"Anyone Else Getting Nervous Yet? I Know I Am!"

 It is less than 2 months until the official start of the 2014 Marine Corp Marathon!  My brother just posted a question on my Facebook a few days ago and my dad, brothers, and I all responded with "nervous, excited, scared, etc"  But I do have to say, I am a lot less scared than I was a month ago.  I had taken a week off of my training for our summer vacation and as I sat at the resort with a Twisted Tea in one hand and nachos in the other, I started to get very fidgety about actually running 26.2 miles in less than 100 days!  I mean, who in their right mind voluntarily signs up to do such a daunting thing on top of 4 kids, a business to run, school activities, kids sports, church, clubs, and all our harvest/field work we have to do in the next 2 months?  I have never claimed that I am the sharpest knife in the drawer, but as I sat there I came to the conclusion that yes, I may not be very smart but if my husband and I can train and do this, then we can do anything!

So ever since we got back from our summer vacation, the switch has been thrown.  We are dedicated to following our training schedule, have changed our nutrition, been getting adequate rest, and are in full-blown marathon-mode.  Andrew gets up early in the morning to get his run in, and I do mine in the little "cracks" of my day so sometimes it is in the morning, sometimes lunch-break, sometimes right before I get the kids off the bus, sometimes around the football field while my kids are practicing, and even a few times after the kids have gone to bed for the night...but I get it done.  I really have to say that my husband is my hero when it comes to doing his training.  His plate is so full he barely even gets to go to bed at night.  But he committed to doing this back in the spring, and he will see it through because if you have ever met him, that is just the way he is.

 I am already proud of my family and the amount of time and effort we have put into training and getting 'marathon ready'.  But, I do have to say that flying into our nations capital, lacing up our shoes, having those pre-race jitters during the National Anthem, and finally hearing that gun go off will be something that I will never ever forget and never be able to put into words how significant of a moment that will be in our lives.  This is definitely a "Bucket List" moment for us all and I challenge you and your family to go out and do something so significant, so memorable, so moving that it changes who you are.  Spending hours and hours running with just you and the pavement definitely molds you into a different person.  I am glad that this isn't easy, or simple, or quick.  I revel in the fact that I have to have pain, aches, sores, tiredness, blood, struggles, and even some tears to be able to do this.  It means that I am alive and capable of so much more than I ever thought I would be!  Take those doubts, reservations, and restrictions off yourself and do something that is so challenging that it SCARES YOU!  What are you scared off?  Now image how you would feel if you actually did it!  Take a moment...what are you capable of?  What have you always wanted to do?

Tired of Seeing the ALS Bucket Challenge Yet?!?

So the "rave" all over Facebook for the last week or more has been this 'ALS Ice Bucket Challenge'.  Some of you may even be getting down-right sick and tired of seeing it.  My friend, Kristen Nickerson who is the America's Farmers Northeast Region Farm Mom of the Year, sent me an e-mail a few days ago nominating me to do the challenge.  For about a week or so before that I had seen plenty of friends, family, neighbors, strangers, even celebrities take a short video of themselves calling out some names of who they challenge then the final hurrah was the ice bucket going over their head and some sort of laugh, scream, squeal, or shout of "That was COLD!'"

Well, Kristen set the bar pretty high so we had to rise to the challenge.  This is Video Link of my family doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152655250269920&l=4525738952428274749

It was a fun experience and I'm sure that we made some memories for the kids.  But, pause for a second...that isn't the reason that all of us are lining up to voluntarily dump ice water on ourselves.  So what is the reason?  What is ALS?  Why has this taken off to be such a social media craze?  So I did some research to answer those questions:
 "Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed"...(http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html)

But, who actually started the Ice Bucket Challenge and why?  Take a moment and meet Pete Frates, 29, former Boston College Baseball Star who had an amazingly bright future, until he was diagnosed with ALS.  Here is his story, click on the link and meet the man behind this phenomenon:
 http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/11366772/in-als-fight-pete-frates-message-loud-clear-ice-bucket-challenge

