By Farmer Ben
If you’ve been driving around the Mohawk Valley lately, you’ve probably noticed things picking up again. Fields are greening up, corn is starting to come through, and we’re getting into first cut hay. This time of year, there’s not a whole lot of downtime. It’s long days, and you take the weather as it comes.
June is Dairy Month, and around here that means something. Dairy farming has always been a big part of this region. There are still a lot of family farms doing the work every day, and most of them have been doing it for a long time.
This is one of the busier stretches of the year. Getting feed put up is a big focus right now. What we’re cutting and baling in June is what’s going to carry cows through the rest of the year, so timing matters. You’re watching the forecast, trying to get dry hay when you can, and working around whatever the weather decides to do.
It’s also the time of year when people start to see more of what’s going on. Equipment is out in the fields, trucks are moving, and farm stands start opening up. A lot of what’s being sold locally didn’t travel far to get there.
Dairy Month is a good reminder that milk doesn’t just show up at the store. It starts on farms that are running every single day. Cows still need to be milked, fed, and taken care of whether it’s a holiday or not. It’s a steady routine, and it doesn’t really change.
Then you get into July, and things shift a little.
July is National Ice Cream Month, and that’s when people really start to enjoy the end result. Around here, ice cream stands get busy fast, especially in the evenings. You see families out, kids with cones melting faster than they can keep up, and lines that don’t seem to get any shorter.
It’s all connected, though. That ice cream starts with the same milk being produced right here in the Mohawk Valley.
For those of us working on the farm, summer doesn’t slow down much. Once first cut is done, you’re already thinking about the next one. But it’s good to see people out enjoying what comes from it.
So if you’re out this time of year, you’ll probably pass a tractor or two, maybe get stuck behind one for a minute. That’s just part of it.
And when you stop for ice cream this summer, just remember where it starts.
That’s the Mohawk Valley. That’s what we grow.
