Farmers on Summer Vacation~Goosed

When  traveling on summer vacation with farmers, by the last day, things happen.  I don't know if it's the mountain air they're not used to or the sand between their toes.......or just the exposure of their toes. 

But by the last day of vacation, the farmer may be missing the animals he feeds back at the farm.

And if you are so inclined to take a nap on the beach, be aware, the remaining farmers may have the sudden urge to feed any animal they come across and even use your body as a dinner plate to do so.

Of course I thought the scene above was quite humerous and snapped photos..........until I saw the photos they took of me, during my nap..........
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As 2010 Comes to a Close

As 2010 comes to an end, so does the approach of the one year anniversary of The Wife of a Dairyman.  I truly appreciate and thank you for following along with me on this journey.  I've learned a lot in 2010.  I've met so many wonderful, inspirational people that I now call friends and reconnected with old ones through blogging and I feel blessed by that. I look forward to experiencing another year in this journey to who knows where.  I hope you will come along as well.

For fun, {and because, isn't this what one is supposed to do at year's end?} I chose some of the posts that I've enjoyed and made me laugh the most from 2010.....

                                       The Bull                       Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

                                                        Where the green grass grows

                             Learning to drive                  Meeting new friends in person in SLO

                        Magnets can save a cow's life                  Farmers on vacation

Cousin Vic

In January I introduced you to our Hoof Trimmer, Joe and shared when the Buck Stopped Here on the dairy.

In February I demonstrated one reason that Bulls Terrify Me and that sometimes you may find Cows on the Loose at a dairy.

March was a month of the Big Moove for our beef.  I learned what in the world a Killdeer was on my very own egg hunt and I also jotted down some Dairy Myths vs. Dairy Facts.

April was a thrilling month, mainly because I was able to have lunch with and meet Temple Grandin in person, thanks to our friends, the Taylors.  Dominic demonstrated just how he shoots a magnet into a cow's tummy and learned How a Magnet can Save a Cow's Life. and that green grass doesn't only grow from the ground.

In May, I brought the kids to their first Portuguese Festa to learn a little about what I experienced growing up, being raised as a 1st generation Portuguese American within my family.  Another demonstration by Dominic showed us how a cow can become pregnant by A.I.

In June I found out just how much trust Dominic has in my tractor driving abilities......and how brave he is!
Paige also discovered just how a good hand sucking feels, dairy style.  And I can't forget about the baby barn owls in the calf barn in the woods....definitely a highlight!

July was a month of friends, food and discovering farmers can only relax when on vacation away from the ranch....even if they do wear boots to the beach.

In August I learned all about the sea of jellyfish we discovered at a favorite beach spot.  And with my cousin's visit, just what goes into Bolashas De Espece.  I also talked about  how we test our milk and why.

September was a month of discovering what Farmers, Facebook, Twitter and Blogging have in common with my trip to Chicago. And also sharing a link on how to know where your milk is from.

October I faced a fear I've had for a lifetime....public speaking at the Cal Poly Dairy Symposium and then relaxing at the SLO bar scene afterwords....Phew!

In November, I was properly taught how to drive a tractor by a very patient Dominic.  I also got to experience my first Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco....eat, eat, eat!

And here we are in December.  A month of parties, such as the Dairy Women's Christmas Luncheon.
And how I caught Santa for the very first time!

Oh and I can't finish without including one of the most viewed recipes {and one of my favorites} from 2010... Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  And the post that generated the most comments, Organic vs. Conventional Dairy Farms.

What is one of your most memorable occasions of 2010??  Any big plans for 2011??
I wish you and your family a very healthy and happy 2011.  Cheers!


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What Does Labor Day Mean to You?

Labor Day for our family usually means there will be some sort of family get together or two spanning over the entire weekend.  As dairy farmers, Dominic and my father-in-law, George, work seven days a week and through every holiday. So we must plan our holiday schedule accordingly. 

Some of our family members had decided to go camping this weekend at a camp that is only 20 minutes away from our home....Olema Family Campground.  Since the camp is so close to our home, we met the family crew there for dinner on Saturday night.

George & Jim barbecuing.  Nothing says Labor Day like a good barbecue!

And especially when there's Rib Eye steaks involved from our natural beef .