So after seeing that, doesn't it make you want to line up and just dump a bucket of cold water on yourself?  Now some people are poking fun at it such as this:




Or this:



Or even th

And there are the "Haters" that have posted negative things as to why you shouldn't, or how much water it is wasting, or people aren't actually donating, or the money isn't actually going to the research or whatever.  But, to those people I say, look someone in the face with this horrible disease of ALS and tell them that:

This is Anthony Carbajal and him, his mom, and his grandmother all suffer from ALS.  Here is his story: http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-the-heartbreaking-als-ice-bucket-challenge-that-may-finally-quiet-all-the-haters-2014-8

So whether you choose to dump ice water on your head or not, lets get back to the fact that there are people that have this horrible disease and it hasn't gotten a lot of attention as compared to others in the past.  So what if you are tired of seeing it in your Facebook Feed.  Let ALS have the spotlight for once!  I'm sure the people that have the disease are sick and tired of having to suffer, struggle, and fight against it every day.  Let them finally revel in the fact that millions of dollars have been donated for research to help find a cure!  And finally, let us all show that we still care about each other.  Show your heart, your compassion, and your support, because the world definitely needs it!

2014 Farm & Ranch Guide 'Country Woman of the Year'

(Left to Right: Jennifer Holle, Sadie Siemieniewski, Elaine Laubner, Katie Dilse, Laureen Stuber, and Donna Hase- the 2014 Country Woman of the Year Finalists)



So today was another phenomenal day in the amazing whirlwind year of 2014!  Yesterday, Thursday, June 17th, my family and I packed a small suitcase and headed to the Best Western Seven Seas in Mandan, ND to go to the '2014 Farm and Ranch Guide Country Woman of the Year'.  We started the experience off at 3 p.m. with a social and meeting the other Finalists, the Judges, and also the phenomenal staff at the Farm and Ranch Guide.  The caliber of people that I met was completely off the charts!  The Finalists were all fantastic, accomplished women that represent their families, their communities, and agriculture in general, that to be able to be stand next to them is just such an honor.  Then last night, we had a fun 'vacation night' away from the farm (just 10 miles away) as we totally utilized the indoor waterpark and then ate at one of my favorites restaurants, Montana Mikes.  It was a much-needed break from the farm and I treasure that Farm and Ranch Guide allowed us to stay at the hotel even though were from Mandan! 

 

Today, we got up and had a lazy breakfast and it was fun to just lounge in bed for a few precious minutes with my husband and the kids.  Then the kids got their swimming suits on and Andrew graciously took them to the pool while I got ready in my skirt and heels to go take pictures and then complete my interview with the judges.  At noon, the program officially started.  For the next 2 hours, the Farm and Ranch Guide pulled out all the stops with hilarious entertainment, thrilling speakers- Rodney Nelson of Almont, ND, and delicious food.  The conclusion of the Program was, of course, bringing all the Finalists on stage for the grand announcement of the 2014 Country Woman of the Year.  As the President/Founder, David Borlaug, of Farm and Ranch Guide was doing the last thank you's to the Sponsors, the Finalists where all anxiously waiting.  Here is the video clip of the winner being announced that Farm and Ranch Guide posted on their website:

http://www.farmandranchguide.com/news/people_and_industry/holle-named-country-woman-of-the-year/article_94f05bce-0eb6-11e4-b791-0019bb2963f4.html



And here is what I looked like after the announcement (what a puddle...lol!):

2014 Country Woman of the Year- Jennifer Holle

I am so humbled, surprised, and blessed that the Judges saw something in me that they felt I deserved this honor.  The other Finalists were truly an inspiration to me and to able to be part of a Sorority of Finalists for the Farm and Ranch Guide is something that I cannot even describe in words.  So Thank You to all the Finalists, Judges, Farm and Ranch Guide, Sponsors, and everyone included in todays events in making this dairy wife feel beyond special.

But, maybe the biggest 'Thank You' should be to both of my parents who nominated me in the first place and put together such a stellar nomination that I have been blessed in so many ways.  You both truly are....what is the best word.....I don't think there is just one word to describe how much you both mean to me, so I will just say AMAZING!!!  Thank you for driving all the way down and back just to be able to be part of this event, it means so much!

