Cow Tales from the Dairy Farm: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year

As some of our avid readers already know, it is my favorite time of year—FALL!  This means finishing up hay crops, chopping corn and traveling to livestock shows. In the dairy industry, the Super Bowl of dairy shows is World Dairy Expo. Expo is a place where the industry comes together to celebrate its finest members, as well as look to the future, by displaying the best of the best in newest innovations and products.

Walking the trade show can be a truly overwhelming experience, so I always recommend preparing yourself!  Hoard’s Dairyman has a great guide in their magazine that gives you maps and a schedule, so you can check out all the great companies at the trade show and see the awesome virtual tours. I recommend viewing those tours. Everyone in the industry learns from each other. Stopping to see how one producer does something versus yourself might give you the inspiration to improve your own operation and your bottom line.

Don’t forget the seven different breed shows that will be happening all week long.  Coming from Connecticut, I am going to root for the cows from Arethusa Farms (from Litchfield, CT).  Having been to their farm and also breeding my own cows to their offspring, I hope they place as well as they did last year, if not better (hopefully they bring home the Supreme Champion title for the 3^rd time in 10 years).  Another exciting thing for me this year is the opportunity to see one of my closest friend’s Ayrshire Winter Calf compete on the colored shavings.  Having an animal make it to this level of competition is something to be proud of, and this is his first animal to make it to this status.

As you are traveling through all the barns and trade show buildings, don’t forget to come say “hello.”  I will be  traveling to the great state of Wisconsin with my partner in crime, Abigail, and we will be meeting up with Kat and Paul, who will be arriving with our Fodder-Pro Feed System trailer.  Come stop by our booths! (yes, we have two this year!!) We are in both the Arena Building at Booth #486, and in the Outdoor Trade Mall at Booth #709.  See you at the show!

Let us know if you’re stopping by WDE this year. Here’s a shot of Abigail and I from last year!