I don’t have the time. There’s hay to make. I need to change the oil in the tractor. As farmers, we are good at coming up with reasons why we can’t do something. It’s easy to use our occupation as a crutch to say no. There are times when it’s healthy to say no or when life really is in the way, but, then there are other times we need to say yes when asked.
This summer, our family was approached with two such situations we said yes to, and by saying yes, we have been able to network and share our story.
Our first yes was to Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. We were asked to host one of their ACE Twilight meetings at the end of August. People came to our farm for a tour and a chance to visit with local and state officials about what is on their minds regarding dairy and agriculture. It was an honor to be asked to host this event, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
The second yes was to FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative. We received a short-notice phone call asking if we would be available to meet with our congressman since the top trade ambassador for the U.S. Ambassador Katherine Tai was coming to Wisconsin for a visit with Congressman Kind to learn about our agriculture industry and what our concerns were regarding trade. Without hesitation, we said yes. Due to haymaking, my husband and I decided that I would attend along with my son, Randy. The National Milk Producers Federation held a session to update us on the current trade situation regarding dairy, and then it was off to the dairy farm host to visit and share our story.
Even in our busy life, both on and off the farm, we felt it was important to say yes to these opportunities. You never know what can result when you say yes. So, if an opportunity presents itself, say yes!
Christina Winch, FarmFirst member and dairy farmer from Fennimore, Wis. is featured in this month’s cover story. Christina and her husband, Peter, along with their three sons, manage their dairy Winch’s Pine Grove Farms, LP. In recent years, the Winches have embraced technology and automation across their farm, including updating their milking system to a set of four DeLaval milking robots.
