Sometimes in life, you have a bad day.
And then sometimes you have days that are so brutal that when you finally return home to your apartment at 10pm- (Greetings from the apartment) and start inhaling the bag of Christmas cookies you *were* saving to bring home to your dad- you have serious considerations about moving back to the middle of nowhere desert and being a bitter, sand-covered, workaholick, spinster for the rest of your life.
My friends, I had that day. So, in an effort to salvage the last 55 minutes of December 13th, I'm going to list some of the things I'm thankful for...
1. My family- I was seriously blessed in the parents department. And my sister is pretty cool. And the family tree contains some others that I'm quite fond of. And they're healthy and mostly doing well.
2. I have a job- it's good to have income. And in time, I may really like this one.
3. I'm young-ish- so there's time to get things sorted out yet.
4. Christmas is coming- which means I get to go home where there is family and there are brown cows.
5. Friends- I have a handful of people who are getting me through. And always have, and always will.
6. God only gives us what he knows we can handle- so clearly he thinks I'm kind of a big deal. haha. but really- I know it wont kill me. Just sort of feels that way.
7. My headache finally went away- After making me miserable all day... its departure is making the list.
8. Tomorrow is Friday- and one way or another, i'm doing something enjoyable this weekend.
9. Utah- if my return to the northeast doesn't pan out, I can run back to the desert and the desert has calves, and calves make me happy. And the people who own the calves are okay too.
10. There is wine.
and sometimes, 10 good things can bring a little perspective...
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Too Much Bull
Greetings on a chilly morning in WyoCo!
I dont know what it is about working from home that moves me to do a little writing, maybe it's the bright blue walls or all-you-can-drink coffee supply... either way, here we are again.
For anyone eagerly awaiting an update on CalfWatch 2012- the wait is over!
Unfortunately it was a bull. Another bull...
Which puts us somewhere around 100% bulls in the last two years (to be fair, we only have a few cows so it's only 4/4, but still, c'mon already!). But he's huge and healthy and the reports from NH say he's eating well. Fair warning folks, we don't get too attached to bulls because they end up in the freezer.
More importantly, Deiter, now officially a cow (can't call her a heifer anymore) came through calving like a champ, despite having a 100+ pound first calf. That's a good Swiss for ya' :) While it's not initially looking like she'll have the show udder I was hoping/praying for, it may improve as the swelling goes down. More than likely, I'll find a herd in WNY for her to hang out in and she'll live like a normal cow instead of a total show pet. But of course I'll visit her, since she's been a pet too long to go cold turkey and I need to see a brown cow every so often.
In other news, I held a meeting with a few dairy industry folks who were kind enough to offer their insight as my advisory group for this new job.
Since this was the last of my initial objectives to check off the original to-do list, I'm going to stop referring to it as a new job.
Bringing together a group of people with such enthusiasm and experience in serving dairy farmers, or being dairy farmers, was a great reminder of why it's important to spend as much time as possible with people who know a lot more than you do. The group included a few progressive dairy farmers, a financial consultant, veterinarian, nutritionist, animal health company rep, cooperative field people, extension specialist and my excellent adviser, and they didn't let me down- I picked up some good ideas, was given a few things to rethink, and was left feeling a huge amount of gratitude to be involved in an industry that supports young people and new initiatives to help dairy farmers as much as this group of people do.
That's about it as far as happenings, but I'm heading to a calf symposium tonight where I will again be nowhere near the smartest person in the room- so I'm sure there will be a lot of good calf-raising information making it's way back to WNY. If you don't already, find me @calfadventures on Twitter- I'll try to remember to tweet any really cool updates from the meeting.
Oh, and Happy 12-12-12!
I dont know what it is about working from home that moves me to do a little writing, maybe it's the bright blue walls or all-you-can-drink coffee supply... either way, here we are again.
For anyone eagerly awaiting an update on CalfWatch 2012- the wait is over!
Unfortunately it was a bull. Another bull...
Which puts us somewhere around 100% bulls in the last two years (to be fair, we only have a few cows so it's only 4/4, but still, c'mon already!). But he's huge and healthy and the reports from NH say he's eating well. Fair warning folks, we don't get too attached to bulls because they end up in the freezer.
