Love is in the air and on the dairy farm! This is part-one of a three-part series featuring different love stories and the reasons New England dairy farmers love raising their family on the farm.
“A couple that sorts heifers together, stays together.”
Meet Melissa and Ryan Carabeau! Ryan works at Conant’s Riverside Farm and Melissa for Poulin Grain in Vermont.
MBTM: How did you meet?
MC: Ryan and I had classes together in college because we were both Animal Science majors with a dairy focus. But I didn’t really know him until he got a job at Conant’s Riverside Farm where I was already working. We hit it off immediately and became close friends. After almost a year and a half of working together, we started dating. I distinctly remember one day when I was really sweaty and smelled like cow manure. I told myself that I couldn’t worry about what I looked like in front of Ryan at the farm because I was going to drive myself crazy! I think that this “down to earth” foundation is what really set us up for a great relationship. Ryan and I got married on August 6, 2016. Calves wear ear tags, which identifies their herd number, and often times other important information like their parents’ names and their birthdays. We decided to employ the assistance of calves numbered 8, 6, and 16 to announce our August 6th, 2016 wedding!
MBTM: Favorite part about farming together?
MC: There is nothing like a frustrating break-down during the middle of a harvest, or an animal that doesn’t want to cooperate, to bring out the true colors of a relationship. Anybody who has ever moved heifers (young cows who have not had their first calf, and aren’t milking yet) knows that these pre-teen drama queens can be difficult to say the least. I literally wrote in our wedding vows that, “A couple that sorts heifers together, stays together.” Now, I work on the nutrition team for the farm as a dairy nutrition adviser for Poulin Grain. I am basically a dietitian for the dairy cows, and make sure the combination of farm-grown forages, grains, and minerals keep the cows healthy and allow them to produce high quality milk. I look forward to the time I spend on the farm because I get to visit with my husband.
MBTM: Any plans for Valentine’s Day?
MC: The cows need to be milked, fed, and cared for 365 days a year. Valentine’s Day is no exception. This will be our first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife, so I will probably try to make a nice dinner for us to enjoy at home. Farming makes for long days and early mornings, so we will probably keep it low-key.
“His father put us on the milking schedule together and the rest is history!”
Meet Jenn & Cricket Jacquier! The Jacquier family owns and operates Laurelbrook Farm in Connecticut.
MBTM: How did you meet?
JJ: We met on the farm where I was working part-time milking nights after my day job. He would come in and drink coffee in the office with his friend and watch me milk. His father put us on the milking schedule together and the rest is history!
MBTM: Favorite part about farming together?
JJ: My favorite part about farming together is that we can talk when we are in the truck moving cows or the fact that we are always learning something new together. I feel lucky that we can spend time working together and doing what we love!
MBTM: What’s it like raising a family on the farm?
JJ: Raising a family in the farm is a great way of life. Watching the kids grow and work with us is amazing! Farm kids have a different way of life and they learn a lot “hands on”. My favorite part is going to Grams for lunch and we all get together and share our thoughts and what we are doing that day!
MBTM: Any plans for Valentine’s Day?
JJ: Valentine’s Day we usually have dinner with our kids! Something like Lobster or we sometimes go out for dinner a different night.
“We were engaged Valentine’s Day 2015 and married September 12, 2015!”
Meet Julie and Jason MacGlaflin! The MacGlaflin’s own and operate MacGlaflin Farm in New Hampshire.
MBTM: How did you meet?
JM: MacGlaflin Farm was started by my father-in-law, Ed, in 1971. Jason has worked alongside him since he was a kid and they are now partners together. Our parents have been friends and have done business together for many years, but Jason and I had never met. One day, Ed and my mom were visiting in the yard. Mom mentioned that she, “has no idea how Julie will ever meet anybody because she’s always in the barn.” Ed quickly replied, “That’s Jason’s problem!” Well, that got the wheels turning in my mom’s head, then my brother’s and eventually my dad was given the job of scheduling a ‘farm tour’ of MacGlaflin Farm, as I had never been there. On a cold day in November 2014, after a short tour, Jason and I ended up visiting in one of the barn’s feed alleys while the dads visited outside. He asked me to dinner, I agreed and the following Saturday night was our first date. The following morning he brought me a bag of his homemade peanut butter cookies. As a friend told me, “he’s a keeper!” and I couldn’t agree more! We were engaged Valentine’s Day 2015 and married September 12, 2015! I sold my herd of 45 milkers to another farmer in Addison County and joined MacGlaflin Farm that October!
MBTM: Favorite part about farming together?
JM: Eating lunch together every day! Sometimes in the shop, other times on a blanket in the corner of a hay field, and occasionally on the bank overlooking the Sugar River as it meanders past the farm. It’s nice to share our everyday adventures but sharing dreams and goals for the future with each other is such a blessing!
MBTM: Plans for Valentine’s Day?
JM: We’re going to a dinner and dance the Saturday before Valentine’s Day with friends. Valentine’s Day will likely be spent at home in front of the fireplace eating supper and watching a movie after a day of farming together!
Stay connected with our New England dairy farm families and all other farm families nationwide by following the hashtag #FarmLove on social media.