I have been sharing my life story with the readers of Dairy Star for many years. I remember when Mark Klaphake, the general manager, asked me to write and share my stories with farmers at World Dairy …

The first of the hard frosts has hit us. I really like to have that event because that means flies are dying, and I can stop hanging up those gross fly strips. So many visitors have not been around a …

While harvest is going on, with combines, semi-trailers and tractors with gravity boxes on the road, many people will put their lives, their passenger’s lives, and the farmers in the farm …

October has arrived with a buzz of excitement. This year, we volunteered to host collegiate dairy judging teams to practice for World Dairy Expo. Phil and Richard put together four strings to judge …

I want to share details about my recent trip to Washington, D.C. Before stepping on the plane in Milwaukee, I had to prepare myself for the long days of traveling and walking around our …

Where did the summer go? Am I the only one who was not able to cram in everything that was on the list of things to do before school started? We missed out on some of the adventures we were planning, …

Since I was a child, I have seen dairy farms slowly disappear. I did not grow up on a dairy farm but knew many friends who lived on farms and also had neighbors who milked cows. If I was riding my …

The weather this spring and summer has been surprising us with rain, heat, high humidity and storms. When fog is hanging over the alfalfa field, I can usually see it will be a high-humidity day. Some …

I have had the pleasure of hosting farm tours for nearly 27 years. All the tours are by reservation and often I am asked if rain cancels the tour. I don’t have a problem with sprinkles, and …

Comfortable shoes and boots are a necessity in all professions. I realize different jobs require different looks and protections for our feet. I am not sitting at a desk. I don’t need to have a …

Our animals will tell us when they need help, but sometimes it takes us a while to figure out what exactly is going on. All species of animals on our farm can communicate when they are caught, hurt, …

I can quickly make a list of things that irritate me, like that piece of straw that is stuck in my sock. I sit down, take off the sock and look through it, searching to find that poking piece that …

I first came to Cambridge, Wisconsin, almost 30 years ago. I remember the downtown resembling a Norman Rockwell painting. The population was at 900 for a long time. There was only a Main Street …

I remember my first solar eclipse in 1979. I was in the eighth grade. It was in February, and the whole school got to go outside and set up our stations in different parts of the school …

The past few months were filled with farm meetings, conventions and overnight getaways. I can’t control what happens when I am gone. It doesn’t make a difference if I am not able to …

As we proceed with our farmhouse remodeling project, we are feeling like we are doing something that will enhance the house but also our lives. This house is well over 100 years old and has had …

The break in the cold weather is wonderful for us, but it creates extra work. We have calf pens to pitch out. The bedding pack needs to be loaded into the spreader and hauled to the fields, and …

We have made it through the messiest part of the remodeling project. Our old house had smaller rooms that had just enough room for a couch, recliner and oversized chair. We plan to make two rooms …

I really like living on the farm in our very old farmhouse. We believe it was originally built in 1906. My husband, Duane, grew up here.

We are getting close to Christmas, and I have yet to get an answer from my kids about what we can get for them. They are all on their own, with their own homes, and they say they don’t need …