By Emily Mollenhauer: MDI State Director
The cool weather the past few day has undoubtedly gotten me excited for fall. There are so many things that I love about the season from the cool crisp mornings milking cows to a fresh apple pie out of the oven, it always rises to the top of my lists of seasons. As farmers, some “dread” the fall season due to the long tiresome harvest days, but I think that most farmers find immense satisfaction in watching their crops being harvested and knowing that they did their best to nurture them through the summer.
Every day of dairy farming is kind of like starting up the combine for the first time each fall isn’t it? What a unique industry that we get to be apart of where the wholesome product that we produce, milk, is harvested not just in the fall, but multiple times each and every day. Sometimes I think that the repetition of what dairy farming is can damper down the uniqueness of the product we produce. There are not very many other agricultural sectors that get to provide such a fresh product to their consumers each and every day.
With this never ending “harvest” of milk, it is easy to put yourself, your family, etc. on the backburner. This fall, I hope that you take some time to do something for yourself or your family. If you aren’t cared for, it’s hard to care for your farm and your cattle. Enjoy the cool weather, take a nap on the porch, and eat plenty of apple pie. If you feel like you’re drowning and never could have time for any of those activities, know that MDI can help. Our MDI coordinators and on-farm teams help farmers set priorities, increase efficiencies, and improve your dairy farm.
