Produced on the Farm began, well, as an unintended result of Diane wanting to try real milk. That sounds a little crazy, even to us. It would probably sound better if we could offer up a well thought out business plan with a two, five, and ten year business plan and a well thought out and wordy mission statement, but that ain't us. As best as we can remember, there never was a plan to sell milk. We moved to Dixie County in 2014 from Hillsborough County after our two kids joined the military. We wanted to find a bigger piece of land, bigger than our 3 & 1/4 acre farm in Odessa, for our horses, goats, chickens, ducks, pot bellied pigs, dogs, cats, and a donkey. Notice no cows are listed above. We found a beautiful large lake front secluded property with a modest ranch style house in Old Town, FL, and God made it fit our budget. We packed up the Ark, which amounted to several horse trailer loads and one flat bed car hauler to bring all of the animals to their new home in the woods. After settling in for a few months, we remember asking our new vet if she knew anyone that milked cows. We had seen an article talking about raw milk, but had never had an opportunity to try any. Where on earth could you find any, right? Well, she did, and we got to meet Bob & Marlene Rogers, who have a productive cattle ranch and goat farm in Alachua County. They also have a small herd of Jersey cows that they milk for their own family and friends. Our journey really began standing outside their milking barn, wondering if we had it in us to do this, too. We are always quick to say we really owe it all to them. They are always quick to respond, "Don't put the blame on us!" Without their open hearts and willingness to share their years of experience with us, we wouldn't have made it past the first milking, literally.
So, we bought two of the Rogers' Jersey heifers, Essie Lou and Daisy Mae, and began the long process of learning to handle cows, how to not breed cows(Artificial Insemination Services), and finally how to breed cows (Bull). We had due dates written down for both girls and a building schedule to have everything in place before the first calf and milk arrived. As they say, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. About 3 months before we were to be "ready", we got an emergency call from our friend that we had bought our first bull from (i.e.-how to breed cows). She needed to find a home for her cow "Bonnie Sue", who was already in milk. I drove down on Diane's birthday to pick her up from Plantation, FL. Bonnie would turn out to be the best birthday present ever, but it took a little bit to realize it. Now, the thing with a cow in milk is, well, they are in milk. They have to be milked. Right now! It seemed so much easier milking Marlene's cows in their milk barn than it was in one of our horse stalls with an unfamiliar cow that knew we didn't know what we were doing, and with unfamiliar equipment. One panicked phone call later had Bob & Marlene at our farm to get us through that first milking. As they left, Marlene uttered (pun intended) these foretelling words, "You know, you can sell the extra milk..."
We never intended to grow passed the two cows, then three with Bonnie. There was no plan beyond getting milk for us, and maybe make some cheese. We realized in the first few days that we needed friends to help consume the river of milk that we tapped into. In the first week, we realized we didn't have enough friends. We also realized that our knowledge base needed to grow faster than the herd was growing. Fortunately, I married well. Diane's ability to research anything and apply what she has learned and how to quickly learn from mistakes kept us moving forward and on the right track. As an aside, she has actually fixed our tractor once by researching on line. This may not seem like a big deal, except that she knows NOTHING about the inner workings of the tractor, just how to use it. We have learned so much along the way. We learn something new every day, and hope we never stop. Though we have grown a lot from that first day in milk, there are many things that have remained the same since the first day.
First, we love our cows. I mean we really love our cows. All of ours girl calves are still here on the farm, having their own babies and joining the milking team. Our bull calves grow up as Breeding Bulls, and along the way, we have found great homes for some of them, and the others remain here on the farm to build the next generation. All of our cows, calves, and bulls have names, not numbers. We bought several of our cows, several were given to us as precious gifts, and the rest have been born on our farm. No matter how they arrived, all of our girls will live out their entire life here. Their life at Produced on the Farm comes with a full medical, dental, and retirement package.
We also still milk one cow at a time. While it would seem to take a lot less time to form a line and milk everyone in groups into a milk tank, that's not what we do. Each cow is called in from their turn out one at a time, by name. Yes, by name. No, not in the same order each day. Yes, they know their name. You have to use their first and middle name, because Abbey and Gabby, for instance, sound alot alike. Their first stop is the wash station, where Diane checks them for cleanliness and uses a heated shower to rinse off anything that doesn't belong. Then they walk or run to the milking parlor, where they get to eat their specially formulated feed while they are milked, over looking the lake. Their milk is drawn into their own labeled bucket milker, which is immediately driven from the barn to our milk kitchen and either set aside for making udder products or bottled by name as full cream milk. For us, it just makes sense. It's the way we started and some things just need to stay the same and not be influenced by this world of do it faster, bigger, cheaper. We have had many good intended friends and family suggest we milk multiple cows at a time. We have the equipment and space on hand, it's just not how we do things. It would take away the personal time with each cow, and things would be missed if you rush the process.
