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...

I don’t have kids. I mean, I have 500 Jerseys that are basically like toddlers, so maybe I do? However, I am a farm kid. So, allow me a moment to remind farm parents of

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

Summer is the time for cow shows. It’s time for training and spending a lot of time at the wash rack. This year looks different, and I know for many people every fair that’s canceled is a blow...

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

I distinctly recall my fifth-grade teacher Mr. Z. He was a fun and interactive guy, and one of his favorite sayings was “until the cows come home.” He would tack it onto the end of any sentence...

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...

It seems like the world is at a standstill, but the view outside my farmhouse in East Moline, Ill., tells a different story

When my mind races from all that is going wrong in our world, I have to slow down my breathing and think of the greatest lessons we will learn from this global pandemic

Looking at our farm here in East Moline, Ill., it is business as usual. Cows still have to be milked three times a day

As the Martina McBride song goes, “This one's for all you girls about 13. High school can be so rough, can be so mean.” I’ll add that farm girls are far and few in-between. Or at least...

While facing the “college plague” last week, which I’m sure many in or around college campuses have faced at some point this semester or in past semesters, something happened that I never...

We did it, although I’m still in a little bit of shock. We made it to the Western Classic dairy cattle show in Hanford, Calif

A few years ago, I purchased a cattle shed for my kids. We call it "Grandpa Bob's shed," as I used some of my inheritance money to purchase it

I absolutely love my school and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I want to bring up a topic that sometimes gets swept under the rug. Personally, I have many friends and peers at home, in my family,...

Most farmers are passionate about their animals and the food they produce. Some farms turn that passion into a business, selling products directly to consumers. To stand out among the crowd, it

Just because it is on the internet or television does not mean it is factual

My job with the dairy checkoff is to study everything that is going on outside of the dairy industry. While that may seem like somewhat of a disconnected way to work on the dairy farmers’ behalf,...

Kobe Bryant's death has been all over the media. While an NBA superstar's life has little effect on us dairy farmers, the harsh reminder of his tragic passing is that life is way too short

Farmers should be on the lookout for animal activists pretending to “help” farmers