Who are you if all your personal possessions disappeared? Think about it.
I am a husband, father, and a friend every day — 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No matter what I have or what I lose, I know exactly who I am and what my purpose is.
In the last decade, many things have changed, including a few new additions to the family. I have been blessed with three little ones who call me dad and look up to me to guide them every day. Right now, the most important thing to them is when they get to play with dad, ride in the back of the truck with dad, or drive a tractor with dad, and I love it.
Material items are a blessing that do not define who you are but what you have and what you do.
A year ago, I started a social media page called “Dairy Dad,” where I not only advocate for the dairy industry with information and humor but also share a bit of my life as a dad in the dairy community. I love working with cows and all the people in the dairy circle, but I found myself taking more pictures of my family than anything else.
This got me thinking. People normally take pictures of the things they treasure and of moments they do not want to forget. My camera roll is full of my family.
I found myself wanting to take more pictures of cows when my kids were involved. I took more pictures of tractors when my kids were driving, and I found myself showcasing what dairy really is more often when my kids were in the focus. What I really found, though, is who I am. I am a dad.
While we are in the shadow of so many heartbreaking tragedies and unfortunate events, may we all dig deep and remember who we really are.
And please remember, if things are getting tough and it feels like it’s getting hard to breathe, please reach out to others. The dairy community is a tight knit group ready to help, ready to listen, and ready to support. Please, do not feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for advice or a caring ear. It has been done many times before with great success.
May this find you well,
Dairy Dad
Tyler Ribeiro is a fourth-generation dairy farmer born and raised in California. He is currently partners with his father at Rib-Arrow Dairy in Tulare where they proudly ship their milk to Land O’Lakes. Tyler is actively involved in the dairy industry, holding leadership roles in various organizations locally and across the United States.
Joins us on April 8, 2019, for our webinar: "Milking evaluation reveals costly problems"
presented by Michigan State University Extension's Phil Durst and Stan Moore
Milking is so routine that we sometimes fail to adequately analyze it. Using milk vacuum recorders, researchers found two common problems: biphasic milking and overmilking. The presentation will discuss the causes and impacts of these issues.