Hi, folks! My name is Isabella Wallace, and I will serve as the 2021-22 student writer for Country Folks representing SUNY Morrisville. I am a sophomore and will graduate in 2024 with a bachelor’s in dairy management. I grew up in Homer, NY, across from E-Z Acres, owned by Pete and Mike McMahon. They have 2,200 acres and 800 cows and are a third-generation dairy.

I love all things dairy – dairy cows, dairy food and, of course, my dairy classes. My favorite classes are dairy herd management, dairy health and farm management/finance (agribusiness). My plans are not set in stone. I have thought of being a high school ag teacher. I’ve also thought about being a large animal vet. The spectrum of career opportunities is endless. I’m willing to explore all careers in the agricultural industry.

Here at SUNY Morrisville, I participate in the Dairy Club. We held our 38th annual Magic of Morrisville Dairy Club Sale on Oct. 10. We averaged $1,869.64 on 63 lots. The high seller of the day was Lot 10, Ovaltop Jordy Rosemary-Red, for $4,750. The second-highest seller was Lot 6, Ridale Bingo Spice-ET, for $4,700. We offer a sincere thank you to all consignors, buyers, donors and supporters.

The dairy sale is more than just selling good animals. We learned a lot about teamwork and the development of soft skills. As stated by sophomore Gavon Darfler, “Through the sale, I learned that time management is critical; we created schedules, and we worked hard to stay organized as a team.” Darfler also stated that, being the feed chair, he learned how to give proper rations and proper timing of feeding based on the age of the sale cows. The sale indeed was magical!

Finally, as the student writer, I am working under the guidance of agribusiness professor Dr. Sheila Marshman; feel reach out to her with topics you’d like to read about. Her email is marshmsa@morrisville.edu. For questions about the dairy science program, reach out to Dr. Ashley Marshall at marshaae@morrisville.edu.