You may not know that my Jersey herd has been split between two farms for the past five years. Most of my Jerseys are raised and milked alongside my father-in-law's Holstein herd, but I boarded a few cows at my friend's dairy farm.
In January 2017, when the dairy farm I was working on closed its doors, I asked my neighbours, Rene and Jessica Miedema, if they could board my milking cows while I looked for another dairy job. Rene was a little concerned about how my Jerseys would fit in with his Holsteins due to the size difference, but he generously agreed to take them for a few months.
However, a few months turned into a few years. I didn't find another dairy job right away, and the Jerseys grew on Rene, so even after Ben and I married in September 2018, I left a few of my milking cows at Rene's farm.
Recently, Rene and Jessica bought a property in Nova Scotia and sold the dairy farm, and they're moving across the country at the end of this month. So on January 20th, the last of my Jerseys—Buttercup and her daughter Violet—came home.
All of my Jerseys are in one place for the first time in five years, but it's bittersweet; I'm excited that I can visit my cows every day, but I'm really going to miss Jessica and Rene and their sweet family.