More importantly, Deiter, now officially a cow (can't call her a heifer anymore) came through calving like a champ, despite having a 100+ pound first calf. That's a good Swiss for ya' :) While it's not initially looking like she'll have the show udder I was hoping/praying for, it may improve as the swelling goes down. More than likely, I'll find a herd in WNY for her to hang out in and she'll live like a normal cow instead of a total show pet. But of course I'll visit her, since she's been a pet too long to go cold turkey and I need to see a brown cow every so often.
In other news, I held a meeting with a few dairy industry folks who were kind enough to offer their insight as my advisory group for this new job.
Since this was the last of my initial objectives to check off the original to-do list, I'm going to stop referring to it as a new job.
Bringing together a group of people with such enthusiasm and experience in serving dairy farmers, or being dairy farmers, was a great reminder of why it's important to spend as much time as possible with people who know a lot more than you do. The group included a few progressive dairy farmers, a financial consultant, veterinarian, nutritionist, animal health company rep, cooperative field people, extension specialist and my excellent adviser, and they didn't let me down- I picked up some good ideas, was given a few things to rethink, and was left feeling a huge amount of gratitude to be involved in an industry that supports young people and new initiatives to help dairy farmers as much as this group of people do.
That's about it as far as happenings, but I'm heading to a calf symposium tonight where I will again be nowhere near the smartest person in the room- so I'm sure there will be a lot of good calf-raising information making it's way back to WNY. If you don't already, find me @calfadventures on Twitter- I'll try to remember to tweet any really cool updates from the meeting.
Oh, and Happy 12-12-12!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Serious Friday Happiness
Greetings from my apartment, where I've spent the morning doing everything from cleaning to mass e-mail purge and sorting through the collection of handouts I've accumulated at meetings the past couple weeks.
While I don't exactly have time, I'm in a really great mood (thank you sleeping in my own bed for a change and TGIF) and wanted to share a few of my favorite things about this time of year.
First, Christmas is coming!!! in case you weren't aware. (haha)
My family is thankfully, not big on gift-giving which means I can get excited about the holiday without ever feeling like a pack mule walking through the frenzied mass of over-caffeinated, deal-seeking shoppers at every hyper-decorated shopping center. Small blessings...
I also was ecstatic to discover I moved to one of those "small town USA's" that LOVES to rally around holidays. Our neighboring towns decorate similarly, which makes the drive back into Wyoming county really, really cool- compensating somewhat for the late hour at which I've been viewing those nicely decorate town squares lately. There are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE. And, since Christmas lights are one of my all-time favorite things... I'm feeling especially festive. I even made a wreath and wrapped lights around the deck railing outside, almost making up for not having a tree indoors.
Which brings me to another favorite of the season- the sounds and scents of Christmas. Bells ringing and countless renditions of "Last Christmas" and the deliciousness of evergreen, fires burning and cookies baking. None of which originate from my apartment since I'm not here enough to justify a tree, don't have a fireplace, and inexplicably burn everything that touches a cookie sheet. But I do have the radio on and a scentsy burner so the combination of Taylor Swift's catchy holiday tunes and "evergreen and cozy fireside" melting away is making me seriously happy. I may even try to make cookies Sunday.
Aaaand finally and most importantly, it's early December, and like many of my registered cow-loving peers, I'm impatiently waiting for a calf. Since size matters (in the show ring) the ideal time for a potential winter-aged show calf to be born is early December, and I've got a two year old heifer literally ready to pop at my parent's barn in New Hampshire, and I CANT WAIT! A heifer having her first calf is a twofer of anticipation because you have the potential of a heifer calf being born and the uncertainty of whether or not the cow will have a show-quality udder. I really like the heifer, and she's a granddaughter of my first cow (who's still hanging out in the same barn in NH), so ideally she'll develop well and I will be able to enter my first dam and daughter classes next year! Fingers most definitely crossed.
Hopefully you're enjoying some holiday happiness of your own and to all those awaiting next year's crop of show calves: good luck!
(Design, aka Deiter, as a newborn calf about two years ago)
While I don't exactly have time, I'm in a really great mood (thank you sleeping in my own bed for a change and TGIF) and wanted to share a few of my favorite things about this time of year.
