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Gary and I went to Las Vegas last month! Another vacation? A short one, but yes, we traveled with a couple of friends to see a part of the country that I have never seen. As you, my faithful followers, know I like to share with you about the agriculture in the states that I am able to visit. And I will, but it reminded me how difficult it can be for farmers to take a vacation.

Growing up on a dairy farm, my family went on two family vacations. The first was a trip to the Smoky Mountains when I was 3, and I don’t remember any of it. The second vacation was when I was 13, and we went to visit family friends in Tennessee and North Carolina. As the third of four children in my family, I was the only child who went on both vacations.

Gary and I did a little better. There were two weeklong trips and several weekend trips. There was the memorable trip to Florida where Gary came home midweek while the girls and I stayed the remainder of the week. Plus, there was a trip to visit Disney, but Gary didn’t go. In 2011, we finally took a weeklong vacation to Nashville, all five of us, but it was after we no longer had the cows.

Having dairy cows is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week job. It is not easy to get someone to fill in for you for the day let alone a week. The farm I grew up on and the one Gary grew up on and ran were both family operations. Not huge, but too big for the remaining family to handle alone easily if one partner is on vacation. Hire someone? In the dairy business, you would likely have to pay someone more than you pay yourself, if you can find that person who can do it. It is just plain difficult to get time away.

So, Nevada. How much agriculture can there be? It’s a desert! More than I thought. Nevada’s cropland, as a percentage of its total land, is the second lowest in the U.S. According to the USDA, Nevada has 5.9 million acres of farmland, of which only 814,000 is used to grow crops. The majority of Nevada’s farms are livestock ranches. When you consider all cows, beef and dairy, as of Jan. 1, there were 703,000 cows. I was surprised that there are 35,000 dairy cattle. So, most of the 814,000 acres of cropland is irrigated to grow hay and corn for all of these cows and the 60,000 sheep raised in Nevada. Even though these statistics only earn Nevada the ranking of 41st for agricultural revenues, agriculture is still the third largest industry in the state.

I miss the cows and the lifestyle sometimes, but I’m thankful we can do some traveling. Nevada sure is beautiful and HOT! 100 degrees is uncomfortable even if there is no humidity.

We got to visit The Valley of Fire, but the best part of the trip was the visit to the Hoover Dam. One of the signs at the dam said, “The goal is to encourage the growth of small family farms.” Today the Hoover Dam controls the flooding of the Colorado River, irrigates more than 1.5 million acres of land, provides water to at least 16 million people and creates enough energy to power over 500,000 homes across several states. If you are ever out that way, it is definitely worth your time.

Las Vegas was quite the experience, but I don’t think I need to visit again.

Submitted by Mary Smallsreed, a member of the Trumbull County Farm Bureau and grew up on a family dairy farm in northeast Ohio.

OFBF Mission: Working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities.