WEBVTT 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:14.039 Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:18.719 the boots and a working hand. From the milk house 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:24.000 home to the auction call. These are the folks 00:00:24.000 --> 00:01:02.289 standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... I'm 00:01:02.289 --> 00:01:04.250 going to be honest with you. This episode is 00:01:04.250 --> 00:01:07.310 different. No market numbers, no genetic evaluations, 00:01:07.650 --> 00:01:10.790 no industry controversy. Today we're telling 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:13.870 a story. It's Christmas Eve, and while most of 00:01:13.870 --> 00:01:16.370 the world is settling in by the tree, you know 00:01:16.370 --> 00:01:19.569 where you'll be, where you always are. The barn. 00:01:19.769 --> 00:01:22.530 This one's called Twas the Night Before Christmas 00:01:22.530 --> 00:01:25.450 in the Freestall Barn. And if you've ever pulled 00:01:25.450 --> 00:01:28.769 coveralls over your pajamas, argued with a robot 00:01:28.769 --> 00:01:31.719 alarm at midnight, or watched a calf take her 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:33.799 first steps while the rest of the world slept. 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:37.920 This one's for you. Here we go. Before we get 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:39.859 into today's episode, I want you to do something 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:42.239 for me. If you're listening to this on Christmas 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:44.920 Eve, or Christmas morning, or maybe the day after 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:46.659 while you're catching your breath, I want you 00:01:46.659 --> 00:01:50.620 to know this one's for you. This is a story. 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:53.739 A Christmas story. But not the kind with sleigh 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:56.370 bells and miracles. The kind with frozen wash 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:58.790 lines and robot alarms and a calf that picks 00:01:58.790 --> 00:02:01.709 the worst possible moment to show up. You know? 00:02:02.849 --> 00:02:06.329 Your kind of Christmas. Let's start here. Pinterest 00:02:06.329 --> 00:02:08.569 says Christmas Eve is matching pajamas and a 00:02:08.569 --> 00:02:11.330 crackling fire. Families gathered around trees 00:02:11.330 --> 00:02:14.930 trimmed to perfection. Mugs of hot cocoa. Bing 00:02:14.930 --> 00:02:17.830 Crosby on the speaker. Snow falling gently outside 00:02:17.830 --> 00:02:20.469 frost -kissed windows. That's what Christmas 00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:23.629 Eve looks like. For everyone else. Yours looks 00:02:23.629 --> 00:02:26.750 different. Yours has coveralls yanked over those 00:02:26.750 --> 00:02:29.169 flannel pajama pants because nobody's putting 00:02:29.169 --> 00:02:33.150 on real clothes at 1047 p .m. Yours has manure 00:02:33.150 --> 00:02:36.310 frozen to boots you swore you'd scrape last Tuesday. 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:39.090 Yours has a robot alarm that doesn't know what 00:02:39.090 --> 00:02:42.090 silent night means. While the world sleeps, your 00:02:42.090 --> 00:02:45.270 barn hums on like it never got the memo. So, 00:02:45.349 --> 00:02:47.789 let me tell you about the Henderson family. It's 00:02:47.789 --> 00:02:50.009 Christmas Eve night. The freestall is quiet. 00:02:50.509 --> 00:02:53.650 or what passes for quiet when 400 cows are chewing 00:02:53.650 --> 00:02:57.530 cud in unison. Steam rises off warm backs in 00:02:57.530 --> 00:03:00.430 the December air. Headlights from Kevin's pickup 00:03:00.430 --> 00:03:03.289 bounce off the silos as he pulls in for the late 00:03:03.289 --> 00:03:06.129 check, catching snowflakes that have just started 00:03:06.129 --> 00:03:09.569 falling. Inside the milk house, the bulk tank 00:03:09.569 --> 00:03:12.610 compressor kicks through its cycle. Someone has 00:03:12.610 --> 00:03:14.930 taped a crooked paper snowflake to the office 00:03:14.930 --> 00:03:18.349 window. A strand of dollar store Christmas lights 00:03:18.729 --> 00:03:21.870 hangs over the computer monitor. The same ones 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:24.650 from three years ago that nobody ever bothered 00:03:24.650 --> 00:03:27.590 to take down. The whole family is here tonight. 