Dairy farmers are a “special breed”.   How does a person become a dairy farmer? Some are “born” dairy farmers. They accompany parents to the barn to milk the cows in their baby buggy or stroller. They listen to the mooing of the cows and the hum of the milking machine, and it becomes a soothing sound for them. They grow up a part of the daily routine, following Mom and Dad, and sometimes Grandpa and Grandma, everywhere. As they grow up, the cows become a part of their life, a life they learn to love. Some are “city kids” who become good friends with farm kids. They like visiting the farm, helping with chores, feeding baby calves, helping unload hay, dips in the farm pond, and helping to get dairy calves ready to show at the county fair. They see a good life and happy people and decide it is a life they want to live.  Some are grown-ups who looked at country life and decided it was the kind of life they wanted, in spite of the hard work, the lack of profit, the unexpected set- backs, and the unpredictability of Mother Nature and milk prices.

     Some who become dairy farmers are very successful. They work hard, listen to those who have succeeded before them, try new ideas, find that special way to make their lives better, and they have good luck.   There are those who work hard, listen to those who have succeeded before them, try new ideas, and try to find that special way to make their life better, but due to low milk prices, everyday problems, and bad luck, they spend their entire lives trying to get ahead. In spite of that, they love their cows, their way of life, and they keep going.

     There are those who just want to milk 40 or 50 cows and there are those who want to milk 400 or 500 or more. There are those who want to have a “hands on approach” and work personally with their cows. There are those who want to help do the work, but prefer to be the “boss”, doing their job as managers with some employees. And there are those to whom dairy farming is strictly a “business investment” and is run as such, with hired employees running the farm, and the owners seldom there.

     For some dairy farmers their goal is the highest herd average or the best average pounds of milk per day in the tank. They bring in experts to fine tune the rations and go to special effort to meet that goal. Other dairy farmers prefer to pasture their cows, feed a simple ration, work to keep costs low, and make a profit. Having the highest herd average isn’t a goal.  Some breed for type, hoping to breed an Excellent or that fancy show cow.  Some are passionate about owning registered cows and the value of the registration paper, utilizing those papers by consigning to sales and selling top genetics. Others could care less about registration papers, but they still want good cows that give lots of milk and make them a profit.   The breed of the cows doesn’t matter. They can be red and white, black and white, brown, or a golden color. They all love great cows, whether it is one breaking a national milk record or one being nominated All-American or that special old cow that has been with them for years and years.

     Along the way dairy farmers will embrace those people who are involved in the dairy industry in so many ways. Milk haulers, veterinarians, hoof trimmers, AI technicians, equipment dealers, auctioneers, classifiers, milk testers, and many, many more. They all become part of the “dairy family”.

     While dairy farmers all have different ideas of how they want to do things and what they hope to accomplish, they all have one thing in common. They care about their fellow dairy farmers and the people involved in the dairy industry. They mourn losses together and celebrate victories together.   Fire, storms, flooding, building collapses, accidents, sickness, or just helping to round-up some heifers that got out, or a youth needing a pair of white show pants,  no matter the tragedy or problem, dairy people will be there to help.  In times of need, they are there for each other. They will work together to help in any way necessary, and to provide whatever is needed to make things better, including love and prayers.    It is all these things that make dairy farmers a “special breed”!