Like most of the world, I spent most of last month with my eyes on the Olympic games in London. I made a point to watch the sports I love and even spent some time watching those I rarely see or perhaps hadn’t seen before.
What struck me the most were the sports like gymnastic vaulting, diving or short distance track and field events where the athlete has about 30 seconds or less to give it their all.
For some, their one moment to shine was all of 6.2 seconds. The years of training, sacrifices, daily workouts and proper nutrition came down to just one single performance that resulted in victory for some and defeat for others.
It reminded me of the struggles we are seeing in our fields this year. Farmers spent months preparing equipment, selecting the right seed variety, and applying the right fertilizer, pesticides and fungicides, yet victory or defeat this fall will come down to the weather received when it was needed most.
One Olympic sport that drew special attention this year was women’s boxing, as it was the inaugural year for the sport in this venue.
With so many women’s sports being a part of the games for decades, it was surprising to me to learn that boxing wasn’t already among them.
Similarly, it is alarming to realize that not all women are equally accepted in agriculture today. Elaine Froese brought this out in our last issue as she addressed the unique qualities women can bring to the dairy industry as farm owners, partners and/or successors.
I can think of a large number of women who have served as trailblazers in this industry. Like the women boxers, women in agriculture have put forth blood, sweat and tears to be able to stand toe to toe with men in some situations.
One reader recently mentioned to me that his female colleagues typically have to prove themselves more so than their male counterparts.
Within the pages of this issue you’ll find some wonderful examples of women who have established a place for themselves in the dairy industry.
Elaine Froese writes for us again click here to read; this time addressing the comforts of retirement. A female freelance writer, Alice Guthrie, features Bonnie den Haan and the on-farm store she and her family started this summer click here to read. Within the article you will learn how her daughters and daughters-in-law are also involved in agriculture.
The article featured on our cover about cow comfort is about a graduate study performed by the author Annette Zwald. Click here to read more about it.
Another young female, Anita Heeg, writes about her family farm’s partnership with their veterinarian to employ a new technology to better manage their herd click here to read.
That same technology is explained by veterinarian Dr. Nancy Charlton click here to read. Another female veterinarian, Dr. Linda Tikofsky, shares the importance of a lower SCC click here to read.
Jessica Belsito as she takes a close look at teat dip alternatives click here to read, while Heather Dann encourages readers to consider the pain caused by parturition click here to read. As always, Yevet Tenney shares her take on life through religion click here to read.
There are also great articles provided by a number of men in the upcoming pages, and all content is intended to help educate men and women alike.
Happy reading! I hope you can’t take your eyes off it until it is finished, much like the Olympic games.
