Life of dairying comes to end

(Editor's note: The Vanderheidens have been married for 20 years and have been dairy farmers all those years. Jerry has farmed all his life. The couple have four children, Missy, Adam, Cody and Katie. They all belong to St. John the Baptist Parish in Seymour. This spring, the family decided to stop dairy farming and auction their herd and most of the equipment. Here is their story.)

There is something about a husband and wife walking to their job, the family dog greeting us at the barn door and the rich smells of feed around you.

A walk out to the pasture, to bring in the less eager of our herd, confronts you with sand cranes picking corn from cow pies or a newborn Holstein wobbling to reach its first meal. The following hours are fast paced with milking, feeding, letting cows out and in, bedding animals, youngstock care and all the scraping and upkeep. It's never a boring time - several animals may need special attention, maybe there's a calving to attend to.

It may seem too simple a life - somewhat like Little House on the Prairie; but the simple pleasures are what make it all worthwhile:

-- Spending time with your spouse and children.

-- Making a wedding supper and saying our kids are doing the chores and milking - knowing they've grown to be responsible and knowledgeable - making us so proud!

-- Having Gizmo, the cat, follow you as you bed hoping a mouse will pop out of the straw.

-- The relationships you develop with the milkman, supply dealers, and friends you can count on.

-- Knowing you are caring for God's creation to leave it better for your kids.

The rewards are many - but even more appreciated when days are tough. Animal health has its good and bad - you don't always end up with a happy ending. Mother nature is constantly a variable. Your products from the farm are met with a pie that's just not being cut even - ultimately the independent farmer loses out on decent profit. Equipment doesn't last forever and like everyone else the cost of living creeps upward.

As most other self-employed folks, we sacrifice family gatherings, public events and free time so we can do a good job and make ends meet. Why does change have to be for money and control? We're losing a part of agriculture that brought quality of life, family closeness, and strong morality ethics.

As our farm auction neared, we felt sadness with a lifestyle change but also the demise of Rural America. Our hope is that generations to come will not forget the agricultural start to this country.

The auction of our milking herd and some of our machinery took place March 20, 2001. Our main barn is empty and we see milking equipment being dismantled. We're pushing positively into the future to keep connected with animals and the land.

One of the hardest concepts to realize is how to do other tasks in the time frame normally set aside for milking. Our days are quite different and uncertainties are scary but, we take comfort in knowing we did our best and are stronger folks from the road we've traveled.

Dear Lord, it's been a rewarding journey. New paths are before us.