Telling Your Story
Even though the month is more than half over, it's still Dairy Month.
In a cruel twist of irony, it is also Mental Health Awareness Month, a topic we hear all too much of lately. Not that mental health is a bad topic; it's just the circumstances multiplying the need to recognize our mental well-being, particularly in the ag sector, and especially dairy, make the two topics sharing the spotlight in the same month just a little uncomfortable.
Is there really anything to celebrate in an industry where checks and balances are long overdue? It certainly isn't party time while we wait and watch for the next victim to get picked off and sell out, especially if we are personally walking the thin line. If that weren't enough, there is always the threat of animal rights extremists looking for dirt to exploit you personally, which black-eyes the entire industry. It is no coincidence that the con artists who lied their way into being hired at Fair Oaks Farms, and their overseers who call the shots, unleashed their can of worms just as we began to celebrate dairy products and the industry that produces them.
Let's not even mention the weather.
Though the bright spots are few, they do exist, and dairy farmers deserve credit and kudos for each and every one, because each is a victory that can't be denied.
First, it is an honor to be working with cattle, land and nature. God has chosen you to be in a position of care and nurture for some of His special creation. He has chosen you to steward your small piece of the planet and take care of it for the good of your business, your community, your world and your very soul. You hold the future of your farm and an entire industry in your hand with each new baby born in the maternity ward. In contrast to the nurture given to bovines, you battle and conquer challenges every day. Some days you win, others are traded in for another shot tomorrow. Most people will never know the challenges of functioning within the parameters of the many moving parts of a dairy farm, or any farm for that matter.
Many of you have also been given the honor of working with family. Whether you look up to the generation before you or are training young hands and minds born to your family, you carry the deep traditions of family and generational farming. You are carrying the torch so others can only glimpse what you are experiencing. Now don't think that I believe family relationships on the farm are all good all the time. I know better. But the tradition of working together on a farm or in a business with family, is a foundation for the work ethic and values of next generations. YOU are building the future of not only your farm but setting the standard for other entrepreneurship opportunities your children may engage in during their lifetime.
So as this celebratory month continues, I hope you find a moment's worth of encouragement today. We celebrate every gallon of U.S. produced milk consumed, every scoop of ice cream served, and every butter laden pastry enjoyed to the fullest—brought to the table by none other than the U.S. dairy farmer.
No matter the circumstances, it's STILL National Dairy Month! Enjoy an extra helping or three of dairy today!
Bev Berens is a freelance writer and FFA parent from Holland, Mich. She can be contacted at uphillfarm494@yahoo.com.