I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Dairy Carrie at the family farm in Wisconsin a few times. They’ve all been great, and this was no exception. Carrie didn’t grow up on the farm, but she did have a love for cattle. She set her feet squarely on the farm when she married her husband Patrick who was from a dairy family.
While they didn’t see a future at the dairy initially, life has its way of twisting and turning that led them back.
In the early days at the farm, Carrie was front and center with the daily ins and outs. Since then they’ve added two little boys to their family. She’s also added a pretty impressive advocate lineup to her resume so her time spent at the farm has changed a little bit.
Dairy Carrie Blog Begins
Carrie started her “Dairy Carrie” blog on a whim. She was looking to share her thoughts and story as a Wisconsin family dairy. Her authentic nature and clear way of communicating (with just enough snark thrown in) have struck a chord with an online audience.
She shares her stories through her blog and also on her social media pages.
I met Carrie on a warm summer afternoon, with her oldest little blonde-headed boy in tow.
An Exciting Walk Through the Dairy
We started our trip around the farm at the forestall open-air barn to do a walk around check of the cattle. This was in between the morning and evening milking so after that, it was time to let the girls out to pasture.
The gates were open and the girls were off at a full run out the doors. They were ready for the warm sunshine and green grass outside.
One curious girl took the fun a little too far and broke right through the fence! This put me and our TV producer, Katie, squarely in her path. She sent us running back up into the barn and out to an unfenced area on the farm.
Now, I’m definitely not a FarmHer like Carrie is, but I‘ve seen it done enough that I immediately spread my arms out wide, giving the cow a barrier that she (hopefully) wouldn’t run through. She decided to turn around and head back to greener pastures and I breathed a big sigh of relief!
Milking Dairy Cows or Pet Dairy Cows
From there we continued our trip around the farm, stopping for a look at Carrie’s only “pet” cow.
On a dairy, just as at most farms, the cows are there for a specific job but every once in a while a special animal comes along and just gets part of your heart.
After a quick look at the young calves, we stopped for dinner and headed into town to Crawfish Junction. I had eaten there with Carrie one time before. I was craving the absolutely delicious and fresh Wisconsin Cheese Curds.
With dinner over, we headed back out to the farm just in time for the evening milking.
The girls were all lined up and waiting their turn. I stood and watched as fresh milk spilled through the hoses before heading down the road for pasteurization and processing.
Milk is part of every meal at my house, and likely yours too.
My visit to Carrie’s farm was a great reminder of the families who work so hard day in and day out to make sure families like mine can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