We really love what we do, and who we have become. We had no background in anything farming. Diane and I were both raised in the Air Force (different parents, of course) and moved around most of our childhood. The biggest animal in our lives was a family dog. Our first profession of choice was law enforcement (again, different agencies and cities). After we met, much later in life, we decided Diane was needed at home to finish raising the kids (children, not goats) as I continued to earn a paycheck in corporate America. We also started a kayak guide service in Pinellas County, something that allowed us to have the entire family work together around work and school schedules. We operated Simply Kayaking on the waters of Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor for about 10 years until both kids joined the military and we moved to Dixie County. We laugh now that we used to tell neighbors and new friends that we were retired. Now, we realize we were just resting up for what was ahead. Diane started her law enforcement career as a patrol officer, was quickly promoted to detective and worked her way from crimes against property to crime against persons to homicide before retiring. Later, she spent a couple of years as an investigator with the Medical Examiners Office, and finished her career with the state as an Investigator. I was a police officer and Deputy Sheriff for several departments in North Florida, with duties including search and rescue diver and SWAT sniper. After retiring, I worked for an international corporation for 15 years, starting as an inspector and leaving as the Director of my division. All that said to say that we have never loved what we do or worked so hard or as long of hours as we do today. We had very challenging and rewarding careers in law enforcement and in the private sector, but nothing compares to the joy and significance of what we do today. As of mid 2019, our son, Corey, threw his hat into the bull pen. He spent 8 years as a US Army Cav Scout, deploying overseas twice, and will tell you the same thing. He has never worked so hard or loved what he does as he does now.
Our farm is the most peaceful place we have ever seen. While family and friends tell us of their vacations and places visited, we have no desire to join them. For us, our life is our vacation. It's the hardest work we have ever done, and at the end of each day, we have the peace of a good day. It may have included the joy of a new born calf, or the struggles of a cold rainy day of fence mending. No matter the tasks of the day, it's always a good day. Each day includes singing to cows, playing tag with calves, watching our chocolate lab tease the barn cats and chickens, driving tractors, watching hawks and eagles fish out of the lake, and all the dairy products you can eat and drink. On occasion, Diane will encourage us to return to our roots by launching kayaks onto the lake, or Corey will break out the fishing poles. When the weather is cooler, Diane will clean up the saddles and suit up the horses to ride the trails and check fences.
Each and every day, without exception, comes with it's own funny farm story. It may be the antics of a new born calf, the interaction of a barn cat and a cow, or a donkey blocking the drive so no one can leave. Come visit with us at a Farmer's Market and let us share the latest with you. Hope to see you soon.
So, we bought two of the Rogers' Jersey heifers, Essie Lou and Daisy Mae, and began the long process of learning to handle cows, how to not breed cows(Artificial Insemination Services), and finally how to breed cows (Bull). We had due dates written down for both girls and a building schedule to have everything in place before the first calf and milk arrived. As they say, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. About 3 months before we were to be "ready", we got an emergency call from our friend that we had bought our first bull from (i.e.-how to breed cows). She needed to find a home for her cow "Bonnie Sue", who was already in milk. I drove down on Diane's birthday to pick her up from Plantation, FL. Bonnie would turn out to be the best birthday present ever, but it took a little bit to realize it. Now, the thing with a cow in milk is, well, they are in milk. They have to be milked. Right now! It seemed so much easier milking Marlene's cows in their milk barn than it was in one of our horse stalls with an unfamiliar cow that knew we didn't know what we were doing, and with unfamiliar equipment. One panicked phone call later had Bob & Marlene at our farm to get us through that first milking. As they left, Marlene uttered (pun intended) these foretelling words, "You know, you can sell the extra milk..."
We never intended to grow passed the two cows, then three with Bonnie. There was no plan beyond getting milk for us, and maybe make some cheese. We realized in the first few days that we needed friends to help consume the river of milk that we tapped into. In the first week, we realized we didn't have enough friends. We also realized that our knowledge base needed to grow faster than the herd was growing. Fortunately, I married well. Diane's ability to research anything and apply what she has learned and how to quickly learn from mistakes kept us moving forward and on the right track. As an aside, she has actually fixed our tractor once by researching on line. This may not seem like a big deal, except that she knows NOTHING about the inner workings of the tractor, just how to use it. We have learned so much along the way. We learn something new every day, and hope we never stop. Though we have grown a lot from that first day in milk, there are many things that have remained the same since the first day.
