Life on the Farm: a new column by Courtney Henderson

Contrary to John Denver’s song, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, life on the farm is never laid back. Life on the farm is always crazy, unpredictable and, at times, a little chaotic. From new babies being born, to cows getting out, to the regular day to day mischief cows tend to get into, life is always an adventure. Now it’s time to share my adventures with you. My name is Courtney Henderson and I am going to be sharing my adventures in the agricultural world, as well as other agricultural adventures in this agricultural column called, “Life on the Farm” featured in “The Botetourt Bee”.

Agriculture has always been my life. I grew up running around the family dairy feeding calves, milking cows, driving tractors, and enjoying the farm life. Nowadays, I actively work and am involved in every aspect of the farm every day, but I also spend a lot of time advocating for the agricultural community. I have a Facebook page that I use regularly to share farm stories and I also attend events to talk about the agricultural world.

My passion for the agriculture industry was instilled in me by being involved many agricultural organizations as well as working on the family farm. I was an active member in 4H throughout high school and an active member in FFA (Future farmers of America) in middle school, high school, and in college. 4H gave me the opportunity to showcase my dairy knowledge and my cows at the county level. I was able to participate in the county fair while in high school and then come back as an alumnus to demonstrate milking cows and answer agriculture questions.  FFA opened my eyes to all of the opportunities the agricultural world has to offer. It enabled me to travel around the country, make new friends, and see farming around the country.   I am a recent graduate of Virginia Tech where I received a bachelors degree in dairy science. While attending Virginia Tech, I participated in many agriculture events and was, also, given the opportunity to meet agricultural leaders and view agriculture in different states.

Agriculture is near and dear to me and I am excited to share my adventures through the “Life on the Farm” column. Every month, I will write an article about an event that occurred on the farm, an old cow story, a time of year story, an agricultural event in the area, or another farmer in Botetourt County.   I hope this column will bring a little bit of insider information on where your food comes from and what goes on in the day to day events on an operational farm! I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with everyone and hope everyone enjoys the stories, as well! I do hope this column will be able to give you a little glimpse of what Life is like on the Farm.

– submitted by Courtney Henderson, special to the Botetourt Bee

Photo: Courtney Henderson and one of her Dairy cow friends