Our Story
This is what happens when 2 Dairy Farmers collide with a feisty little cow Whisperer named Sara Haas. I always tell people our amazing journey began the day we met Sara and her husband Dave.
We were operating a Standard dairy with all the replacement heifers and dry cow lots and had decided to retire from the 24/7/365 commitment. The problem was we loved our girls. Stepping away from them forever was unfathomable. We knew somehow, someway, cows needed to be part of our lives.
You know, if you pray on something long enough that God will show you your answers. While searching for a family cow for our personal use, we stumbled across Sure Shot Cattle Company. After the initial sticker shock for what seemed like ½ of a cow (that's what a Miniature Jersey looked like to us when placed next to a standard), we decided to purchase several heifers from Sara.
The quality and conformation of her calves were second to none and she was always there and ready to talk to cows. We were so excited to begin our new adventure and new friendship and talked almost daily.
Then the unthinkable happened. Sara suffered a horrible farm accident and after months of not improving and increasing physical limitations, Sara did what she had to do for her little cows. One by one, she started to sell off her beautiful little girls. Humm…after thinking it over for about one second, Dennis and I decided we should buy a few more. When we arrived at Sara and Dave’s farm to pick up our new cows, we looked at all of the cows left on the farm. On our way home, Dennis and I couldn’t stop thinking about some of the cows we saw while at Sara’s. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next… yup…we bought some more. So much for our retirement savings and grocery money.
A few months later we received a “surprise delivery” when Sara sent a trailer with her last few cows on board. Lol. She's crazy like that, but she's the one that told me you have to have Faith in people.
An amazing friendship and a wonderful partnership were born. We co-own some of the most beautiful cows in the country with Sara. We work as a team selecting the bulls for breeding, deciding which heifers to keep and what direction to take our breeding program. It was a match made in heaven and it’s been an amazing ride.
Dennis and I were talking the other day about our new “supposedly retired life” yet here we are, busier than we have ever been. Here is what we came up with. If you want to do the homesteader thing you have a few options. You can dip just your little toe into the proverbial “Homesteader Lake” and see how it goes (which had been our original idea) or you can be like Sara Haas and take a leap of faith and jump in with your whole body and soul. Our leap of faith has made our lives so much richer. We have made so many new friendships, enjoyed so many new experiences, and are looking forward to what tomorrow brings.