In my novel, Misty Hollow, Joel Greenfield’s passion is to own and operate a thriving dairy farm. He’d love to see his great grandfather’s farm filled with milking parlors, grain fields, silos, and jersey cows grazing in the fields. But it’s an impossible dream. He can’t even read the operator’s manual on a milking machine. Illiteracy has held him captive for too many years. Now he’s angry with God for putting the hope in his heart.
But after a kind dairy farmer gave Joel the opportunity to work on his farm one day a week, Joel has learned a few things. He’d like to tell you a bit about running a dairy farm.
Dairy cows are milked twice daily—first thing in the morning and again around dinner time. To prevent contamination of the milk, their udders are washed after each time they’re milked. The milk is stored in large stainless steel or copper kettles, and is picked up one or two times a day by a tanker truck to be taken for processing.
Most dairy farmers grow their feed on the farm in order to cut costs. Cows are sent out to graze in the pastures on grass and clover. Farmers also feed them hay, alfalfa or grain, and cows can eat while being milked. Stalls need to be mucked out daily, ensuring cows have a clean place to rest. Most farmers compost the cow manure and use it to fertilize their crops. Cleaning milking machines is important as well, to remove bacterial cultures.
Like on any farm, there’s plenty of work to be done. Dairy farmers are on the job from early morning to sundown most days. Family members each have their chores. After a farm becomes established, a farmer might hire hands to assist in the daily process. Not only is the farmer required to understand how a milking machine work and how to best produce a grain group, a hardworking farmer must act as a business man, keeping books, balancing accounts, budgeting repairs and purchasing machinery.
Joel Greenfield will be the first to admit. Dairy farming is a challenging profession.
Here’s the blurb:
Molly Cambridge arrives in the tiny Appalachian town of Misty Hollow intent upon bringing literacy to the area’s uneducated women, only to be met by opposition at every turn by the headstrong, unbending mayor. When she asks for use of Town Hall, he refuses her offer to teach without pay and turns her down flat saying he only allows village business conducted there.
Joel Greenfield, son is a poor dirt farmer, is illiterate. When he admits to his passion to turn the family farm into a dairy business, the obstacles are insurmountable. He couldn’t even read the manual on how to use farming machinery, much less generate the necessary capital. His father’s objections further frustrate his desires.
When Joel offers Molly use of the old barn on the Greenfield property, they discover an irresistible attraction for each other. But the mayor has plans of his own to break them up, send Molly back to Nashville, and seize the Greenfield farm for himself. Can Molly and Joel overcome the hurdles to fulfilling their dreams and find their way to each other? Only God has the answers.
June would love to give away an e-copy of Misty Hollow to one lucky commenter – so please jump in below to enter!
An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. June’s book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC’s eBook awards and a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan’s Father was one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. Deliver Us was a finalist in COTT’s Laurel Awards. June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan’s Father is published by WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, is available from Amazon.com. The Almond Tree series, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, What God Knew, and Almond Street Mission are available at Amazon.com. June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. Recently June has seen publication of Christmas at Raccoon Creek, Lavender Fields Inn, Misty Hollow, and Restoration of the Heart. Visit June at junefoster.com.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Thanks for introducing us to June and her book, Elizabeth. I’ll definitely download this to my Kindle. My father was raised on a dairy farm and he was just telling me some stories last week. :)
How fun! My dad grew up near a dairy farm, and so every time we would drive to visit my grandparents, he’d roll down the windows as we went past so we could smell the “fresh country air.” :)
Jill, I knew very little about dairy farming until I began writing Misty Hollow. It was interesting to learn there is so much more going on than merely milking cows.
Hi Elizabeth, I have not read any of June’s books before, thanks for the introduction. I’ve spent enough time on dairy farms to have immense respect for dairy farmers- it is constant work, especially in the middle of winter, getting up before dark to move the cows to the milking shed, then repeating it all again in the evening…every day!
Blessings:)
It is definitely hard work! I’m so glad we could introduce a new author for you!
Wemble, I never dreamed the amount of work dairy farmers take on to produce the milk we drink. Thanks for your comment. You’ll especially enjoy Joel and Molly’s story.
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for the introducing us to June Foster. My husband enjoys telling stories about spending summers at his grandparent’s dairy farm. On our Friday meandering back road trips one often encounters “fresh country air.” As a city girl, I appreciate the dedication of hard working farmers. They are often not appreciated for their commitment and struggles to FEED the Nation. Glad more and more writers are writing about farmers. As a teen, I was first introduced to Appalachia through the book Christy. Another author and book to add to my To READ List. Happy First Day of Summer. Best wishes and thanks.
It is really lovely to see farmers of all types getting recognition in books :) they do so much for us.
Thanks for stopping by to meet June!
Renate, I had a critique partner who mentioned Misty Hollow reminded them of the novel Christy.
This sounds like a great story! Love the cows!
I thought of you when I first read this post, Sally!
Haha! I had to come check it out. I want to be sitting on that hillside with them. Instead, I’m stuck at work lol. And the story dealing with illiteracy in the Appalachians, will have to read this one. Where is Misty Hollow located? A fictional town, or based on a real town? The Appalachians are such a cool place to live!
Sally, Misty Hollow is located in the fictional town of Misty Hollow but I envisioned it to be located in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Love the Smoky Mountains!
Sally, I’ve visited the Smokys a couple of times. The scenery is majestic.
Sounds like a interesting story. I am thankful for farmers.
Diana, thank you for your comment,
I love June Foster stories. :-)
Thanks for stopping by, Melissa.
Sounds like both your characters are facing a lot of challenges.
My mom’s family had cows growing up (not a dairy farm, just self-sustaining lifestyle) and she loved every minute of milking the cow and drinking unprocessed milk. Although I like reading about it and it makes me think of family, I personally can’t fathom the idea (she took me and my sister to a dairy farm once so we could experience the “joys” of how she was brought up… *sorry mom, we’re city girls*).
Priscilla, oh, but when the heroine is smitten by the good looking backwoods farmer, she doesn’t mind moving to a dairy farm. (smile)
We’ve had friends who operate dairies….it IS a lot of hard work! Enjoyed your post and am sure I will enjoy your books!
Thanks, Jackie. I hope you get a chance to read Misty Hollow.
I LOVE June’s work. She tackles such great issues, and illiteracy is one that deserves some attention. Congratulations on another release!
Julie, you are a dear. Thanks for the encouragement.
Dairy farming would be a lot of work…sun-up to sun-down & I admire those who run a farm! My cousin does to an extent, though she mostly grows all kinds of produce and maybe some chickens for fresh eggs. Not sure what other small animals she might have. She loves it though! I can see the benefits of fresh air, hard work and fresh food, it would definitely lead to a healthy lifestyle!
We don’t hear too much about illiteracy nowadays, I think it makes an interesting premise for a book! Thanks for featuring a new-tome author!
Trixi, I’d love to spend a week or so on a farm and drink in some of the fresh country air.
Thanks for presenting June and her book Misty Hollow. This sounds like a book I would really enjoy reading!
Thanks, Judy. I hope you get the chance. Happy reading!
Misty hollow sound like a great little town. I would love to get a good book like this.
Andrea, I hope you’ll have a chance to read it. I had tons of fun writing it.