In Alan Jackson’s song, “Summertime Blues,” he discusses how, as a teenager, you work all summer and do not have the opportunity to enjoy it. That perspective most likely resonates with...

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve seen or heard a farmer call a consumer stupid. At first, it makes me cringe because it’s just kind of mean. I mean, name-calling? Really?...

I think baby calves are adorable and sweet. If I see one, there is no doubt that I will walk up to it with my arm outstretched, palm up, to let it suck on my hand with all its slobber and sandpaper-feeling...

As we walk through the barns and pastures to check our cows throughout the day, it pays to watch the cows’ expressions. In a time where people either tend to stare at their phones while going about...

Do you ever sit around your farm shop and listen to the old men talk? I have heard many stories from the second and third generations of the farm, discussing the way it use to be, or things that had happened...

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. My nearly one year old son just began walking. To be fair, he is just taking a few steps and falling on his bottom, but I’m counting it! Watching...

It’s the last week of summer here in the Pacific Northwest, or so the calendar says. That’s because our kids will return to school after Labor Day

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a consumer buzzword that most of us have heard since the release of ChatGPT4. Now, Google, Facebook, and others are trying to catch up with OpenAI and believe it will...

Apart from visiting a farm, there’s nothing quite like attending a fair for the general public to witness agriculture up close. There are plenty of animals to see, youth and exhibitors to talk with,...

I recently had one of those moments of frustration that turned to humility. As farmers, running 24/7/365 is the life. We have a very high stress job because so many different entities depend on us each...

Do you ever have to remind yourself that you chose this life? I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I still chose this

Working in the dairy industry, I have witnessed some moments I will cherish forever. From being able to watch a calf’s first breath to helping a cow recover from illness, there are many things I...

Summer is coming to an end, and it’s time to go back to school. However, I won’t be going home empty-handed

As we were moving some cows and heifers to our calving pen today, it hit me that the cattle we were moving all have due dates further out than my own

In years past, while milking in the parlor, labeling an animal as a cull cow was pretty straightforward

Are you and your farm ready for a natural disaster or emergency? There is no way you can prepare your farm for every emergency in every way, but a little preparation can go a long way

While I was searching for information sources to use for a different writing assignment, I came across a Penn State Extension article that discussed managing weeds

It is Corn Silage Harvest 2023 here at Hillcrest Farms. This year we have been blessed with rain and a good corn crop

Even on the worst day, a baby calf can make you smile. They only really want one thing, and that’s food. Unlike the cows, our youngest calves can’t graze, nor do they quite understand that...

Have you ever met one of those people who never seem to have anything going wrong?