Greg and Joy Goode enjoy life on their dairy farm with their two-year-old daughter, Emily.

   It’s June Dairy Month, the traditional period when the industry seeks to boost retail demand to correspond with the peak of milk production.  It’s a celebration of all that is good – from the farm to the supermarket -- about the business of producing healthy, wholesome dairy products.
   Like much of U.S. agriculture, dairy farming has undergone dramatic technological and demographic change. However, the heart of the sprawling dairy industry has gone virtually unchanged, consisting of dedicated, hardworking farm families like Greg and Joy Goode.
   The Goodes have operated their small dairy farm in Casey County for only two years, yet have a background and perspective that give good indication they are heading toward a successful career.
They’re certainly not short on enthusiasm for what they do.
   “We love the animals and the lifestyle,” explained Greg, 35, who is Vice President of Casey County FB and a past chairman of KFB’s Young Farmer Committee.
   Added Joy: “This allows you to be your own boss. It’s worth a whole lot just to be able to raise your child on a farm. It’s a pretty rewarding lifestyle.”
   Greg and Joy are proof positive that dairying can get in your blood. Joy was raised on a LaRue County dairy farm, began working with calves at age six, was competing in 4-H shows at nine and continued working on the farm until she and Greg bought their 20-acre farm in 2004. “All I ever wanted to do was milks cows,” she said, grinning.
   Greg’s family added a dairy operation to their tobacco and beef cattle in 1995, the same year he graduated from Western Kentucky University with an agriculture degree. He worked with the cows until buying his farm, which is less than two miles down the road from his parents’ farm.
   It was dairy business that brought Greg and Joy together. In October of 2002, they met on a bus trip to the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. That was part of a tour for state dairy interests sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
   After purchasing their farm, the Goodes “started from scratch,” said Greg, buying cows from several sources, including Joy’s father. They are now milking 47 head of registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss, plus are raising feed on an additional 60 acres of rented land.
   The Goodes are equal partners in all respects, including caring for their two-year-old daughter, Emily, who spends much of her play time with the family’s dogs, cats and a pet cow named Nellie.  They share the twice-daily milkings at the parlor just a stone’s throw from their modest home. Joy handles the recordkeeping and breeding stock. They’re obviously doing a good job with feed quality, care and blood lines: The rolling herd average of 18,000 pounds is well above the state average.
   The Goodes not only can attest to the time demands of dairying, but in less than three years they’ve already experienced the “market” rollercoaster that twists income in so many directions. Their first year (2006), farm milk prices hovered around the $12-$13 level, making for some tight margins. 2007 brought record prices and good profits, despite higher input costs. Today, their milk is fetching around $18 (it goes to the Flav-O-Rich plant in London) but fuel and feed costs have skyrocketed.
   “We were better off a year ago,” Greg said. “The cost of cattle has really gone up too, along with fuel, feed and fertilizer.  Alfalfa’s gone up a bit.  Our mixed feed is $100 a ton more than last year. You just have to be more efficient.”
   The Goodes are committed to quality genetics, detailed recordkeeping, environmental stewardship and serving the industry. Besides their involvement with Farm Bureau, they are members of the Holstein and Brown Swiss Associations, plus participate in the Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) and Kentucky Dairy Development Council programs.
   They are planning to increase the herd number and expand into some other enterprises, including selling breeding stock.
   Greg supplements income with a part-time job as a crop insurance adjuster. Joy, meanwhile, puts in long hours as a mom, farmer and recordkeeper.
   They haven’t had an extended vacation since starting their dairy farm, but no one’s complaining. “We enjoy what we do,” said Greg.
   “We hope to be in this for a long time.”