Nowadays, you hear a lot about “handcrafted” products. Craft beer, craft cheese. As dairy farmers, we’re the original hand crafted product. To me, craft production means growing up learning a process, putting a lot of care into your product, and constantly refining your techniques. At Majestic Crossing, that’s what we do.
Growing up on a dairy farm, my brother and I learned about the cycle of life from early on. My childhood was really an apprenticeship, as I worked alongside my dad who taught me everything from how to milk a cow to when the ground was ready for planting. By the time I was 14 or 15, my parents could take a couple of days vacation, and we ran the farm.
At eight years old my first job on the farm was milking. That was the beginning, and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. The biggest thing my dad taught me was to do everything the right way. You can’t take shortcuts, you’ve got to do it properly. That’s handcrafted.
As I got older and helped in the fields with planting, I remember asking my dad, “Is this ground ready?” He turned the question around on me. “What do you think?” It took years to really know and understand soil – because soil is alive. Now, I can look at the soil and touch it, and know when it’s time to plant and even at what depth I should be planting my seed. It takes a lifetime of learning to know these things. That’s where the craft comes in.
I remember the first time I cut hay. There are lots of moving parts in those machines, so it’s a big responsibility, a big step. It’s really something seeing that hay fall down, and smelling that sweet smell. It’s pretty nostalgic.
My dad is still involved in the business. He’s a sounding board for ideas, and when it comes to big decisions, we all make them together. I’m grateful for having grown up at his side and learning the craft of farming from him. Happy Father’s Day to one and all.
