It was so wonderful to visit with my sister, Cathy, and her family. Last week I went back to my roots and visited my hometown of Bend, Ore

“How do you get through the days you don’t want to be at the dairy anymore?” I wasn’t even slightly surprised to get this question from a fellow dairy farmer on Instagram earlier...

Farmers do what they do because they love the job, but that doesn’t mean it’s not difficult

Here at Hillcrest Farms, we take pride in what we do. The good days, the bad days, the hot days, and the cold days

A year can go by at record speed, or at least that is how it has felt this past year. Often days and nights intertwined, and somehow, the seasons flew to the next without us having much time to hit the...

For farmers, working with family can be an awesome blessing or one of life’s greatest challenges

Finely tuned rations, stringent milking procedures, and compliance to sound reproductive protocols all lead to well-run dairies. In journalism, the same can be said of a watchful eye that carefully reviews...

It was a success and I still can’t believe it! If you had told me a few months ago that I was going to host a virtual tour for kids who couldn’t see the Dairy Council of California’s...

In the span of just over a week, my two oldest cows both passed away. Both developed conditions that sprang up and were treated meticulously — only to no avail

When I tell people that my favorite breed of dairy cow is the Brown Swiss, about 85% of the time they laugh, and then ask me why

Our wedding anniversary is in June, on Flag Day to be exact, and two of our children were born in June as well. I was even told by my husband, while in labor with our two youngest children, "This isn't...

Two months. It’s been just over two months since I made the bold step of quitting my full-time, steady, and equally rewarding job as a youth 4-H educator (which I loved, by the way)

My parents bought a farm that came with a house. The house ended up being a bit of a fixer-upper . . . I’m talking very little siding, negligible plumbing, and small animals in the walls

Dear Jacob, A decade ago I introduced you to the world with my first "Around the Kitchen Table" column

When I was 2 years old, my parents both worked as herd managers on successful dairy farms in central New York, but then, everything changed

Is it worth it? Is it worth going head to head with animal activists? Are they worth the time it takes to have a conversation with them?

June is coming . . . did you read that ominously, like from Game of Thrones? You should have because June is almost here, and it’s looking like it’s going to be a battle. Online, at least

When I look at my soon-to-be 14-year-old daughter, I often think back to myself at that age. Truthfully, though, Cassie oozes so much more confidence than I ever did as a teenager

So, I hear you have a question. But please tread lightly because if it’s a question I deem as dumb, then I will make fun of you and slander your name across every social media outlet I can find so...

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend for Mother’s Day. The weather was perfect, if not a little on the hot side