Summer is here, and I’m excited! I do enjoy certain elements of winter, spring and fall, and I am glad that I live in a seasonal climate, but summer is by far my favourite time of year.

It’s so nice to see everything alive and well after a long winter. The noises from the pond outside my office window have quieted down since spring, as well as the traffic from the nearby fertiliser plant. Now aside from the click-clack of my keyboard, all I can hear is the hum of a passing car and the birds chirping outside.

On occasion, I hear another chirping: Every hour on the hour, I get to hear the chime from the wild game bird clock my 3-year-old gave me for Mother’s Day. She picked it out all by herself and, like any mother would be, I was pleased as could be to receive such a gift.

Father’s Day is fast approaching, and we better get to the store before her father gets any ideas of his own for a gift. Especially considering in two of the past three years, he has managed to get a new truck and a farm for gifts.

Have you given any thought to how you will honour your father this year? If not, take a look at what suggestions Elaine Froese has to bless your farming father and form a stronger bond between the two of you for the health of your relationship and your farm, click here to read the article.

Shortly after Father’s Day is the Precision Dairy Conference and Expo, June 25-27. This event first occurred in Toronto three years ago and will now be held just south of the border in Rochester, Minnesota. If you are unfamiliar with precision dairying and what it can do for you click here to read an article about it.

Jeffrey Bewley from the University of Kentucky presented on this topic at the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar this past March and will also be a speaker at the Minnesota conference. The program will include international speakers, three producer panels and optional farm tours.

If you’re looking for another great event to attend, you’ll be pleased to hear the North American Manure Expo will be making its first appearance in Canada this summer. Featuring demonstrations, seminars and a trade show, the event will be held Aug. 21 near London, Ontario.

While you are out and about this summer, let’s not forget about the cows back at home. Are you prepared to battle the summer heat, or did the season sneak up on you? Take a moment to answer the questions posed by Tom Palen, click here just to double-check you have all of your bases covered.

If you are worried about suffering a drop in pregnancy rates this summer, you might want to read Mark Carson’s article by clicking here, as he offers ways to keep your reproductive program on track throughout the heat.

James Kleinke also offers tips on how to beat the heat in a cow-cooling article, click here to read.

I am ready for summer to be here, and I hope you are too.