00:03:27.810 --> 00:03:30.330 Kevin and Laura, running on their fourth wind 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:33.189 of the day. Their daughter Megan, home from her 00:03:33.189 --> 00:03:35.870 ag program, still wearing her university hoodie 00:03:35.870 --> 00:03:39.550 under her car heart. Grandpa Dale, 82 years old, 00:03:39.669 --> 00:03:42.270 and still convinced nobody can spot a fresh cow 00:03:42.270 --> 00:03:45.530 like he can. And Miguel, their herdsman of 11 00:03:45.530 --> 00:03:48.210 years, who turned down Christmas Eve off because 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.500 And I quote, The cows don't know what day it 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:54.979 is, boss. Megan's little cousins had visited 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:57.560 earlier in the evening. And now there's glitter 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:59.979 tracked through the parlor, mixed with straw 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:03.139 and lime, sparkling under the fluorescence like 00:04:03.139 --> 00:04:06.379 someone had bedazzled the concrete. Miguel calls 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:09.360 out from across the barn. Found your Santa hat. 00:04:09.580 --> 00:04:13.659 He's holding up a soggy red heap. 3267 was chewing 00:04:13.659 --> 00:04:16.959 on it. Laura sighs. That's the third one she's 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.839 stolen this week. Some cows have absolutely no 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.540 respect for the season. 11 .23 PM. The robot 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:26.420 alarm goes off. Not the gentle ping. The angry 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:28.579 one. The one that sounds like the machine is 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:31.360 filing a formal grievance with HR. Kevin's phone 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:33.699 buzzes in his pocket. He doesn't even look at 00:04:33.699 --> 00:04:37.139 the screen. Lely's throwing a fit. Which one? 00:04:37.339 --> 00:04:40.779 Laura asks, though she already knows. Unit 2. 00:04:40.939 --> 00:04:43.420 The temperamental one. The one they've nicknamed 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:46.319 Karen. Kevin trudges through the alley. boots 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:49.279 crunching on frozen concrete. The cows barely 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:51.800 lift their heads. They've seen this movie before. 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:55.100 He finds the problem before he even sees the 00:04:55.100 --> 00:04:58.160 error code. Frost climbing the wash line connections. 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:01.019 Ice crystals visible where the fitting meets 00:05:01.019 --> 00:05:05.120 the housing. Frozen wash line. Christmas Eve. 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:08.160 Because of course. We promised the kids we'd 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:10.459 be in by midnight, Laura says. Her breath is 00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:12.920 visible in the cold air. Kevin is already grabbing 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:15.279 the heat gun. Cows don't care what the calendar 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.579 says. Megan appears at his elbow. I can help. 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:22.019 You should go in. Your mom made those cookies. 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:25.839 Dad. She grabs a wrench. I've been home three 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:28.759 days. Let me do something. Here's the thing about 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:31.199 a frozen wash line. You don't just heat it and 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.180 hope for the best. Cracks happen. Seals fail. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:37.019 The last thing anyone needs is a flood in the 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:40.420 robot room at midnight on Christmas Eve. So Miguel 00:05:40.420 --> 00:05:43.519 shuts down the wash system and preps to run diagnostics 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:46.439 once the line thaws. Grandpa Dale shuffles in 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:48.800 from the maternity pen, his walker clicking on 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:53.199 concrete. Frozen line? He asks. Yup. Dale nods. 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:55.459 Like this is exactly what he expected from the 00:05:55.459 --> 00:05:59.439 universe. Winter of 87, he says. We had a blizzard 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:02.480 hit Christmas Eve. Power out for 14 hours. Your 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:04.680 grandmother and I hand -milked a dozen cows by 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:07.519 flashlight. Took us half the night. Hands so 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:09.829 cramped we couldn't make fists. Thought we'd 00:06:09.829 --> 00:06:13.990 lose the whole tank. Did you? Megan asks. Neighbor 00:06:13.990 --> 00:06:16.509 drove through two -foot drifts at 4 a .m. with 00:06:16.509 --> 00:06:18.990 a generator in his truck bed. Didn't call ahead, 00:06:19.149 --> 00:06:22.670 just showed up. Dale's eyes crinkle. That's how 00:06:22.670 --> 00:06:25.129 it worked back then. Still does, if you're paying 00:06:25.129 --> 00:06:28.370 attention. Now, Laura's brother -in -law, Tom? 00:06:28.790 --> 00:06:32.050 He married into the family five years ago. Marketing 00:06:32.050 --> 00:06:35.069 guy from the city. Nice enough. Absolutely useless 00:06:35.069 --> 00:06:37.970 in a barn. But tonight, Tom is standing in the 00:06:37.970 --> 00:06:40.430 freestall doorway, wearing dress shoes that will 00:06:40.430 --> 00:06:43.589 never recover from this decision. Anything I 00:06:43.589 --> 00:06:46.230 can do? Laura looks up, surprised. You don't 00:06:46.230 --> 00:06:49.490 have to. Sarah sent me. That's Laura's sister, 00:06:49.670 --> 00:06:52.029 who has finally learned that just a quick barn 00:06:52.029 --> 00:06:54.889 check never means quick. Said you might need 00:06:54.889 --> 00:06:57.910 hands. Tom shrugs. I don't know what I'm doing, 00:06:58.050 --> 00:07:01.329 but I can hold things. Kevin hands him a flashlight. 