And finally, one last picture.  When the kids heard that I won and the congratulations had died down, I glanced up at the table to see where the kids had gone to.  Can you guess where they were?  How much do you think Mommy will actually be the one driving the new Rustler?!?  Thank you so much to Titan Machinery in Mandan, ND for making 4 kids extremely happy NEW Rustler-Owners today!

2014 Breakfast on the Farm Recap!!!

I have had a lot of people ask this past week "How did the 'Breakfast on the Farm' go?"  So, lets do a little recap and overview for anyone that wasn't able to attend or just wants to know some 'behind the scenes' tidbits.

Planning an event like this starts months in advance.  I got my 3-ring binder out that I used from the 'Breakfast on the Farm' 2 years ago and started going through the list of what we have to do.  The wheels really started spinning back in March from sending letters out to our amazing vendors asking for support, to reserving rental things (like the kids inflatables, Spiffy Biffs, etc), to starting to get family and friends down on the "worker list" to help out.  From March to June was a lot of e-mails, phone conferences, texting from various people at all times regarding the event with random questions.  In April and May, we started doing a lot of publicity from radio, print articles, magazine, and even T.V. interviews.  But something different this year as compared to 2 years ago, social media has really taken off so every time that I would share an interview on my personal Facebook page or Northern Lights Dairy Facebook page, it would instantly be shared by people, businesses, and even organizations pages! 

The week of the 'Breakfast' was a lot of last minute running around, cleaning, errands, final preparations, shopping, etc.  The day before was probably the craziest day and thank God for my family and friends that showed up on Thursday and said, "What do you want us to do?" (Sidenote- the ONLY reason that the Breakfast went so well was to all of you...each one of you means the world and I am so blessed to have you all in my life!) 

The Monsanto Crew flew in on Friday to do farm pictures and an interview for the 2014 Northwest Region Farm Mom of the Year Award.  Here are a few of the pictures that were taken:


Huge THANK YOU to The Schlosser Family for allowing us to use their Tractor!  The tractor, the flag, and everything turned out perfect for the pictures!



Interview took place in the Calf Barn.  It had some definite memorable moments!



The Monsanto Crew along with my family heading over to another picture location.



One of the pictures taken by Curt Dennison Photography on behalf of Monsanto.

I am anxiously waiting for the CD with the proofs of all the pictures they took during that time.  Thank you to Curt, Chris, and Tracy for flying all the way to N.D. and spending time with my family, it means so much to us, I hope you enjoyed your time here!

On Saturday morning, we got an early start of 4 a.m. and we all went over to farm to make sure that last minute things were done, food line set-up, and we were ready to roll at 7 a.m. start time.  Sure enough, right at 7 a.m. the first people starting showing up:



Here are people already waiting in line to eat Breakfast: Domino's Pizza, Cloverdale Sausage, Dakota Mill Pancakes, Land O'Lakes Ice Cream and Milk.

 

Here are the 4H Go-Getters and Mandan FFA volunteering and helping us out with the Food Lines and Parking (THANK YOU!)

 Here is the Announcer (my Dad) calling off news, information, and Door-Prize winners!  You can also see Domino's had a booth, the food tent, Midwest Dairy Booth, and N.D. Dairy Princess Booth in the background.

In this picture, you can see the 'Branded Envy Western Store', along with a few Pride of Dakota Vendors, 3 Kids Inflatables, and Christ the King School had a huge Kids Activity area.  The Cookie Walk, Face Painting, and Petting Zoo areas were also by the calf barn and they were all a HUGE hit!

We had 4 different Tour Wagons constantly going.  Thank You to our amazing volunteers, family and friends that help give Tours and drive the Tractors!  Thank you to Case Northern Plains Equipment for the New Tractors!

