June is Dairy Month. Our family was in the dairy business for four generations. First, my husband’s grandfather owned the farm. Then it went to my father-in-law. Next his daughter had that farm. My husband moved to the farm that we now call Meldick Farms. It is on Howard Road near Russell.

My husband and his father milked cows on that farm for more than thirty years. That is when my children became involved. They did not help with the morning milking but were there for the evening shift. Todd began helping when he was in fifth grade. The deal was that he could help if it did not interfere with his school work. Somehow, he managed to hold it all together. He helped from then on.

Jill got on board a little later. She always helped during the summer when there was hay. She could toss those bales with the best of them. When she was not helping at the farm, she made lunches for herself and her brother. My children took their lunches most of the time. They did not like the taste of the school milk. It was not like they had at home.

When Todd left for college, Jill took over milking chores. When Todd came home, he was right back in the barn. Then the three of them milked.

No, I never milked a cow. The church found that out one year ago when I was to get an award. I remember how stunned Barb Carter was when I sat down on the question “Who never milked a cow?”

She had to ask all those who sat down to stand back up. I was to be the last one standing!

Although I never milked a cow I made a significant contribution to the dairy industry. When Jill was the Warren County Dairy Princess, I was asked to be part of the presentation team at the state gathering. I was to speak on the media and how to interact with them.

That was quite an experience. The first night one of the presenters did various hairdos for the girls. If they let him, he cut and styled their hair. Some were brave while others were not. I watched. I could see that he made everyone look better.

The next day after my presentation he asked if I would let him cut my hair. It was long for me at that point. He did such a fantastic job that some of the girls did not know me when I showed up for dinner that evening. The lady I rode with asked me what my husband was going to say. I was not worried. It turned out great.

I also contributed many articles about local farmers to both a country paper and the local papers. I always did a piece on the dairy show at the Warren County Fair. The people in charge of that show kept books for me. I showed up to take pictures of the winners.

Milking cows was hard work. My husband milked cows until he could no longer get help with the haying. At that point he sold his milk cows. We were supposed to have more time to do things together. In theory that was good but the cows he had left still needed to be fed.

My son now lives on that farm. He raises meat animals. He still must be there, but it is not as intense as a dairy.

My daughter’s children leased cows from a farmer to take part in 4-H. Carly fell in love with the animals. That experience led her into the field of veterinary medicine. She is working at a practice in North Carolina. Jared, although he did not mind showing and clipping, soon gave up and went another direction. He is destined to be in business.

People look at farms and think that everything is ideal. That is far from the reality. Dairy farming is a 24/7 occupation. Those cows need to be milked at least twice a day. Now there are farmers milking three times a day with a lot of labor involved. You have to love it to keep going.

Farming is not just an occupation. It is a way of life. While I did not always appreciate the day-to-day things I knew it was a wonderful way to raise our children. They learned how to work. They learned responsibility. They learned farm values which have served them well in daily life.

Now I look at my children and realize how much the farm did to form their character. June is Dairy Month. Thank our farmers for their hard work. Thank them for the delicious product that they produce. Milk is not bad for you. It has all the nutrients that you need.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.