The Family Business

Growing up on a dairy farm, or any farm for that matter, is in my opinion the best way to grow up.

 Although, I don't know what it would be like otherwise. I can tell you that my brothers and I had an awesome childhood. Farming was and is our life. It's everything. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Farming isn't our job, it's literally our life. And I say that in the best way possible. Were there times that I wished farming wasn't there to be in the way of making summer plans, weekend getaways and pretty much any kind fun/travel? Yes! We couldn't just pack up and take a vacation or go visit out of state family or spend the weekend on the water. We couldn't just leave the farm. The cows need to be fed and milked twice a day. We didn't have a team of employee's that we could leave to work. We were the team.  Doesn't leave much room to do much of anything. 

 It takes schedules and planning ahead of time to make it all work. 

We did find a campground  close enough to home that we would spend a week at in between crops. The boys would take turns traveling back and forth for afternoon and morning milking. Dad and Tyler would leave after lunch and travel home to milk the afternoon milking, stay the night at home and milk the 2 AM milking then travel back to camp. Ryan and Kyle would take the next turn.

We made this an annual thing, usually the first week of August until the boys were all married and we found it harder to all do it together.

I cherished the time when we were able to step away from home and take a break from it all. Tensions were always a little high at the end of those weeks, but we always enjoyed our time together.

Finding time to get away, no- MAKING time to get away is always a challenge. When they can, Mom and Dad make the trip to Pennsylvania for a long weekend to visit my oldest brother Ryan and his wife Chelsea.

6 years ago, Ryan and Chelsea moved to Pennsylvania to attend Bible College.

Yup. Big brother was moving off the farm to an entirely different state! That was not an easy pill to swallow. When they told us they made the decision to leave the farm, we were devastated. Heartbroken but at the same time happy for them and excited for the opportunity they were about to have, but sad, to see them leave. They broke the news right before our busy season was ramping up. Ryan told us that he wouldn't leave until the end of the year. He would stay through summer and fall crops - he didn't want to leave us high and dry. Very McKeen of him. 

 Growing up, it was always the plan that Ryan would become partner with Dad and someday takeover with the other two boys. Now, that plan was quickly derailing. OUR plan anyway- God's plan was panning out perfectly. 

There was definitely hurt feelings for a longtime. Probably until the night they left honestly. 

It certainly wasn't all warm and fuzzy leading up to them leaving. Especially for the boys. Who could blame them? For their whole lives they could see the three of them working side by side and now that dream was being ripped apart. At least that's what it felt like at that moment.

That night was the most emotional I've ever seen my entire family. It was SO hard. We never had to deal with something like this before. 

It was different for the first few weeks with them not being here. Daily phone calls, texts and family group Snapchat were helping us all get through it. They were only a 7 hour drive away. For us farm kids, that's a long ways! Mom and Dad and myself have

made many trips down to visit. We even got Kyle to go with his wife and two kids (at the time)! If you know Kyle at all, that's a really big deal!. 

For the first few years, they would try to travel home any time they had a chance. Holidays, long weekends, etc. Now that they are busier with school and working on campus, they have a harder time coming up for quick visits. With so many family and friends to see in a short amount of time, it's a very stressful time.

We do cherish any time they do come. If it's for a longer visit, Ryan will usually on the farm while he is home. You can't take the farm out of the boy!

Without Ryan in the farm picture anymore, Kyle and Tyler have stepped up and taken the role as partners with Dad. They are preparing themselves to take over once Dad is too old, or crippled to continue running the place. You may laugh, but it's a serious thing. Dad will not stop working on this farm until he physically can't. Which, in the eyes of his grandkids, will be never! Papa is the strongest man EVER in their eyes. Let's be honest, he's the strongest  man in all of our eyes.

Don't tell him,but he isn't as young as he used to be. But you can't keep a farmer down. Even the heifer that ran over him and put him there. A story for another day.

It's crazy to think back when we were younger when we would talk about all the "someday" 's and realize that those "someday" 's are now! 

The someday's we dream about now are for the next generation. Kyle's 3 and Tyler's 2 kids. The 5 of them are farm kids through and through. I have no doubt that most of them will carry on the farm when we are all old and gray. They have the passion and that's all it takes. 

Passion, Hard Work, Determination, Patience and Faith. 

That's the Family Business.