Patience is a Virtue

Patience is something that I learned about when I was just a little girl, and I am still learning how to do today. I thought that when I had forty milking goats that I would milk by hand, or training heifers and cows to lead on a halter for the show ring I had mastered the art of patients. I could spend hours working with the animals with no improvements and be completely happy, or the goat could kick over the whole bucket of milk that would spill all over me but I would just think it could always be worse. My mom always told me growing up that I had a lot of patience because the animals rarely made me crazy, but now I am beginning to realize that it was not that I was patient with the animals it was because I loved spending my time with the animals! Today I do not always have the patience that I would like to have. I don’t particularly like being stuck in a car for a long time because there are things I need to get done and I want to move around. I do not have patience when I am stuck in traffic or I cannot get somewhere as fast as I want (someone should really invent a teleporter!). When I was younger, and we would take family vacations driving to Florida, my parents always said we had a van so that us four girls could wrestle on the backseat play games and move aroun, and then they wouldn’t have to deal with us annoyingly asking if we were there yet! I am not a master of patience, and I pray that one day I will be able to be patient for every different situation! 

               There are many things in our lives that we want and we aren’t very patient for. We can get annoyed by simple things like slow walkers, waiting for someone to call/text back, watching commercials, traffic jams, having to retell a story (Okay maybe that’s not annoying in my family), but these are a few of the millions of things that people can get annoyed by. By not being patient we are letting someone or something steal our joy from us. We need to be patient, maybe take a breath, and know that it is okay to slow down every once in a while in this fast-paced world. As Christians we are traveling trough this life to our final destination of heaven or for Jesus to come back. In the bible it says, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay”-Habakkuk 2:3. Just as Chrsit’s return is waiting for a certain time, things in each of ourl lives are waiting for a certain time to happen. Do not let being impatient steal your joy throughout your life, but instead slow down take a breath and be happy to be exactly where you are!

Change Can be a Good Thing

We all have hopes and dreams that we are trying to achieve in life. My entire life I have lived for God, family, farming, and more specifically Guernsey cows. Do we ever have complete control of our life? We can work hard to achieve our goals, but what happens when something doesn't go our way. It is like waking up Christmas morning hoping for that special gift and not getting it, or cooking an entire meal and not having it look like the picture pinterest. I have had my life planned completely year by year (No I am not an organizer, but I know my goals).  There have been a lot of obstacles in my life that have changed me in more than one way!

I am an open book, and I have always been proud that I do not have very much to hide about my life. However, there are still some things that are hidden deep down that very few people know about. When I was a senior in high school my life was going exactly how I wanted it to go. I had sports, friends, family, a job, and I was on cloud nine. When I started applying to colleges, my two top choices were Cornell University and Roberts Wesleyan College. Growing up I always said I would never follow in my family’s footsteps and go to Cornell, and now it was one of my top choices! I remember lying in bed at night being nervous and praying to God that I would not be accepted to one so that my decision would be made for me. The day came that I found out if I was accepted to Cornell. I logged onto my account in anticipation expecting to see ACCEPTED....... but instead, I read we regret to inform you.... My heart sank. My father and my three older sisters were all accepted to Cornell, but what am I the black sheep of the family? With tears running down my face I called my parents to inform them that I was not accepted but I had a guaranteed transfer. Everyone in my family thought I was trying to pull a joke. I was humiliated, devastated, and insulted. This is not how my life was supposed to go! I thought I was never going to achieve any of my goals. However, as I attended Roberts Wesleyan I fell in love with the people and school for many of the amazing attributes they had, but four years later I now know why I had to fail and have a life changing experience to end up where I am. Roberts Wesleyan helped me to learn who I am and who I want to be in God,  It prepared me to stand true to myself at Cornell, and that Gods plans for me are better plan than I could ever have imagined! I am thankful that God answered my prayers and he led me to Roberts Wesleyan rather than having me start at Cornell. There may have been tears shed at the time, but I know that I am happier because Gods plan was better for me than the plan I had. 

 I am writing about this now because I want others to know that even if things don’t go the way you had hoped, thank God because there is something better planned for you! To start off the new year I truly am and will be an open book. When life doesn't go your way know that there is something better that will happen instead! That is Gods promise to you. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know that plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." How has God changed your plan for the better?

Touring the World one Dairy at a Time

In January I had the opportunity to travel to Italy and China with the Cornell Dairy Science Club. These two trips were so amazing, educational, and eye-opening! The biggest impact that I had from both of these trips is the cultural experience and learning about their agricultural industry!

                  Italy is a welcoming, hard-working, traditional country! Rome is a beautiful city full of adventure and history that! Exploring Rome with friends was a great experience that I will always cherish.