 

 



It became a flurry of activity from about 8 a.m. on!  People just kept coming and coming!  Two different times the FFA Parking Attendants came up to me and said, "There is no more room for cars, what do you want us to do?!?"  My response, "Have them park down the road and in the ditches...wherever!"  My main job was the Tour Guide on one of the tours that only stopped to basically let people on and off.  But, I did have a chance to jump off a few times and walk around quickly and everything was going fantastically (the Food Line did get kinda long, so I apologize to everyone that had to wait; we will definitely fix that next time!)  But to be able to walk around the farm and see so many happy, smiling faces that were enjoying the kids activities, or watching the parlor turn round-and-round, or the people enjoying the delicious food, or playing with the baby animals at the petting zoo, or just visiting with family and friends.  It was an amazing experience and my heart was over-joyed!

At 9 a.m. Monsanto did a short 'Check Presentation' to me for winning the 2014 Northwest Region Farm Mom of the Year and the Agriculture Commissioner of N.D. Doug Goehring was here to help present the check. 



Here is Tracy during the Check Presentation

Doug Goehring, N.D. Ag Commissioner

Then it was right back to doing tours again.  At 11 a.m when we were suppose to be "officially" done, there was still people showing up and I told them "we aren't going to kick you out".  But the bad part was by that time, we did run out of Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Cookie Walk, and Domino's Pizza ran out too so people had to settle for pancakes and sausage.  At just before 1 p.m, the last stragglers finally left and we were able to start taking everything down.  Phew...we came up with a final number of 'Over 3,000' people from the surrounding communities came to enjoy our 'Breakfast on the Farm'!  It really, truly turned into a memorable time and we were so blessed by how many people come out to enjoy the morning with us.

2014 Breakfast on the Farm was a complete success!  Thank you to all the vendors, volunteers, friends, family, and everyone else that helped partner with us for this event.  We couldn't have done it without you all!

My Guest Blog For America's Farmers to Celebrate June's Dairy Month:

10 Reasons Dairy Farming is the Best Job in the World   

Growing up in rural North Dakota of a town of 1200 people, farming was a way of life for most people in the community.  I was always classified as a “city kid” because being a pastor’s daughter, we always lived in the middle of town.  But at any opportunity, I was out at my friends’ farms running through the mud, climbing straw bales, chasing cows, petting baby chicks, riding horses, driving tractors, or whatever they would let me do while I was there.  Those experiences and memories rooted a deep passion for agriculture that carried over even when we moved from rural ND to a larger city when I was 10.
In college I met my husband, who was majoring in Dairy Science and Management, and I was majoring in Equine Science and Management.  From day one, I knew he was going to move back to his 4^th generation Dairy Farm in rural North Dakota to join his dad, and expand their dairy farm.  So in marrying him I was living my dream of becoming a farmer, I just didn’t know what being a dairy farmer would entail and boy was I in for a real shock!  What surprised me was how being a dairy farmer solidified my passion even more-so, grown it, and transformed it into a whole new level.  So come, take a journey with me, and learn why I love being a Dairy Farmer!

1. Farmer is Not Just our Job Title

We don’t just milk cows, which is a job in and of itself, but we also are crop farmers (we have over 1200 animals to feed every day and that is a lot of feed we have to put up), we are veterinary technicians, we are managers of employees, we are office managers, we are semi-truck drivers, we are construction workers, we are mechanics, we are engineers, we are business consultants, we are public relations managers, we are manual laborers, we are authors, we are parents, and we are teachers and students…just to list off a few.  There are so many facets that go into being a dairy farmer that we have be incredibly good at doing a variety of jobs which makes life so incredibly interesting and fascinating!

2. We Get to Experience Life on Every Level

We get to see every stage of life on a daily basis.  From planting the corn and seeing the first plants poke through the ground, to watching a newborn calf being born, to observing a storm come and completely destroy what you have worked so hard for, or to having to say goodbye to your favorite old horse that passed away.  We get to see and experience God’s miracles and how precious life truly is.  To be able to see, touch, hear, smell, and experience every single day on this farm and marvel at the amazing creations that God has made for us is something so incredible that we are truly blessed.  I have been told many times from people that come visit our farm that “this is God’s country” and as I sit here and look out the window I have a really hard time disagreeing with them.