First, Christmas is coming!!! in case you weren't aware. (haha)
My family is thankfully, not big on gift-giving which means I can get excited about the holiday without ever feeling like a pack mule walking through the frenzied mass of over-caffeinated, deal-seeking shoppers at every hyper-decorated shopping center. Small blessings...
I also was ecstatic to discover I moved to one of those "small town USA's" that LOVES to rally around holidays. Our neighboring towns decorate similarly, which makes the drive back into Wyoming county really, really cool- compensating somewhat for the late hour at which I've been viewing those nicely decorate town squares lately. There are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE. And, since Christmas lights are one of my all-time favorite things... I'm feeling especially festive. I even made a wreath and wrapped lights around the deck railing outside, almost making up for not having a tree indoors.
Which brings me to another favorite of the season- the sounds and scents of Christmas. Bells ringing and countless renditions of "Last Christmas" and the deliciousness of evergreen, fires burning and cookies baking. None of which originate from my apartment since I'm not here enough to justify a tree, don't have a fireplace, and inexplicably burn everything that touches a cookie sheet. But I do have the radio on and a scentsy burner so the combination of Taylor Swift's catchy holiday tunes and "evergreen and cozy fireside" melting away is making me seriously happy. I may even try to make cookies Sunday.
Aaaand finally and most importantly, it's early December, and like many of my registered cow-loving peers, I'm impatiently waiting for a calf. Since size matters (in the show ring) the ideal time for a potential winter-aged show calf to be born is early December, and I've got a two year old heifer literally ready to pop at my parent's barn in New Hampshire, and I CANT WAIT! A heifer having her first calf is a twofer of anticipation because you have the potential of a heifer calf being born and the uncertainty of whether or not the cow will have a show-quality udder. I really like the heifer, and she's a granddaughter of my first cow (who's still hanging out in the same barn in NH), so ideally she'll develop well and I will be able to enter my first dam and daughter classes next year! Fingers most definitely crossed.
Hopefully you're enjoying some holiday happiness of your own and to all those awaiting next year's crop of show calves: good luck!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Frustrated about MILC
Greetings from our booth at the NY Farm Bureau annual meeting, where I've been sitting since 11:30am (after a frantic drive in from Wyoming county) typing up a farm report since no one seems to notice us down here at the faaaaaar end of the exhibit hall. Maybe it's because attendees are in session, or maybe because they literally can't see our pretty new display since the hall is getting darker as night falls and we're soon to be lit only by a lamppost 6 feet away and Christmas lights on plants in the lobby. Either way, I found myself between thoughts on the report and checking facebook, (sue me, it happens), where I found a link to an article referencing pending financial hardship for NY dairy farms if we don't see a new Farm Bill passed by congress in fairly short order.
I'm not overly bothered by some of the assumptions used in the article- it's fair to assume that on the off chance no bill is passed and we revert to the method of milk pricing used in the 1930's (which would happen without a new bill), and the government starts buying up milk using the old formulas (which I suspect is unlikely to happen), the cost of dairy products to consumers could increase to the point of diminishing demand.
A bigger contention is that they really harp on the loss of the price support program- Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) which sets a floor on milk price paid to farmers on up to 2 million pounds of milk or so per year. What that means is that if you milk about 100 cows, all of your milk is covered, whereas if you milk 200 cows, (NY's average dairy farm size is a little less than 200 cows) only half of your milk production would be protected. So if you happen to be a larger family farm (97% of all dairy farms are family owned) then you're not getting much help from the program. And whether we want to admit it or not, 75% of our milk comes from the largest 25% of dairies- so for the relatively high dollar amount that goes out in MILC payments, it's not supporting the production of a whole lot of milk, although it does get paid to a large number of farms.
Since it's my personal blog, I get to state my personal opinion- and to me, MILC unfairly supports small farms and size is not the sole indicator of profitability of a dairy farm. Please don't take this as saying there is anything wrong with small farms- I believe there is room for everyone in the milk production arena who can operate profitably; but in my experience, MILC payments support some unprofitable farms when economics say that farm shouldn't be in business anymore (for the time being, I'll leave untouched the topic of overall milk production economics and milk pricing being a big, ugly, inadequate system). MILC also fails to address that milk price alone doesn't determine if a farm is profitable. With the high cost of corn and other crops that are typically used to feed cows, the cost of making milk is up significantly, so it's harder to make a profit even though milk prices are high compared to the average price over time. So technically, even if dairy farms are losing money right now, MILC wouldn't kick in and help them until the price of milk drops another couple dollars. Not actually all that helpful.
