Author: Kimberly Jepsen
-
The Quiet Hurt of Farming
The Hard Days No One Talks About We’ve only had Dexter cattle for 11 years, and in many ways, for a Dexter breeder, that’s a long time. But in the grand scheme of farming, it’s barely a blip on the radar. And yet, it feels like every possible bad thing that can happen on a…
-
AI Plans vs. Real Life on the Farm
The Naughty Heifer and the Fence That Failed We had a plan. A good one, too. Three cows—technically two cows and one heifer—were supposed to be prepped for AI. Schedules were coordinated, semen was purchased (expensive, carefully chosen semen), and optimism was high. And then… cows happened. Instead, last night I caught the naughty Jersey…
-
From Freezer Camp to the Milk Pail: Maggie’s Story
How “Accidental” Breeding Created a Little Black Cull Heifer that Turned into One of the Best Milk Cows in the World… The year was 2015, and I had never touched a cow before buying one. I had read every book I could find and devoured countless online articles about cattle, but I had absolutely zero…
-
Maggie’s Miracle: A Story of Hope and Survival
Three years after I started my Dexter journey, it was mid October, 2019 and my farming world felt as though it was collapsing around me. After weeks of fighting an unknown illness and exhausting every option available, I was forced to make the devastating decision to put down my first cow. I was heartbroken. And…
-
Honoring the Matriarchs of the Pasture
Seasoned, Sensible, and Still Running the Herd There is a certain peace that settles over a pasture when mature cows are part of the herd. It’s not loud or dramatic, but it is unmistakable. These cows move with confidence, graze without hurry, and respond to the rhythms of the day as if they were written…