Sneak peek

It has been a month since we shut off the lights in our dairy barn. I can’t tell you where the time has gone because I have no sense of time. It seems like just yesterday we were in the thick of cleaning cattle, setting up tents, coordinating schedules, all while still maintaining the normal milking routine during the fall harvest. Yet, the last month has felt like a dream from an old story that happened to someone else. Did we really have a sale? Did we really milk cows? I always tease Mark that, even though we’ve been married for 38 years, it feels like just yesterday when we said our vows, while at the same time, I can’t remember a time when we weren’t married. A similar feeling.

During our milking years, I can count on one hand the trips we’ve taken. All of them centered around cattle sales and conventions across the country. I always thought we might fit in a bit of sightseeing since we were in the area, but the pull of the farm brought us back too quickly. Now that we don’t have quite the same ties holding us in place, it’s time to take a longer trip together.

The Minnesota Holstein Association put together a November bus trip to attend the Canadian Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. It is an 11-day event, focusing on elite animal shows and educating the public about agricultural products grown, brewed, distilled and developed in Canada. The show is held in Toronto, the fifth-largest city in North America.

I’ve always thought of the Royal as the Canadian version of World Dairy Expo. I discovered it is more like the North American International Livestock Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, where there are beef, sheep, goat, horse and dairy shows happening all under one large roof over several days. The building in Canada covers several city blocks, also all under one roof. I made sure to pack my good walking shoes because I was going to get all my steps in, plus a few extra to see all the sights.

About 40 dairy people from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin jumped on the charter bus eastward bound from Rochester. We ranged from 11 to 81 years old. Some were beginning to explore dairy while others (like us) were stepping back. Many were familiar faces or recognizable names, yet by the end of the trip, all became friends.

When I drive, I drive hard with a destination. I don’t stop very often. According to regulations, a charter bus needs to stop every so many hours and take a 30-minute break. I began to appreciate the pit stops. It was interesting to watch people unload after sitting in a confined area. Knees were stiff. Backs were tight and sore. Maybe driving breaks are a good thing.

The funniest moment was when we were reloading the bus after our first pitstop. Like cows trained to return to the same stall, we all returned to our same seats up front. In the back of the bus where the kids were, it might have been a different story, but we trained quickly.

There were so many highlights squeezed into our travels along the way to Toronto. We stopped at a couple of Canadian dairy farms. In fact, Echo-Glen bred the junior champion. What a sweet family operation. Parlor, free stalls, milking cows, dry cows and heifers are all under one roof. All family labor handles 60 head. I talked with “Mom” about how they were transitioning to their son; her best advice was to have the retirement home on the other side of the trees so the husband won’t be able to keep a steady eye on how the kids are doing things.

While everyone back home was posting pictures of the most gorgeous northern light show, we were trapped under cloudy city lights. Our light show was the colors reflecting off the raging Niagara Falls. They were incredible. I want to go back and explore that area a bit more, maybe even do the zipline in the area.

All the animals were exceptional at the Canadian winter show. We were able to watch the hunters and jumpers horse competition. It is just like the Olympics, only to see it in person was breathtaking as they skimmed over the raised obstacles with such grace and ease.

Of course, the cattle were out of this world. I know Mark would go back into production in a heartbeat if he could bring the Top 10 of any class to fill our empty stalls. I don’t think we could have fit them on the bus. Not enough empty seats.

The young judge was fun to watch as he carefully inspected each animal walking into the ring. It could take up to 20 minutes before all the animals were in the ring, another 15 minutes to visualize how he wanted them placed, then another 20 minutes scrutinizing if he had them in the right place before the final grand march.

With all this time evaluating a class, it gave us a chance to strike up a conversation with people sitting nearby. Liam is a 30-something, fourth-generation dairyman outside of Toronto. He milks three times a day. Just like us in the states, they are trying to get the most production out of their animals with the highest return. This is difficult when you have to buy quotas and land. Liam said land around him was selling for $40,000-$45,000 Canadian dollars ($28,000-$32,000 U.S. dollars) an acre. That’s hard to cash flow in any country.

The strangest thing about our trip was being considered an international visitor. We all spoke English and drove across the border. We may not have felt international, but we were able to enjoy a few of the perks for special guests in Canada.

What did we bring home? New memories, vivid stories and the urge to hit the road again. A new 500-card group. A few bottles of Canadian delights. And, just like our honeymoon all those years ago, one of the worst colds. It was Mark’s turn this time. Good thing he doesn’t have to pull himself out of bed to milk cows. Just a sneak peek into life on the other side of milking.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.