 

 We toured a lot of food operations, dairy farms, and Water Buffalo farms. Every different place that we went we were welcomed with open arms and able to see almost anything we wanted to see! At one cheese plant, were watching Parmigiano-Reggiano being made in cheese operations, and we were able to stand and watch as the employees made the cheese with their hands! I was amazed that there was no automation at all. Italians are very proud of their food and the hard-work and devotion that they put into everything they produce. The love for consumers to come and see exactly what they are doing and how their product is made!

                  Like true tourist, we had the chance to visit the Forbidden City and Tiannemen Square and the Great Wall which were absolutely amazing to see! We were also able to see and understand the crazy traffic that goes through Beijing, and we saw at least three people get hit while crossing the street or riding a bike! 

We were also able to tour a few farms, and learn from students and professors from the Chinese Agricultural University! China is a large country with a lot of mouths to feed, and dairy farming is somewhat of a new concept to them! One of the farms that we visited was called Modern Dairy Cooperative, it was one of the twenty-two farms that the cooperative owns.  On the farm that there were eight eighty cow rotary milking parlors milking over 24,000 cows! This farm was built in 2008, and the milk was processed right on the farms processing plant. For such a large farm they allowed consumers to come and tour the processing plant and drive around the farm in order to understand where their food comes from, and the process for how the milk goes from the cow to the store. 

(This is the overview of Modern Dairy)

                  The biggest thing that I took away from both of these trips is the transparency that these farms and organizations had toward their consumers! This hit home for me because I think that farms in the United States struggles with transparency. Our farms are more advanced than those in Italy or China, however, consumers are trying to figure out if organic or conventional is better, or even if “Almond Milk” is the best option because its not hurting any cows! We need to educate our consumers on how their milk is produced, and that the cows’ health and comfort is very important to us! We need to help consumers see that we care for our animals to the best of our abilities day or night, freezing cold or hot temperatures we still have to care for our animals! Consumers are becoming more and more concerned about where their food is coming from. Let us speak out and tell consumers the truth by opening up your farms to curious consumers, or help explain about dairy products to people in the grocery store, and of course share the correct articles on social media so that consumers around the world can see the dedication and hard-work we devote to feeding consumers in our communities and around the world!

Showing Cows is a Passion!

A week ago I was able to attend the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville Kentucky as the National Guernsey Queen. This national show was the last one that I had the opportunity to attend during my reign. Attending this show was bittersweet, and I loved seeing the passion in the eyes of both the youth and adults that were showing their cows. Since I was crowned the National Guernsey Queen I have not had enough time to be able to show my own cows at any of the shows this year, and I have missed the feeling of walking into the ring! I have been showing cows since I was three years old and my father would hold the cow and I held onto the very tip of the halter! The excitement I felt every time I entered the show ring when I was younger is still the same feeling I have today. The nervous butterflies, the smile I cannot wipe off my face, and the proudness I feel for the cow that I have raised.

Showing is not about the ribbons and trophies, but it is about the passion you share for the cow that you have raised or worked with. Showing is a learning experience in many ways. Not only do you learn how to fit and show your cow the best way, but you can learn responsibility, a hard-work ethic, and how to work with others. Showing has taught me how to lose with dignity and not to be a poor sport, and it has taught me to not boast when I have won! Showing is much more than winning every class, but rather taking the advice from the judge and continuing to improve your herd.

Showing has changed my life in more ways than one, and I will continue to show for as long as I can. The thrill I feel in the show ring does not come from winning (Although that feels pretty wonderful too) but it is from the fact that I have the ability to show my cows to the best of my abilities and show the hard-work I have done for the past year. For those of you who know the feeling that I am talking about and are able to show you are just as lucky as I am. However, there are people who want to be able to show, but do not have the opportunity to get to fairs and show. I challenge you to help someone in your community get the opportunity to show. They do not need to show at a national show, but maybe your county fair or the state fair. Helping others have the opportunity to show helps spread the knowledge of dairy cattle and increase interest in the Guernsey Breed!

If you are someone that does not have the opportunity to show, but you want to learn how you need to prove to the farmer that you want to. You cannot just show up at the fair and say that you want to show. Help on the farm, work with the calf, heifer, or cow you will be showing, and help the farmer in anyway that you can! Hard-work really does pay off!

Getting bit by the show bug has been one of the best things that has happened in my life, and I cannot wait to be back in the show ring next year! If you would like to have the opportunity to show please contact me at jtm286@cornell.edu and you could have the opportunity to show one my families Guernseys or I could help you find another farm near you that you could work with. Showing is something that will change your life for the better!