Wrangler Wednesday: Farmers love to learn...even on vacation
So this past weekend the #farmer, #farmboys & I took a mini vacation,
thanks to our milk cooperative.
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| View from our hotel room |
We attended our 1st Summer Break...in Amish Country.
Now some of you may think we spent the 4 days eating ourselves silly,
touring Amish Farms, and visiting the world's largest Coo-Coo Clock.
However that's not exactly how it worked out.
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| Lunch with my handsome hubs |
We did eat.
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| And the crazy farmboys |
The farmer's favorite part of our trip was the toll booths (WV) and the tunnels (VA) along I-77.
We did get to explore some very scenic parts of Ohio
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| Amish Countryside |
Visit a popular town park...which puts our playground to shame
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| Carousal at Tuscora Park |
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| The Farmer & Farm Boys at Tuscora Park |
Celebrate National Ice Cream Day
Enjoy some great family time together
Meet lots of new folks (yes, all dairy farmers)
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| Farm kids enjoying the pool |
But the purpose wasn't solely for fun, but also education.
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| 1 of the 4 small groups at Andreas Dairy Farm |
You see this is organized by our milk cooperative to allow young farmers (18-40)
to visit other dairies and learn how they operate.
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| Some had niche markets such as making maple syrup |
What are those dairies doing differently?
How are they keeping cows cool?
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| Farmer & Farm Baby checking out the cows at a farm |
How do they handle fresh cows (cows who just had a calf)?
What are they feeding their cows?
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| Barn Quilt at Steam Valley Farms, Steel Family |
And the whole family gets to attend...which is great since it's hard to get away from the farm,
especially as a whole family.
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| Farmboy enjoying a snack break at Steam Valley Farms |
We also were able to spend time with other folks just like us,
who work hard each day to supply others with safe, wholesome milk for their families and ours.
Who value their cattle and their land...
You see on this tour
there were 120+ people...
I didn't see one factory farmer.
I saw moms,
dads,
and kids
who all make up family farms
from Georgia to Pennsylvania.
Each farmer was attending so they could learn more,
get new ideas,
and fellowship with fellow farmers.
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| the Farm Baby only lasted half a day on the tours |
Unfortunately the Farm Baby & I missed out on everything after lunch.
He was in desperate need of a nap...
which turned into a sleep fest.
He slept 13+ hours between Monday afternoon & Tuesday morning!!
When the Farmer & Farm Boy arrived back from the evening activities
I took the boy back to the pool.
Where many farm families sat around watching the kids play
while they chatted about everything from cow comfort to #momlife.
You see farmers make up a very small portion of the U.S. population (less than 2%),
so when we get a chance to visit with others like us...
we tend to play catch up because
you most likely won't see them again for another 6 months to a year!
Overall we had a great trip.
The Farm boys did great on the trip,
but were super excited to be back home
and out of the car.
The farmer had some much needed time to relax.
He was headed to the farm within 30 minutes of getting home.
As the farm wife & mom,
I still have a mountain of laundry to catch up on,
have to return to our normal routine today.
But wouldn't trade a minute of it.
Until we meet again...
Caci
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