Happy June Dairy Month – thank you, farmers!
Hello, all. Happy June Dairy Month — a month to honor our farmers and our state’s thriving dairy industry, an industry that generates more than $45.6 billion annually — more than the combined value of Florida citrus and Idaho potatoes.
A few more fun facts, courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin: Twenty-three percent of the U.S.’s dairy farms are in Wisconsin.
Forty-eight percent of all specialty cheese made in the U.S. comes from Wisconsin.
Of all Wisconsin dairy farms, 95 percent are family-owned (it’s 98 percent in Clark County). Getting more specific, Clark County is the number-one dairy producer in Wisconsin and number 18 in the nation. The top five products produced on county farms and their economic impact are: milk, $266 million; grain, $57.5 million; cattle and calves, $57.3 million; hay and other crops, $11.3 million; and poultry and eggs, $4.8 million (according to a 2019 UW Extension report). Wisconsin is dairy country, and Clark County is at the heart of it.
June Dairy Month is perhaps no better celebrated than by partaking of tasty breakfasts on the weekends. Dairy breakfasts hold a special place in my heart because it was the first event I covered for a newspaper. I was interning at the Clark County Press the summer after my junior year of college, and my editor asked if I would be willing to take photos at the Loyal breakfast.
Even though I grew up here, I had never been to a dairy breakfast. My family certainly appreciates farmers and the work they do; it’s just something we hadn’t done as a family growing up. When I did go, I was surprised at how big of a deal it was. Not only was there a long line of people waiting to get hot pancakes, sausage, eggs and the rest of the good stuff, but there were also plenty of people perusing the raffle baskets, touring the barn, checking out the antique tractors, watching their kids enjoy activities like faceprinting or just milling about, chatting. I snapped a photo of a family enjoying their breakfast together that ended up on the front page of the paper, so I was happy about that.
I came to realize that part of the reason people around here like dairy breakfasts so much is the sense of community togetherness events like this bring. The typical dairy breakfast encapsulates a lot of this area’s values — our strong dairy farming heritage, an appreciation for the outdoors and what the land can provide, and working together to accomplish something positive. After all, it goes to support a good cause — typically scholarships for FFA students or helping pay for them to attend conferences and leadership trainings.
So this month, as we enjoy delicious ice cream and cheese curds, it seems especially appropriate to say “thank you, farmers” for all the work you do. As the saying goes, “If you ate today, thank a farmer. If you ate in peace, thank the American soldier.”
Farmers work long hours for not a lot of pay. There’s never really a “day off ” because there’s always something to do on the farm. There are chores to be done and animals to be fed, not to mention dealing with the unexpected. Maybe an animal gets sick, equipment breaks down or the weather changes and now you have to change your whole plan for the day. And while I’m sure there are perks to working by yourself much of the time, it could be lonely. You’re spending a lot of hours alone with just you and your thoughts, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the person and the day. So much is dependent on factors out of your control, like the weather and the economy.
Farmers are some extremely hardworking, down-to-earth people. It takes a lot of faith and patience to be a farmer. You do everything you can to prepare the soil and fertilize the ground, but there comes a point when you have to plant the seed and trust it will grow. You can’t immediately see the end result. So too in life, we are often looking for a quick fix to our problems instead of allowing God to grow the seed in His timing and His way. That’s when we have to learn patience through the process. But I digress.
This month is also a reminder that there’s value in knowing where your food comes from, in understanding the process of field to table. The pioneers of yesteryear were more connected to the land, to the cycle of the seasons — the cycle of planting, growing and harvesting. Adam was put in the garden to tend and to keep it, even before the Fall. Something in our DNA goes back to the earth from which we were taken.
Farmers teach their sons and daughters who will in turn teach their sons and daughters how to care for the land so it will provide for them. The children learn how to work hard, how to be responsibie in caring for animals, how to accept the cycle of life and death, and how to pass it all on to the ones who will come afterward. When the older generation passes on, a new generation rises up to continue the cycle of seedtime and harvest. For a lot of the farmers I’ve interviewed over the years, farming is not just a means of earning a living; it’s also a lifestyle and a way to instill values into the next generation, a way to teach them about life. I respect that.
On the topic of farming, please be courteous and patient with farm vehicles out on the roads. Passing that tractor when it’s not safe just to save those extra few seconds is not worth it. In a split second, everything can change. As a reminder, it is illegal to pass an implement of husbandry in Wisconsin in a no-passing zone. Also along those lines, please be watchful for the motorcyclists out there. I received two press releases in my email inbox of motorcycle-SUV crashes in Wisconsin this past weekend, one killing the motorcyclist and one resulting in life-threatening injuries to the motorcyclist. When something like that happens, life is never the same for the families of anyone involved. Look twice — save a life.
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