This Dairy Life

06/12/2025

Day 12: Hydrotherapy

This month has been a bear for me and I have t posted like I normally do. Today it seems fitting to post about 8212.

Her leg is swollen for an unknown reason. We use hydrotherapy (garden hose water) on that leg to help. She’s standing still and chewing her cud during this, indicators that she appreciates the treatment.

06/09/2025

Becket got to give her first tour!

06/04/2025

Day 4: National Cheese Day

It seems only fitting to share a photo by the legen-dairy photographer Emily Combs Photography who captured this udderly stunning photo. The real MVP here is the mozzarella on the pizza, it’s the most consumed cheese in America!

🧀 Over 1,800 types of cheese exist worldwide
🇺🇸 The average American eats 40 pounds of cheese each year
🧬 Cheese has been made for 7,000+ years
🧂 Most cheese starts with 4 ingredients: milk, salt, bacteria, rennet

Whether it’s sliced, shredded, aged, or fresh—cheese is a staple. What is your favorite?

06/03/2025

Day 3: Breeds

1. Holstein
📍 Origin: Netherlands
🎨 Color: Black & white (sometimes red & white)
📈 Known for: Highest milk production
📦 Fun Fact: ~90% of U.S. dairy cows are Holsteins
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2. Red & White
📍 Origin: U.S.
🎨 Color: Red & white (surprise!)
📈 Known for: Comparable production to Holsteins
📦 Fun Fact: Became an official breed in 1964
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3. Jersey
📍 Origin: Jersey Island (UK)
🎨 Color: Light brown with dark face
🥛 Known for: Highest butterfat content
📦 Fun Fact: Small size, rich milk—dairy overachiever
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4. Brown Swiss
📍 Origin: Switzerland
🎨 Color: Solid brown with black nose/tongue
📈 Known for: Great milk + protein balance
📦 Fun Fact: One of the world’s oldest dairy breeds
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5. Guernsey
📍 Origin: Guernsey Island (UK)
🎨 Color: Fawn and white
🥛 Known for: Golden milk (beta-carotene-rich)
📦 Fun Fact: Gentle temperament + high quality milk
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6. Ayrshire
📍 Origin: Scotland
🎨 Color: Red & white
📈 Known for: Balanced milk volume + strength
📦 Fun Fact: Excellent grazers, thrive on pasture
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7. Milking Shorthorn
📍 Origin: England
🎨 Color: Red, white, or roan
📈 Known for: Dual-purpose (milk + meat)
📦 Fun Fact: One of the most docile dairy breeds

Image credit to Cow Nerd

06/02/2025

Day 1: World Milk Day

Today we raise a glass of nature’s best, a cold glass of milk! Follow along during June Dairy Month as we share about our life.

04/18/2025

We reached a milestone today that we never anticipated. The number of heifers on the farm exceeded the needed replacement rate.

37 heifers were loaded tonight, bound for farms in Iowa. Tears were shed by all of us. There is some amount of pride knowing our work will live on somewhere else.

To the farms that are getting our girls- please know how much they were loved and cared for. The kids called many by name as they stepped onto the semi. They stood here and gazed at the semi, the last time they would see them. It was a beautiful and humbling sight. We only hope you love them as much as we did.

02/23/2025

02/17/2025

Nine years ago we moved here. It was a long four years before that. There were many days of “sell it all, I’m done,” both before we moved and since.

It’s hard to start a business, let alone a farm. And even more to do it with your spouse. We are both business partners and married. Sometimes the line between coworkers and married is blurred and difficult.

I remember the day we moved in here. I milked cows for the final time in the parlor with my dad. We loaded them on trailers as they finished. I called the school to tell them the kids wouldn’t be there. It was important to us that they be here and there as we moved both the cows and our house, our lives. We had a team of people working to pack and unpack, feed us, and provide support.

There are pictures of people sleeping in the cow stalls and slumped over on buckets. I remember falling asleep draped over a gate. It was both the hardest and proudest moment for us.

There are things I would change but ultimately we have succeeded in this crazy dream we had too many years ago to count.

02/08/2025

We’re proud to announce that August Michels was named the Section 23 STAR Farmer today! She will advance and compete to be named the District V STAR Farmer! 🐄

12/03/2024

The Michels family operates out of Claremont, Illinois, and has a rich history in farming. Learn more about the Michels' farming experiences.

10/12/2024

It's our favorite day of the year🤠
Join us in thanking your local dairy farmers working 24/7 to bring fresh milk to you🤍

Curious about how our dairy farmers do it all? Leave a comment below and we'll get the experts to answer it!

Don't forget to enter our World Dairy Expo Giveaway to win dairy prize packs! https://www.prairiefarms.com/celebrate/