So basically, we need a new Farm Bill, one that is renamed the "Social Welfare Bill" to reflect that 90% of the money that goes to funding it is paid out in WIC and Food Stamps, and we need a better type of price support that is equally beneficial to small and large farms. In this time of high feed cost, everyone buying grain and forages to feed their cows is in the same boat, and size doesn't help- whether you're losing $1 a day on each of your 100 cows or $1 a day on each of your 1,000 cows- you're having a hard time.
And finally, can we PLEASE stop acting like there's something wrong with having a large dairy farm. There are savvy families running great dairy farms of all sizes in this state, and they all need access to support from disasterous prices.
I'm sure in the final hour, congress will pass a bill and we will avoid 1930's milk pricing. Even so, MILC can and should go away, and a better program will take it's place. And eventually we will have appropriate milk pricing. And eventually HSUS will go away. And eventually everyone will milk Brown Swiss.
It's good to be optimistic.
I'm not overly bothered by some of the assumptions used in the article- it's fair to assume that on the off chance no bill is passed and we revert to the method of milk pricing used in the 1930's (which would happen without a new bill), and the government starts buying up milk using the old formulas (which I suspect is unlikely to happen), the cost of dairy products to consumers could increase to the point of diminishing demand.
A bigger contention is that they really harp on the loss of the price support program- Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) which sets a floor on milk price paid to farmers on up to 2 million pounds of milk or so per year. What that means is that if you milk about 100 cows, all of your milk is covered, whereas if you milk 200 cows, (NY's average dairy farm size is a little less than 200 cows) only half of your milk production would be protected. So if you happen to be a larger family farm (97% of all dairy farms are family owned) then you're not getting much help from the program. And whether we want to admit it or not, 75% of our milk comes from the largest 25% of dairies- so for the relatively high dollar amount that goes out in MILC payments, it's not supporting the production of a whole lot of milk, although it does get paid to a large number of farms.
Since it's my personal blog, I get to state my personal opinion- and to me, MILC unfairly supports small farms and size is not the sole indicator of profitability of a dairy farm. Please don't take this as saying there is anything wrong with small farms- I believe there is room for everyone in the milk production arena who can operate profitably; but in my experience, MILC payments support some unprofitable farms when economics say that farm shouldn't be in business anymore (for the time being, I'll leave untouched the topic of overall milk production economics and milk pricing being a big, ugly, inadequate system). MILC also fails to address that milk price alone doesn't determine if a farm is profitable. With the high cost of corn and other crops that are typically used to feed cows, the cost of making milk is up significantly, so it's harder to make a profit even though milk prices are high compared to the average price over time. So technically, even if dairy farms are losing money right now, MILC wouldn't kick in and help them until the price of milk drops another couple dollars. Not actually all that helpful.
So basically, we need a new Farm Bill, one that is renamed the "Social Welfare Bill" to reflect that 90% of the money that goes to funding it is paid out in WIC and Food Stamps, and we need a better type of price support that is equally beneficial to small and large farms. In this time of high feed cost, everyone buying grain and forages to feed their cows is in the same boat, and size doesn't help- whether you're losing $1 a day on each of your 100 cows or $1 a day on each of your 1,000 cows- you're having a hard time.
And finally, can we PLEASE stop acting like there's something wrong with having a large dairy farm. There are savvy families running great dairy farms of all sizes in this state, and they all need access to support from disasterous prices.
I'm sure in the final hour, congress will pass a bill and we will avoid 1930's milk pricing. Even so, MILC can and should go away, and a better program will take it's place. And eventually we will have appropriate milk pricing. And eventually HSUS will go away. And eventually everyone will milk Brown Swiss.
It's good to be optimistic.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Home Again
Greetings!
The last time I blogged, which was admittedly, many months ago; I was writing from the home office on a 3500 cow dairy farm in Central Utah where I was managing the recently re-acquired calf ranch for some wonderful fellow New England transplants . Flash forward 3000 miles, 4 months, several cow shows, and a new job later, and you'll find me writing from my new apartment in Western New York where I now reside in a county with 160 dairy farms- that's more than the entire state of New Hampshire!