00:07:01.649 --> 00:07:04.750 Point that at the connection. Don't move. And 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:07.810 Tom? He holds that flashlight like his life depends 00:07:07.810 --> 00:07:10.699 on it. Doesn't complain when his fingers go numb. 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:13.740 Doesn't say a word when a cow sneezes directly 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:17.579 onto his Christmas sweater. Sometimes. No days 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:20.060 off only makes sense when you're standing in 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.639 a frozen barn at midnight, holding a flashlight 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:25.459 you don't know how to use. The Farm Life Instagram 00:07:25.459 --> 00:07:28.980 influencers? They're asleep right now. The Christmas 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:32.839 card photos never show this part. 11 .52 p .m. 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:35.959 The line is thawed. Kevin runs his hand along 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:38.810 the connections, checking for cracks. Miguel 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:41.550 cycles the wash system through a full reset, 00:07:41.810 --> 00:07:44.850 20 minutes of waiting, watching the diagnostics 00:07:44.850 --> 00:07:48.089 crawl across the screen, before Karen the lelly 00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:50.310 finally clears herself and accepts her first 00:07:50.310 --> 00:07:53.649 cow without further complaint. Megan leans against 00:07:53.649 --> 00:07:56.430 the alley rail, watching the herd settle. One 00:07:56.430 --> 00:07:59.250 of the older Holsteins, a big cow they call Nana, 00:07:59.430 --> 00:08:02.129 12 years old and somehow still milking strong, 00:08:02.410 --> 00:08:04.790 lowers herself into a stall with a contented 00:08:04.790 --> 00:08:07.660 groan. You ever think about how weird this is? 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:11.980 Megan says. Weird how? Miguel asks. Right now, 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.540 millions of people are asleep, opening presents, 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:17.779 watching movies, and we're here, making sure 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:19.680 there's milk for their cereal in the morning. 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:23.019 Nobody answers for a moment. They don't think 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:25.860 about it, Kevin finally says. They shouldn't 00:08:25.860 --> 00:08:28.879 have to. That's the whole point. Outside, the 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:31.360 snow falls harder. The security light casts a 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:34.019 blue glow over the yard. A calf in the hutches 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:36.860 balls once, then settles. The bulk tank compressor 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.019 hums its familiar rhythm, silage and warm animals 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:42.659 and quiet breathing. Nothing poetic about it, 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:46.740 really. Just a barn doing what barns do. 11 .58 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:49.440 p .m. Grandpa Dale calls out from the maternity 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:52.980 pen. Got a live one! The whole crew moves, even 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:56.240 Tom, still gripping his flashlight. In the straw 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:58.600 under the heat lamp, a big red and white cow 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:01.299 is finishing the hardest work of her night. And 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:04.460 a calf, wet. wobbly, still figuring out how legs 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:07.240 work, is already trying to stand. Heifer, Dale 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:10.840 announces, grinning. Christmas calf, Laura laughs. 