It was Paige's Bday a week or so ago and she got to open a present from her cousins.  Don't you just love when birthday celebrations are extended for a few weeks?

The plan:  feed the kiddos first.

So the adults can have a nice, relaxed dinner afterwards.

Take One:

Just to explain, every time I take a photo of a group....any group, Bryce darts into the frame so he can be included.  Do you remember the series of books titled "Where's Waldo?" where you have to find Waldo on every busy page of the book?  Well, I have a group of photos that I should make into a book and title it "Where's Bryce?".

Ahh...that's better.

Here's my plate: salad, steak, fruit salad and zucchini.

Make sure to save room for dessert.

I don't know about you, but our Labor Day always includes some really dirty feet.

Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Did you know that the first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union?

To read more about the Labor Day holiday, you can check it out at The History of Labor Day.

Labor Day, for me, includes a tribute to all of the farmers across the nation that work hard every day to put the food I eat, on my plate and help to feed the world.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!

P.S. The Pioneer Woman has some great photos to go with a Cowboys' Prayer on her site today....you should check it out.

Happy Sunday!

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What do Farmers, Facebook, Twitter and Blogging have in common?

If you answered, 'Agvocating' and being proactive, you are correct because over 1,200 farmers, nationwide use social media as a tool to 'agvocate' thanks in large part to the AgChat Foundation.

As most of you know, over the past two days I have been in Chicago attending the 1st annual AgChat Social Media Training Conference. The conference was held at the offices of Dairy Management Incorporated {DMI} in Rosemont, Ill. The offices of DMI take up two floors within an office building and the attendees rotated between three presentation rooms for our breakout sessions amongst the two floors.

Let me just say, what an amazing experience with a fantastic group of 80+ Farmers. There were farmers and agribusiness attendees from across the U.S. and North America. Some of the attendees included farmers from the following industries; dairy farmers, pig farmers, row crop growers, beef cattle ranchers, goat and sheep farmers, cotton growers {and many more that I can’t think of right now}. I had the pleasure of meeting many of the attendees in person for the first time, and many of them I had already befriended on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, so it was great to finally meet them in person. Meeting face to face and getting to know someone’s personality, I believe, gives us a deeper connection with one another. I would now, feel completely comfortable calling them on the phone if I had a question for them, regarding their farm. This conference was such a great networking opportunity for all of us.

Collage Cow and the DMI office.

Within the 24 hour packed schedule, we covered topics such as using social media to its fullest potential, how to better utilize social media tools to connect with a wider audience that extends beyond the Ag world and different ideas on how to tell our farm story. I came away with quite a few new ideas that I hope to implement in the near future. Stay tuned!

We enjoyed getting to know each other at dinner on Monday night.
Sitting at my table from left: Mary Ellen, Mike- "Farmer Haley", Colby and Liz.

On the other side of the table: Lori Anne, oh my I've drawn a blank!{update: Jan}, Kathy and again Liz.

I stayed at the Sheraton Gateway Suites Chicago O'Hare. After dinner I walked back over to my hotel and should have hit the sheets considering I had been up since 3 a.m. to catch a flight to Chicago, but instead I ended up on-line trying to implement some of the things I learned.

A 1 a.m. bedtime makes for a groggy 6 a.m. wake up call.
Back to the conference on the second day. For many more informative meetings.

Michele Payne-Knoper, one of the AgChat Foundation founders, giving her closing speech. You can read more about Michele at Cause Matters, her blog.

Some of the AgChat board members and trainers; Jeff Fowle {center} is a Cattle Rancher and you can find out more about him on his blog,  Common Sense Agriculture or on hisTwitter account, where he is followed by over 22,000 followers and Ray Prock {right}, is a Dairy Farmer, you can find at his blog, Ray-Lin Dairy or on his Twitter account, where he is followed by over 10,000 followers.
Both Jeff and Ray are from California.

I found myself leaving the conference wishing it hadn't yet ended. I made so many great connections and learned many new ideas. I feel proud to be a part of such a dedicated Team of Farmers {which are definitely not limited to the conference attendees}, dedicated to getting the correct and true Ag story out there to the public by telling their own personal Ag story.


Again I would like to thank my sponsors, Dairy Management Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America for covering my costs to attend this event.

Happy Wednesday!

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