Thank you to the dairy women!

In the last week, we have heard a lot about the tragedies and losses from winter storm Goliath. They have been numerous and unspeakable. But today, I want to share with you some of the inspiring stories about how the community of dairy women came together to support their farm families throughout the blizzard. There have been many articles about the cows losses and the hard work of the dairymen, and they are true heroes. But many times the work of the dairy women or dairy wife goes unnoticed, and they do their work without a thank you. This is my THANK YOU to all of you.Many of the women I spoke with during the storm are mothers. This meant they had to be at home with their children. One word I heard over and over again from them was how helpless they felt. They couldn't do enough for their cows and their employees. So they did what moms do best, help take care of everyone around them. Bright and early Sunday morning it was time to start making breakfast. Many of the people at the dairy had been stranded there since Saturday night. Breakfast burritos were a popular choice and easy to eat on the go. They got blankets together so people had a warm place to sleep. They kept the laundry going so when people woke up they had warm, clean clothes to wear. For lunch and dinner, QUANTITY was important. It is a chore to feed a whole crew of employees, add to that the fact they were burning tons of calories in the cold. Lots of crock pots of food went to the dairy. By the second day, these women had to start getting creative because the food supplies were running low. But some how they managed to keep going. All of this was one less thing for the dairy farmers to worry about. It may not have been much, but it certainly helped! And they did all of this while keeping their kids busy (the cabin fever struggle was real!).

Here are just a few pictures and stories of these incredible dairy women.

Jaimie Van Dam in Texico, NM. If you were looking for a five star meal on the dairy the day of the blizzard this was the place to be. Some of Jaimie's meals included homemade corn bread and chili, lasagna and posole.Jaimie also kept me laughing throughout the stress of it all. Sending texts: "Too bad Pizza Hut won't deliver in a blizzard" and "How long can we survive on the 40 lbs of butter in my frig?" (She is in charge of storing the 40 lbs of butter we will need for an upcoming charity event!)The VanderLei and Mikeska women in Sudan, TX. These women were out in the conditions making sure their calves were fed. And they did it all with smiles on their faces!Cheri Hanson in Clovis, NM. Can you say burrito assembly line? Cheri and her mother, Gert Van Dam, made countless burritos to keep everyone fed and keep spirits up!THANK YOU TO THE DAIRY WOMEN FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK!!! I am honored to be a part of such an amazing group of women.PS. If you are wanting these recipes to feed your farm families just contact me!New Mexico Milkmaid