Hi. My name is Jessica, and I’m a dairy farmer’s wife.
I did not grow up in the country. Though in the name of full confession, I didn’t grow up in a city either. I was born and raised in a lovely suburban community on the shores of Lake Michigan. But I’ve always preferred skyscrapers and concrete to wide open spaces and dirt roads. My life’s dream was to move to Chicago, eat all the sushi, and work for a newspaper.
But this all changed when I found the Dairy Man. We met in college and he waited until I fell in love with him to tell me he was definitely going to be a farmer.
We’ve come so far since the day we said “I do” thirteen years ago. We settled into an old farmhouse in the middle of rural Michigan (and painted an obscene amount of wood paneling). We grew our family to include one border collie, four kids, and hundreds of cows. I’ve been grown and stretched and humbled. This life isn’t what I would have picked or predicted, but it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.
So come along. But mind your step. Yes, that is a cow pie.
Modern Farm Wife 
Love your stories; keep up the great writing!
Thanks, Peggy! I’m glad you stopped by.
Great stories, read about your blog in a farm magazine today 🙂 Im a Farmers Daughter here in WI. Are you familiar with the Pioneer Woman? She is a ranchers wife, she started out in the city and has taken to ranching 🙂 She also has a blog http://www.thepioneerwoman.com great stories a lot like yours! Is your blog findable on Facebook? Hope the weather in MI isn’t near as hot as it was here! Keep up the great stories!
Steph, this is very belated, but THANKS! I do occasionally read the Pioneer Woman, though I try not to do it often so that my writing stays personal and fresh. Yes you can follow MFW escapades on FB – as long as you’re into cute pictures of border collies and posts about thrilling subjects like manure management. 🙂 http://www.facebook.com/modernfarmwife
Hello,
I finally found someone who is hip, young and stylish that I can relate to. My name is Mindy and I am engaged to be married to a western Pennsylvania dairy farmer next summer. I completely understand many of your blog entries, especially the vacation ones. I never set foot on a farm before until I met my fiancé, but I am becoming quite comfortable helping out! I love your pictures on this page. Are they engagement photos? If so, they look similar to the ones we took on the dairy.Will be checking your blog daily!
Mindy, aren’t farms crazy? It’s been such a learning experience for me. I’m glad to be called hip and stylish, even in the midst of all this corn and manure. 🙂 What sort of things do you help out with on the farm? And yes, those are a few of our engagement pictures! They are certainly coming in handy now, eh? Thanks for your comment!
Wow, do we have a lot in common! I’m married to a dairy farmer, too! I started a blog when I had my baby because I was craving some contact with the outside world and needing a creative outlet. I saw your twitter feed about washing your car being futile and I can totally relate! It’s very nice to meet you and know that I’m not the only one going through a tad bit of a culture shock, haha!(I like your sense of humor, too.)
Thanks! I love getting to explore this whole new world of blogging farm woman/wives. It’s like a secret club.
I’ve added your blog to my Reader and can’t wait to see more. Thank goodness farming isn’t as isolated as it used to be. What did people DO before the internet?
Your blog is delightful! So happy that you found an amazing man! So did I–I’m 46, a native Chicagoan who married her Kansas farmer in December 2010 (first marriage for both of us) and finally got everything in Chicago settled in November 2011, and am finally living in Kansas! I’ve chosen to write a book, and I send emails out about every other week to a group of my friends and relatives. This material will be fodder for my book. If you can see my email, and would like to receive these emails, please send me an email, and I’ll add you to my list! Keep up the happy, humorous writing!
Thank you, Dawn! Isn’t this life crazy? But wow – I can’t imagine the transition of being a Chicago girl for most of your life and then moving to Kansas, of all places! Good luck out there in the Sunflower State. I’ll keep an eye out for your book!
I just spent an hour reading your entire blog, it is wonderful! I, too, married into a rual life after being raised in the suburbs. It is a fun, but bumpy ride! http://raisingruralkids.wordpress.com/
Glad to meet you! It’s nice to get to know others in this exclusive farm wife club. 🙂 I’ll be sure to check out your blog!