The transition back to NY and a shiny new job in the dairy industry has me wondering at times if I wont end up back in Utah sooner or later- those calves, western mountains and some amazing people sure stole my heart- but for now, I'm enjoying the closer proximity of my friends, family and my pretty brown cows.
The new position that I have taken is a direct result of the excitement in NY over growing yogurt and cheese demand, and trying to ensure that dairy farms in WNY are given every resource to help them improve profitability and long-term viability. Since it's a newly created job, I've spent the past two months sorting out a plan of attack and developing relationships with some of the key players already serving dairy farmers in the region. A big part of my job is going to be finding the farms that want help developing long-term plans and goals for their dairy business, and connecting them with the vet/nutritionist/cow comfort specialist/nutrient management planner/lender/extension educator who will help bring their plans to reality. I've enjoyed meeting so many people and getting a handle on the needs of NY dairy farmers, but I'm beyond ready to get out on to farms again and actually feel like I'm doing something helpful! The pace of a new state job where I'm trying to build momentum is very different than the pace of working on that dairy out west!
When I'm on the job, which feels like a lot more time than I had while working with calves, I'm settling into this cool little town I've moved to- which at the moment is intensely decorated with Christmas lights- and visiting friends as much as possible. There are also the cows in NH, including the March calf out of one of my favorite cow families (the BoJoy Gretchen daughters!!!!) and my homebred heifer (the pretty girl pictured below) that is due in a week or two with her first calf! Get excited, there will be pictures!
So the downside is I won't have any fun calf stories anymore, but I will share the trials and (hopefully) successes as this new job gets rolling, and I'm sure some recap on the joys of being a single 20-something in a small town in rural upstate NY.
Oh, and fair warning to anyone with a dairy in western NY- you'll probably be hearing from me. Or I may just show up to pet your calves. Gotta get my fix.
The last time I blogged, which was admittedly, many months ago; I was writing from the home office on a 3500 cow dairy farm in Central Utah where I was managing the recently re-acquired calf ranch for some wonderful fellow New England transplants . Flash forward 3000 miles, 4 months, several cow shows, and a new job later, and you'll find me writing from my new apartment in Western New York where I now reside in a county with 160 dairy farms- that's more than the entire state of New Hampshire!
The transition back to NY and a shiny new job in the dairy industry has me wondering at times if I wont end up back in Utah sooner or later- those calves, western mountains and some amazing people sure stole my heart- but for now, I'm enjoying the closer proximity of my friends, family and my pretty brown cows.
The new position that I have taken is a direct result of the excitement in NY over growing yogurt and cheese demand, and trying to ensure that dairy farms in WNY are given every resource to help them improve profitability and long-term viability. Since it's a newly created job, I've spent the past two months sorting out a plan of attack and developing relationships with some of the key players already serving dairy farmers in the region. A big part of my job is going to be finding the farms that want help developing long-term plans and goals for their dairy business, and connecting them with the vet/nutritionist/cow comfort specialist/nutrient management planner/lender/extension educator who will help bring their plans to reality. I've enjoyed meeting so many people and getting a handle on the needs of NY dairy farmers, but I'm beyond ready to get out on to farms again and actually feel like I'm doing something helpful! The pace of a new state job where I'm trying to build momentum is very different than the pace of working on that dairy out west!
When I'm on the job, which feels like a lot more time than I had while working with calves, I'm settling into this cool little town I've moved to- which at the moment is intensely decorated with Christmas lights- and visiting friends as much as possible. There are also the cows in NH, including the March calf out of one of my favorite cow families (the BoJoy Gretchen daughters!!!!) and my homebred heifer (the pretty girl pictured below) that is due in a week or two with her first calf! Get excited, there will be pictures!
So the downside is I won't have any fun calf stories anymore, but I will share the trials and (hopefully) successes as this new job gets rolling, and I'm sure some recap on the joys of being a single 20-something in a small town in rural upstate NY.
Oh, and fair warning to anyone with a dairy in western NY- you'll probably be hearing from me. Or I may just show up to pet your calves. Gotta get my fix.
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