3. Every Day is a New Day

We get up every morning, and I know that today will be a completely new experience from yesterday.  There are so many aspects to a dairy farmer that you never really know what the day will bring, but I do know this, it will never be boring and it will always be worth it!

4. Get To Be Your Own Boss

The good thing about being a farmer is that you get to be your own boss and the bad thing about being a farmer is that you get to be your own boss.  We have a flexible-enough schedule that we can have breakfast together, go to many of the kids’ activities, volunteer for community events, serve on various boards, and even travel.  But, there are also many times that we have to miss an activity or an event because something came up that had a higher priority and to be taken care of immediately (such as the hay is ready to be cut right now!).  For someone that doesn’t like to disappoint people, this is hard for me, but there are many times that I am the only parent that could come to an activity mid-morning at my kids’ school.

5. Teaches You to Respect the World and the Environment

Being a farmer means that usually you are working with a lot of acres of land, and also possibly a large number of animals.  We have over 1,000 acres of land that we use for pasture, crops or the dairy farm itself and we have over 1200 animals.  We have to be experts at sustainability, doing the best thing for the environment, and implementing safe technology so that someday our kids and then our grandkids will be able to use the dairy and land exactly how it was intended.  We were entrusted with this responsibility and this is something that we do not take lightly and it is always at the fore-front of every decision we make.

6. Responsibility is Earned

Everyone on our farm from family to employees starts off at the bottom and works their way up the responsibility ladder.  When my kids have gotten old enough to be able to start working at the farm, you start at the little jobs and work up to the harder jobs.  This allows them to learn and see “the whole picture” and why we do each part that we do and no job is “unimportant”.  My husband and I have never asked our kids, or our employees, to do something that we haven’t or wouldn’t do ourselves.  Doing this gives an individual a huge sense of pride because of how hard you had to work to get to your position.   It also makes you sensitive and understanding to your kids and employees that are struggling with a job or task because you have been there before yourself.

7. Multi-Tasking Keeps Your Brain Sharp

We have to be experts at multi-tasking because our e-mails, cell phones, and texts are constantly going off with people that have questions or want to discuss everything from cows to feed to tractors to equipment to finances to tours to kids’ activities to any random question.  I always feel like every day is a challenge so it keeps you mentally focused and sharp so that you can accomplish any task that is asked of you that day.

8. Patience is Definitely a Virtue

Being that I am such a Type-A personality, I like things done and I like them done now!  Well, on a dairy farm, that never works out.  For example, you have to be patient to see when that cow actually has her calf.  Or the first time that you are feeding a newborn calf and it takes 30 minutes to teach her and your back is cramped up from being bent over so long holding the bottle.  Or why a piece of machinery that was working great yesterday, all of the sudden has decided to stop working.  Or, maybe the best example is going to town with my husband who has a list of 7 different stops for parts and each time he gets out of the cars he says “be right back” and 45 minutes goes by and we are still waiting in the pick-up.  Instead of getting upset and mad during these moments, I have learned that these are my “breather” times when I get a chance to relax, reflect, and have a few minutes of peace before the next adventure begins.

9. Ability to teach and educate

The last five years or so we have really taken it as a personal mission for our farm to be extremely transparent with the community.  We do tours every week, we speak to local schools, we serve on various boards on many different levels, but perhaps the biggest thing is a biannual event that we have at our dairy called ‘Breakfast on the Farm’ where we host a free breakfast for the community to come out, see, and experience a dairy farm.  All of this allows consumers to know where their milk comes from and that we are providing a wholesome, nutritious, and safe product that we are extremely proud of.  I also have started a blog at www.dairydishanddash.com and other social media sources so that I can reach people beyond just the local level.  But, to be able to tell the story of our farm and educate people about agriculture and dairy is something that has become a new passion of mine and I am thrilled that I am able to do that.

