Holstein Journal ending publication

[Philip d]

A few of you Canadian dairy or former dairy guys likely know what I?m talking about. I finished reading through this months thin edition yesterday and near the last page was a goodbye page. After 81 years of publication it?s finished up. I?ve almost waited by the mailbox for that magazine for the last 27 years. For the last 10 years it?s been getting thinner and thinner. Genomics pretty much put almost all the purebred breeders out of the market. Very few people show cattle anymore many don?t bother to classify either and many don?t milk record. They can?t afford to publish anymore because most of the few left advertising mostly use Facebook and instagram. Don?t get me wrong ,genomics was a positive game changer in dairy. Using DNA they?ve for over 10 years now been accurately predicting an animals genetic potential from 30 tail hair samples and that fast forwarded the genetic advancement and production potential of most dairy breeds and most likely is also a strong contributor to the worlds overproduction of milk and driving down price. I really miss the days of going to sales hoping to get a calf by the current hot bull out of a nice cow that just sold for a high price. I miss going to the shows,at times taking a few nice cows ,I miss working with my Dad and my son whose now out west. I guess the last couple of years I?ve been just going through the motions keeping the barn going ,I?m the only one in our family interested in milking cows I?m beat and tired from doing it myself. I week from now we?ll be finished milking and to be quite honest I?m more relieved than sad. My dad had a heart valve replacement when I was 16. Ever since then I took on a lot more than most kids my age given it was 1990 and I never really slowed down or learned to relax or try to enjoy life. Farming became my life and I put everything and everyone else after that. I really loved dairy farming but I also really love my family and I?m looking forward to having actual quality time to enjoy with them. Just a long rant/speach whatever but it?s just how I?m looking at life.

 

[lee little]

Phillip what you said touches my heart. I well remember when mom and dad sold the dairy cows after 20+ years of grade A dairying. I remember mom crying as the cows were being loaded. What we do is not just a living but a way of life. Good luck and try to have some fun with your new lifestyle. Lee

 

[JD Seller]

Philip: You will find there is life after dairy farming. I will bet you will find it to be a better life than the one you have lived the last ten years too. Many dairy farmers have a romantic view on dairying. Talk to your wife and kids and see what they think of it. They will usually have a different view. Way too often the better dairy farmers make the cows a higher priority than their family and the family darn well knows it.

I know of no other career that you put in 70-80 hours a week for so little of a return. Also the physical toll too. Just about every tie stall/stanchion dairyman I know has knee or back troubles. You can pick them out by how they walk.

As far as the magazine. I just have to look at my own reading habits. I rarely read a magazine or paper anymore. I read more but it is on the internet. The time lag is one of the big things killing the print reading industry. Whatever they print has already been available for days/weeks on the internet. I often joke I now have the attention span of a gnat. LOL Too easy to jump around topic to topic on the internet.

 

[Bob]

(quoted from post at 18:02:48 03/23/19) A few of you Canadian dairy or former dairy guys likely know what I?m talking about. I finished reading through this months thin edition yesterday and near the last page was a goodbye page. After 81 years of publication it?s finished up. I?ve almost waited by the mailbox for that magazine for the last 27 years. For the last 10 years it?s been getting thinner and thinner. Genomics pretty much put almost all the purebred breeders out of the market. Very few people show cattle anymore many don?t bother to classify either and many don?t milk record. They can?t afford to publish anymore because most of the few left advertising mostly use Facebook and instagram. Don?t get me wrong ,genomics was a positive game changer in dairy. Using DNA they?ve for over 10 years now been accurately predicting an animals genetic potential from 30 tail hair samples and that fast forwarded the genetic advancement and production potential of most dairy breeds and most likely is also a strong contributor to the worlds overproduction of milk and driving down price. I really miss the days of going to sales hoping to get a calf by the current hot bull out of a nice cow that just sold for a high price. I miss going to the shows,at times taking a few nice cows ,I miss working with my Dad and my son whose now out west. I guess the last couple of years I?ve been just going through the motions keeping the barn going ,I?m the only one in our family interested in milking cows I?m beat and tired from doing it myself. I week from now we?ll be finished milking and to be quite honest I?m more relieved than sad. My dad had a heart valve replacement when I was 16. Ever since then I took on a lot more than most kids my age given it was 1990 and I never really slowed down or learned to relax or try to enjoy life. Farming became my life and I put everything and everyone else after that. I really loved dairy farming but I also really love my family and I?m looking forward to having actual quality time to enjoy with them. Just a long rant/speach whatever but it?s just how I?m looking at life.

SAD, but not unexpected in this "enlightened age".

I wonder, will anyone be publishing an "Almond Milk" Journal any time soon

 

[Philip d]

Lol maybe? There?s a big push back from dairy to not let non
cow/goat milk based products use the word milk in plant
based product names. It will make their marketing more
difficult.

 

[Philip d]

Thank you Ronnie. My dad almost begged me for decades to find a better way of life and give up on milking cows but I wouldn?t listen. He hated dairy but only continued because he knew I loved it. Looking back the last few years I think that farm return started to take a hit the most here when I finally opened my eyes and started putting my wife and kids first above the cows and they?re worth it. A persons dead a long time,I see a lot of other dairymen like you say and I was one of them that completely focused on the farm and put little time and thought into their family and someday they will either have no family around them or decide to give up on the cows if they can?t find a better balance. That?s one of the main reasons we installed a robot 5 years ago to have more time. It in reality is quite the opposite with robots,they take more time on repair ,trouble shooting,cow training and fetching plus micro managing the cows individually not to mention being on pins and needles while your away from the barn that the phone will ring because the robot quit.

 

[Philip d]

Thank you Lee,I?m not sure that they?ll be any tears shed here or not but we?ll see? The things I really loved about dairy are long gone and the parts that remain are less than enjoyable to say the least. I?m thinking on getting an angling license this spring? The kids said they?ll come and my wife said she will too so long as she doesn?t have to touch what goes on and comes off the hook!

 

[Bruce from Can.]

The Holstein Journal, used to come free to all Holstein members. Then quite suddenly, you had to subscribe to the Journal if you still wanted it coming to your mail box. I didn?t pay the subscription, and never missed it. Used to call it , The Playcow Book. Cause it was filled with fancy girls, showing off their assets.
Dairy farming means different things to different people. While I am now thought by many farmers that know me as a old guy I guess, after 39 years, I am still very happy going to the barn, growing crops, and enjoying farm life. While life off the farm may hold strong appeal to some, there are few non farm related things that interest me. We try to balance our work/family life, and there are sometimes conflicts. But don?t ever think that other non farmers don?t have work/family conflicts too. We all need to find our comfort zone. You will be free from your constant demanding cows in one week Dwayne, and can pursue other interest, but I bet the dairy cows will always be pulling on your heart strings. Bruce

 

[islandgreen]

There is life after dairy farming.Your family will thank you for it,

 

[rrlund]

I had a huge problem with depression and anxiety along with insomnia the last year or more that I milked cows. It wasn't financial,but just the toll that being there seven days a week 365 takes on you. After the milk cows left,I only woke up at 3am with an anxiety attack one time.

 

[Philip d]

I?m sure your right Bruce,I expect if I?m alone and happen to drive by some cows on pasture they?ll be a heaviness set in my heart for a bit along the drive.

 

[Philip d]

For sure Randy,throw in the robot and the darn phone can start blaring demanding immediate attention.

 

[Philip d]

They already are! Have you ever gone to Dennis? fall tractor run? I never did ask what part of the island your at.