First, we love our cows. I mean we really love our cows. All of ours girl calves are still here on the farm, having their own babies and joining the milking team. Our bull calves grow up as Breeding Bulls, and along the way, we have found great homes for some of them, and the others remain here on the farm to build the next generation. All of our cows, calves, and bulls have names, not numbers. We bought several of our cows, several were given to us as precious gifts, and the rest have been born on our farm. No matter how they arrived, all of our girls will live out their entire life here. Their life at Produced on the Farm comes with a full medical, dental, and retirement package.
We also still milk one cow at a time. While it would seem to take a lot less time to form a line and milk everyone in groups into a milk tank, that's not what we do. Each cow is called in from their turn out one at a time, by name. Yes, by name. No, not in the same order each day. Yes, they know their name. You have to use their first and middle name, because Abbey and Gabby, for instance, sound alot alike. Their first stop is the wash station, where Diane checks them for cleanliness and uses a heated shower to rinse off anything that doesn't belong. Then they walk or run to the milking parlor, where they get to eat their specially formulated feed while they are milked, over looking the lake. Their milk is drawn into their own labeled bucket milker, which is immediately driven from the barn to our milk kitchen and either set aside for making udder products or bottled by name as full cream milk. For us, it just makes sense. It's the way we started and some things just need to stay the same and not be influenced by this world of do it faster, bigger, cheaper. We have had many good intended friends and family suggest we milk multiple cows at a time. We have the equipment and space on hand, it's just not how we do things. It would take away the personal time with each cow, and things would be missed if you rush the process.
We really love what we do, and who we have become. We had no background in anything farming. Diane and I were both raised in the Air Force (different parents, of course) and moved around most of our childhood. The biggest animal in our lives was a family dog. Our first profession of choice was law enforcement (again, different agencies and cities). After we met, much later in life, we decided Diane was needed at home to finish raising the kids (children, not goats) as I continued to earn a paycheck in corporate America. We also started a kayak guide service in Pinellas County, something that allowed us to have the entire family work together around work and school schedules. We operated Simply Kayaking on the waters of Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor for about 10 years until both kids joined the military and we moved to Dixie County. We laugh now that we used to tell neighbors and new friends that we were retired. Now, we realize we were just resting up for what was ahead. Diane started her law enforcement career as a patrol officer, was quickly promoted to detective and worked her way from crimes against property to crime against persons to homicide before retiring. Later, she spent a couple of years as an investigator with the Medical Examiners Office, and finished her career with the state as an Investigator. I was a police officer and Deputy Sheriff for several departments in North Florida, with duties including search and rescue diver and SWAT sniper. After retiring, I worked for an international corporation for 15 years, starting as an inspector and leaving as the Director of my division. All that said to say that we have never loved what we do or worked so hard or as long of hours as we do today. We had very challenging and rewarding careers in law enforcement and in the private sector, but nothing compares to the joy and significance of what we do today. As of mid 2019, our son, Corey, threw his hat into the bull pen. He spent 8 years as a US Army Cav Scout, deploying overseas twice, and will tell you the same thing. He has never worked so hard or loved what he does as he does now.
Our farm is the most peaceful place we have ever seen. While family and friends tell us of their vacations and places visited, we have no desire to join them. For us, our life is our vacation. It's the hardest work we have ever done, and at the end of each day, we have the peace of a good day. It may have included the joy of a new born calf, or the struggles of a cold rainy day of fence mending. No matter the tasks of the day, it's always a good day. Each day includes singing to cows, playing tag with calves, watching our chocolate lab tease the barn cats and chickens, driving tractors, watching hawks and eagles fish out of the lake, and all the dairy products you can eat and drink. On occasion, Diane will encourage us to return to our roots by launching kayaks onto the lake, or Corey will break out the fishing poles. When the weather is cooler, Diane will clean up the saddles and suit up the horses to ride the trails and check fences.
Each and every day, without exception, comes with it's own funny farm story. It may be the antics of a new born calf, the interaction of a barn cat and a cow, or a donkey blocking the drive so no one can leave. Come visit with us at a Farmer's Market and let us share the latest with you. Hope to see you soon.