You Don't Know Me

GPK

You don't know me. I don't know you. This morning you were complaining on Twitter about milk companies that source from cows fed non-GMO feeds. That's cool. We've all got opinions. Then an online friend tagged me in a reply tweet, sharing my perspective on such things.

That's where I was reminded why I don't hang out on Twitter very often. You decided that since I'm from a "mega dairy" (I really, really can't stand that phrase), I must hate all small dairy farmers. You don't know me. You don't know that I'm a fifth generation dairy woman. You don't know that my parents started out in western Connecticut with 73 cows and just themselves as the labor force. You don't know that, more than anything, my parents wanted to build  a business in the industry they love and care about that would be so successful their children just couldn't wait to take it over. Guess what? I cannot WAIT to be home dairying with my brothers.

My parents knew that in order to be successful, they would have to think outside the "we've always done it this way" box. So they did. They moved West with three little ones and a pile of cows in tow. They grew those cows to larger numbers. They structured their business to be able to withstand hard times by using risk management tools. They figured out ways to become ever more efficient, though as my dad says, efficiency isn't a destination, it's a journey.

You keep getting better, but you never quite arrive because there are always ways to do better. That's what my family did to survive in this business we all know is terrifyingly volatile. But all you see is some "big" faceless dairy, and you're convinced we're what's wrong with the industry.

You know what's really wrong with this industry? The attitude that it's a zero sum game. The idea that big and small dairymen must pick sides. The school of thought that just because someone is different from you, they and the way they go about their business are bad. I am so, so tired of being labeled the bad guy. All I want is for this industry I love to thrive. For the people to enjoy being around one another, to learn from one another's successes, and share the hard times to make the burden a bit less. You don't know me. I wish I could get to know you, because I bet if you gave me that chance, you'd find that we have a lot more in common than you think.