Hi Jessica,
It is great to “meet you” through your blog. I too am a Dairy Farmer’s Wife born and raised in the big city. I’d love to join the ‘exclusive farm wife club’! I just started blogging and my most recent posting exposes my thoughts about being a dairy farmer’s wife. Feel free to stop by for a read http://aplusme.wordpress.com/
~Jadine
Jadine, yes please, join the club! The more the merrier. I really enjoyed reading your blog as well. I thought it was stressful having *one* FT job, a farmer, and a puppy, much less 2 jobs, a farmer, and children! Hats off to you. 🙂
Love your blog! I just married a dairy farmer this past summer. It’s so nice to read about someone’s experiences that so closely match my own. Thank you!
Thank you, Esther! And congratulations on your dairy union! It’s a crazy life, but I hope you can find some solace in the knowledge that you’re not alone. 🙂
I recently made a career change to work for my new husband’s family business – selling hog equipment in the midwest. We help farmers feed pigs to feed the world. It’s smelly, it’s dirty, it certainly isn’t glamorous (high heels > barn boots) but when it’s a pork chop or bacon on the end of a fork, it doesn’t get any more essential. Happy to have found a new livestock blogger friend! — anna
What a great perspective you have on farming, Anna! It’s really so important for all of those people who love pork chops (ahem…cough…me…cough) or milk to understand where their delicious food comes from. And I love your cute pig photos. 🙂
I love your blog, Jessica! I’m dating a dairy science major in northern Idaho, and am a biology nerd myself. We have been together for almost a year, but were inseparable for many months before we started dating. He jokingly said that I should start reading your blog, and much to my surprise, I’m hooked! It makes me giddy to notice how our relationship is already remarkably similar to yours in so many ways. Looking to the future, we are both getting a taste of what it means to work until we drop, but I can absolutely relate to what you’ve said. I wouldn’t trade it for the world and would feel so incredibly blessed if we were together for a lifetime of this. 🙂
Thanks, Abby! I’m glad your BF joked you into checking out my blog. 😉 I’ve found it’s so good to have a support system of people who understand, and love, this crazy life. Blessings to both of you!
Hi Jessica, thank you so much for your blessings! I am so excited, and actually have a bit of news. Wow, that was fast! Right? You will have a better idea of how significant this latest development is. So, feel free to share your opinion here, because I really have very little knowledge in this department. Now, that BF of mine is currently working as a summer intern at a dairy farm in western Washington, and was just told by the operation’s co-owner, that the quality of his work is unprecedented! They say that they are going to teach him as much as they can while he’s there, and they’re now promising to introduce him to the world of management. I’m so glad that they have noticed how hard he works, because he puts his heart and soul into what he does for those animals. Is this news really as great as it sounds? Also, if you or your DM hear of any great internship opportunities in your area for summers to come, please let me know! He will soon be looking for next summer. He wants to see more of the the mid-west, and would love to experience life as an intern for a slightly bigger operation. God Bless!
~Abby
Hi Jessica! Just came across your blog and FaceBook page. Welcome to the world of farming and congrats on the family addition. Farm life can be challenging but it is also quite rewarding – just like parenthood!
When you have a free moment I too have a farm blog – http://www.suzannecommonground@blogspot.com and a FaceBook page 2 Farmers & Their 3 Sprouts.
Enjoy Life,
Suzanne
great blog where in michigan ? i am from mich but transplanted to dallas tx from country boy to city guy
amazing story, great blog to read, look forward to seeing more updates
Hey Jessica! Hopefully you recieve this, your blog and story really struck a chord with me as even though I did grow up in the country I lived in the city for 6 years and I still miss little restaurants, boutiques, wearing high heels and the fact that a weekend was a weekend and work actually ended at 5pm. I grew up in Manitoba but i now live and farm in Saskatchewan with my fiance and 1 year old baby girl. I’d love to feature you on my blog or do a collaboration of some sort. My email is jessie@jessieguilford.com.
Looking forward to connecting with you!
Jess
OK. What? Been married 28 yes to a 4th Gen farmer living 500 ft from my nosy mother in law and another 500 ft from my rich self centered sister in law!!! I am done with this b–t! Work off farmy and on farm throwing hay and cow s-t.. wanted out