Hands-on teaching facility helps kids learn

My wife Sherrill keeps asking me what I’m going to do when I grow up. I tell her that I’m still going to be milking cows.

My oldest brother got us started in dairy farming. He worked on a neighbor’s dairy in high school and he really enjoyed it and it just seemed like a natural career choice for me and him to follow.

It’s nearly impossible to imagine doing anything differently and it really is because of the animals. They’re truly magnetic and you better believe that we do everything possible to make sure they are healthy and comfortable.

Our income, our success, our future, the future of our farm depends on how well we care for the animals, bottom line. If they’re not comfortable, if they’re not clean, if they’re not dry, if they’re not healthy, then that jeopardizes the long-term viability of our farm.

We also are strongly committed to the land and doing our part to keep Colorado beautiful. We’re located 30 miles from the front range of the Rocky Mountains, 5000 feet above sea level. We get to wake up every morning to a beautiful sunrise over the plains, then watch a mountain sunset at night.

But, Colorado and our town of Greeley are changing. We are in an area of rapid urban growth that has brought more visibility to us as dairy farmers. The challenge we face is being able to operate a dairy farm efficiently in an environment of growth and change. All of us -- whether you’re a dairy farmer or not -- are caretakers of the land. If it’s abused or not used properly, in the end it’s not going to perform.

That’s why we want to use the nutrients produced on the farm in the most effective way. In effect, the spreading of cow manure helps the environment.  Why? One reason is that you don’t have to harvest petroleum to make a commercial fertilizer, for example. It’s a win-win situation.

Dairy farmers are recyclers of products that other industries discard like cottonseed and distiller’s grain.  These products are nutritious feed sources for cows, but if not used for that purpose would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Our dairy has evolved into a hands-on teaching facility. We conduct tours that allow kids to see cows being milked.  That way, they will know where their milk comes from. We also have an interactive area where children can scratch and pet some of our cows.

I’m thankful that my own three teenage children are growing up on a dairy farm. They all have chores, such as caring for the calves, which teaches them to love and respect animals, which will become a life-long experience for them. We feel fortunate doing what we love, every day of the week.  You just can’t beat it