June is Dairy Month. For more than thirty years I was directly tied into the dairy industry. I married a dairy farmer who brought me to his home area. Everything was new to me except for what I learned while we were dating. I was not used to the long days and the interruptions at night.

We began life as a couple in a trailer on the farm right beside his folks. Actually, when I had my first baby we were living in the main house because there had not been time to install the line for the oil for the furnace. The baby was born in October and it was cold by then.

After his appearance the line went in quickly. I had a furnace to come home to.

We lived in that trailer for nearly five years. While it was very compact, it had its drawbacks. The children were in the main bedroom because we needed two beds. Dick and I took the smaller room right beside the furnace. Every once in a while, we had to get up during the night to clean the fan on the furnace because it was making noise.

Nearly five years later we moved to Hickory Heights. We bought the house on auction and made some improvements before we moved in. It was hard being a mile from the farm. Dick had to get up often during the night during calving season to check on the livestock. He drove down, first in the truck and later on the four-wheeler, to check the cows.

Often times were tough. During the summer months the income was small. The cows were getting ready to freshen. That meant there would soon be more milk in the tank. We were paid twice a month. The first check was an advance on what was anticipated and the second check was the balance of what was actually produced. There were months when the second check was very small. I learned to budget my money efficiently so as to have enough for groceries all month long.

I shopped with one of those little red calculators. I punched those buttons rounding up if the item was more than fifty cents and rounding down if it was less. That was fairly accurate. During those first few years I spent about $20 every time I went to the grocery store. Groceries were not expensive back then as they are today.

When I shopped, I had to get enough food to last me at least two weeks. There were hayers to feed, too. Of course, our garden supplemented my budget during the summer months. I canned and froze things from the garden which helped with the winter months. All of that was new to me as well. I had never canned anything. It was rough but I learned how to do it.

One year I figured out what the cost of production was versus the yield of milk. My husband was very conscious of how he was doing. I wrote an article about the farm income. Other farmers thanked me for pointing out the small margin of profit that farmers were earning.

One thing about dairy farming, you have to love it. It is a different lifestyle. You know you are going to work hard. The great part was that the children could be involved very young. They could help. They had responsibilities and they took them seriously. The skills they learned on the farm were valuable. They learned a work ethic that has stayed with them into adulthood.

My husband was a good businessman. He watched the expenses and cut back when he thought the cost was too much. He would rather produce less and be able to make more money. They were some of the first farmers from around here who quit planting corn and went to all silage. It paid dividends. You did not have to drive the tractor around the field as many times. That saved fuel and as fuel became increasing more expensive it eventually saved them money.

When someone came to the farm looking to purchase cattle my husband’s motto was “everything is for sale”. Which cow do you want? He figured that he was ahead that way since there are no guarantees of cow longevity. His favorite cow could die tomorrow.

Summer was a busy season with hay to take in. I fed the hayers up here. After they were finished, they made their way to Hickory Heights for supper. That was a skill that I also had to learn. I mastered the art of keeping meals ready for sometimes hours when things did not go as planned.

Jill, my daughter, was my eyes on the scene. She called to let me know what was happening since I could not see from up here.

This has brought back so many memories. I stop here, but will pick this up again in the future. Farm life was good.

Take time to thank the farmers for a job well done. We have food on our tables and it does not come from the store.

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