10. Humbles you to the utmost level

The blessings of living this life are so many that I have an extremely hard time putting them into words or even writing them down so that people can understand.  How do you express the very first time that you catch a new calf being born and she is all slippery and wet sitting in your lap?  How do you put into words when you are fighting and fighting to keep a sick animal alive for hours and everything you do is futile as you see the life fade from their eyes?  How do you talk about the overwhelming pride the first time you see your son learn to drive a tractor and the smile that beams across his face?  How can you explain the overwhelming heartbreak when a blizzard accumulated so much snow on the roof that the beams started breaking and ¼ of our barn fell down?  The heartache and pain go hand-in-hand with amazing sense of pride, accomplishment, and achievement.  This farm is not a job, it is not where we work, it is not a career – this is our livelihood, this is our dream, this is our heart and soul poured into every aspect of it.  It has our blood, our sweat, and many of our tears wrapped around our laughter, our cheers, and our immeasurable joy!  To say that it is worth it is a complete understatement…instead I will say, this is what I born to do.


——

About Jennifer

Jennifer Holle is a mother of four and partner in Northern Lights Dairy, a 600 cow dairy in rural Mandan, ND, with her husband Andrew and his parents. 

Oh, boy, The Countdown is ON!!! Are you READY???

First of all, I want to apologize for not having my weekly blog post for the last 2 weeks.  Life has been extremely busy, but I hate the word busy so I should rephrase...life has been FULL!  Ever since school has gotten out a few weeks ago, the momentum of life has really picked up speed!  Everyday is a marathon: kids activities, farm work, preparing for the breakfast, interviews, phone conferences, e-mails, etc.  In just a handful of days we will be having our 'Breakfast on the Farm' and we are so excited!  This year is really going to crank-up the 'fun' factor so if you don't have it on your calendar yet...make sure you mark them!

Thank you in advance for all the volunteers, helpers, vendors, donators, contributors, and the amazing people that all help to pull this event off.  We couldn't do it without you!

Stay tuned for next week's blog about getting set-up for the main event! 

Details on picture above, but for more information can go to our website:  www.northernlightsdairy.com

Northern Lights Dairy
Mandan, ND 58554
(701)445-7500

Guest Blog for Midwest Dairy: Memorial Day "...Gave Proof Through the Night That Our Flag Was Still There..."

 

For about the past decade every time I hear our famous ‘National Anthem’, I can’t make it through the whole song without bowing my head and tears running down my face.  The National Anthem has become so personal to not only me, but my family, that this song strikes a chord so deep in my soul that I am moved every time I hear that first note.  Why?  Well, let me show you:

(Left to right: Captain Justin Johnson of the United States Army, Petty Officer First Class Jeremy Johnson of the United States Navy, and Sergeant Joshua Johnson of the United States Marine Corps).

All 3 of my brothers proudly served, and are still serving, this amazing country.  Each of my brothers felt it was their duty to proudly stand-up and fight for our freedom.  They have endured the grueling process of basic training, they all bravely fought next to their fellow comrades over in Iraq /Afghanistan, or aboard a submarine miles beneath the ocean’s surface, and they have mourned the loss of a fallen fellow soldier.

I am a Dairy Farmer that proudly feeds this country, while they fight for it.  But, I will never be able to say to my brothers, “I understand,” because I have never served in our armed forces.  But this upcoming October, I get an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “fall in” next to them.  All three of my brothers, my dad, my husband, and myself are all registered for the 39^th Annual Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C.  On that morning, instead of lacing up their military-issued boots and getting their combat gear on, we will be lacing up our running shoes and pinning our bib numbers on our shirts.  35,000 runners will weave their way through the monuments throughout this nation’s capital.  With each breathe, foot-fall, and heartbeat we will run together as comrades and cross the finish line in Arlington National Cemetery to pay our respects to those that paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Memorial Day is a day specifically set aside in our busy lives when we take the focus from ourselves, and put it back on the true heroes of this country:  the men and women that have fought, struggled, and even died to protect this country.  It is a feat that many have endured, but it seems that few even say “thank you” for it anymore.

So on this Memorial Day, I challenge you to do something to show that honor and respect to our military that they all deserve.   Take a moment, pause, and remember: “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it.  It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.”- Author Unknown