground.

A few little brave shoots poking out

Can you see the little splash of purple?

But when you live on a farm, there is another sound that is exciting: the churning of tractor engines. Althought that hasn’t happened yet, it will soon. By April, the guys will be busy starting to prepare for planting season.

Until that begins, some other things have been happening on the farm. We have seen dairy calves being urged to walk. Yes, the kids have picked out their 4-H calves and have started working with them for the fair. It’s actually kind of funny to see these adorable little kids and calves trying to get acquainted! Out of 10 cousins, five are taking a dairy calf to the fair this year. Some of the kids are still either too young or not the right age based on 4-H standards.

My husband, Brad, and his brother Mark are actively working on plans to build a new milking parlor. The current parlor was the first one of its kind in the state of Michigan. Grandpa Frank worked to get a more modern parlor versus a milking stanchion. That parlor has been through three generations and is getting a little tired.

A new parlor will create a better flow for the cows to get to the barn safely, more room for the cows in the actual parlor, and a better holding pen that is more suitable for the animals waiting to be milked.

The guys are excited about the possibilities this will present for future generations to work with. Although the details are still being discussed and plans are being drawn up, the buzz you hear in the air isn’t just the bees.

To be continued…

Life happens when you least expect it.

Today, March 1st, I turn 30.

I’ve been afraid of that number since I turned 25 – the first time!

However, since then, I have realized that much worse things can happen than turning 30, and in five years’ time a lot of amazing things can happen, too.

In fact, had you told me 12 years ago that I would be where I am today, I would have laughed out loud.

Senior year of high school, with my two BFFs. I was ready to take on the world!

At 18 I thought I was fully capable of taking on the world, and the world was anywhere but a tiny little town that smelled like cow manure. Now, when I leave this tiny little town that smells like cow manure, I can’t wait to go back.

Marrying my best friend

This really was meant to be home.

So fast forward to today, and I still think I can take on the world, but that is only because of the people I have around me who have made me the person I am through giving me their time, their knowledge and their love.

I’ll admit when I first started milking cows with my husband about a year and a half after we were married – just eight years ago – I never thought I’d be doing much more than just going through the motions of milking.

That lasted about the first day.

Then, when Jason pitched the idea to me that we could own and run our own farm, I had already fallen so in love with what we were doing, and he had it all down on paper, I thought that would be a piece of cake, too.

That lasted about a day, as well.

What does it take to get from being pregnant with our first child and setting out to take on whatever challenges stood in our way, to starting our own dairy and really making it happen – including having four kids, and still being head-over-heels in love with each other and our career of choice? The answer: A LOT!

Anything can look good on paper, and, honestly, I am so thankful it did.

Had I known the struggles, the determination, the occasional heartache we would encounter making this happen, I may have wondered if we shouldn’t have left well enough alone. Looking back, there were rough patches, but standing in our parlor today, looking around at our beautiful cows, our happy children who know we are working toward a future for them, and my husband who has been by my side every step of the way, and who has never once questioned his reasoning for doing this for us, for our family – the good far, far outweighs the bad.

In the last seven years we purchased an empty 30 acre piece of ground, built a dairy and our home on it, acquired 200+ acres of rented ground so we can be as self-sufficient as possible at feeding our cows, prepared to grow our herd as our family ages, maintained the health of our animals, improved our milk quality, became spokespeople for our dairy, learned as much as we could, surrounded ourselves with amazing people, survived a drought, and we continue to survive volatile milk and commodity markets, and are raising four happy, healthy children.

Whew!

Jason and I have found that every door we open has a dozen more doors behind it just waiting to be opened as well. Right now, we are having lots of fun continuing to open doors and to find out more about ourselves and where we can take our business to next. I think it goes without being said that some doors needed to be closed, as well, but not for nothing. Every experience has made us who we are today.We have accomplished so much and I can only hope the next 30 years of my life will be as good as the last!

Who has the deepest, most beautiful, sparkling chocolate brown eyes you have ever seen?

Who has the softest, shiniest, sleekest ebony-colored hair you’ve ever touched?

Who has the most effervescent personality and continues to love you even when you are unlovable?

That would be Peyton the Brock family farm dog!

Our favorite farm dog!

Peyton is an outdoor dog, but I must admit she does sneak in for a few minutes from time to time! Peyton loves to fetch with a tennis ball and I think the farther you throw it the faster she runs to get it! Doing yard work can sometimes be a difficult task when Peyton is constantly dropping her ball at your feet! She loves to swim and we make numerous trips every day with her to the pond in the summertime.

I know I’m partial, but everyone who meets Peyton loves her!

At night, I tie Peyton up to keep her safe from any wild creatures lurking in the dark, and she has the snuggest bed around the farm, in a corner full of hay in the barn.

Peyton has several hollowed-out, toasty nests where she sleeps.

Not only do cows receive special care on our farm, but also the most-loved dog around – Peyton, the farm dog!