00:09:11.059 --> 00:09:14.240 The real kind, not the tired kind. What are the 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.840 odds? On this farm, Kevin wipes his hands on 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:19.519 his coveralls, about average. They watch the 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.580 calf take her first shaky steps. No drama, no 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:24.840 miracles, just a heifer doing what calves do. 00:09:25.059 --> 00:09:28.399 But standing there, family and crew, cold air 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:30.980 and warm animals, it felt like something worth 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:34.049 being present for. The walk to the house is short 00:09:34.049 --> 00:09:36.990 and cold, snow crunching underfoot, barn lights 00:09:36.990 --> 00:09:39.409 still glowing behind them, boots kicked off in 00:09:39.409 --> 00:09:42.610 the mudroom, coveralls on hooks, straw and glitter 00:09:42.610 --> 00:09:44.990 tracked to the kitchen again, and nobody cares. 00:09:45.610 --> 00:09:48.529 Sarah has kept the coffee warm, cookies on the 00:09:48.529 --> 00:09:51.549 counter, slightly burned on the bottom, perfect 00:09:51.549 --> 00:09:55.470 for dunking. The microwave clock reads 1234 AM. 00:09:55.929 --> 00:09:58.840 Kevin's phone sits on the table. screen lit up 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:01.720 with a half dozen Merry Christmas texts he hasn't 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:04.539 had time to check. Tom is explaining to his kids 00:10:04.539 --> 00:10:07.399 why his shoes are destroyed, somehow making it 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:10.419 sound like an adventure. Megan hands Grandpa 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:13.940 Dale his coffee, fixed the way he likes it. Miguel 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:16.519 grabs three cookies before anyone can object. 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:19.879 Kevin stands by the window for a moment, looking 00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:22.120 back toward the barn. The lights are still on 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:25.440 out there. They always are. So, to every dairy 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:28.470 family listening tonight. Or tomorrow morning. 00:10:28.789 --> 00:10:31.570 Or whenever you finally get a minute to hit play. 00:10:32.250 --> 00:10:35.190 Your barn doesn't know it's Christmas. Your cows 00:10:35.190 --> 00:10:38.230 don't care about carols. Your robots will alarm 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:40.809 whenever they please. And your calves will arrive 00:10:40.809 --> 00:10:43.549 at the least convenient moment possible. You'll 00:10:43.549 --> 00:10:46.730 show up anyway. You always do. While everyone 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:49.149 else sleeps, you're the reason there's milk for 00:10:49.149 --> 00:10:52.710 morning coffee. Butter for holiday rolls. Cheese 00:10:52.710 --> 00:10:55.110 for someone's grandmother's recipe. You keep 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:57.370 breakfast on the table. Nobody writes carols 00:10:57.370 --> 00:11:00.129 about that. Doesn't rhyme as well as chestnuts 00:11:00.129 --> 00:11:03.970 roasting. So here's to you. The midnight checks 00:11:03.970 --> 00:11:07.029 and frozen lines. The teenagers who choose to 00:11:07.029 --> 00:11:09.889 stay and help. The grandparents who've seen worse 00:11:09.889 --> 00:11:13.049 and kept going. The crews who say, I'll be here, 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:16.009 like it's nothing, when it's everything. What 00:11:16.009 --> 00:11:18.470 you do won't show up on a milk check, but it 00:11:18.470 --> 00:11:21.210 keeps the whole thing running. Merry Christmas 00:11:21.210 --> 00:11:23.750 from all of us at The Bullvine. Rest when you 00:11:23.750 --> 00:11:26.610 can. And remember, The cows will need you again 00:11:26.610 --> 00:11:30.149 in six hours, no matter what day it is. Now go 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:33.409 eat those cookies. You've earned them. That was 00:11:33.409 --> 00:11:36.210 Twas the Night Before Christmas in the Freestall 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:38.990 Barn. From everyone here at the Bullvine, thank 00:11:38.990 --> 00:11:42.210 you. Thank you for showing up every single day, 00:11:42.409 --> 00:11:45.629 holidays included. If this story felt like your 00:11:45.629 --> 00:11:48.049 life, do us a favor. Share it with someone who 00:11:48.049 --> 00:11:52.379 gets it. Another dairy family, your crew. Maybe 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:54.120 that brother -in -law who's finally starting 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:56.519 to understand what no days off actually means. 00:11:57.059 --> 00:11:59.320 You can find this episode and the full written 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:04.340 feature at www .thebullvine .com. We'll be back 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:06.840 after Christmas with more news, more analysis, 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:09.240 and more of the truth the dairy industry needs 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:13.120 to hear. But for now, rest when you can. Merry 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:14.919 Christmas, and we'll see you in the vine.