Opel Farm

07/30/2026

Some blessings take generations to unfold.

As I was reading a reflection in a prayer missal I use on the cover art The Sower this week, What struck me most was:

“Every plowing is an act of faith, every furrow opened is an act of hope, where the preparation of soil is an act of charity.”

That couldn’t describe farming any better.

When I bought Lucky in Missouri in early 2019, she was only the second cow to ever join our herd. We had no way of knowing the story she would begin.

None of this happened overnight. Our family has spent years clearing land, improving pastures, building fences, rotating cattle, raising generations of cattle and caring for the farm. Every improvement was made without knowing exactly what the future harvest would look like.

Now look at this calf.

Inspired by this beautiful work of art: The Sower(c. 1865), Jean-François Millet (1814–1875) it seems the take-away name for the calf is Frankie!

Lucky gave us Josie.
Josie gave us Evelyn.
Evelyn gave us Leenah.
And Sunday, Leenah welcomed a healthy bull calf. Our little all-Beef Frank! 😉

Five generations.

Whether it’s here at Opel Farms, on the North Farm at my family place in Reeves, so much of what we do is preparing the ground—clearing brush, improving pastures, caring for the soil, and investing in animals that won’t reveal their full story for years.

You put in the work long before you see the harvest.

This little bull calf is one more reminder that faithfulness has a way of multiplying. One good cow becomes a family. One generation becomes five. One season of work becomes the foundation for the next.

We’re grateful for another healthy calf and for the privilege of stewarding both this land and the animals entrusted to us.

Sometimes the harvest isn’t measured in bushels.

Sometimes it’s measured in generations.

❤️🐂🌱

07/16/2026

We’ve come a long way baby!

A memory from five years ago that popped up on my personal page - I couldn’t get it to share, so just took a screenshot.

07/10/2026

Every calf has a story, but this little guy’s story started years before he was born.

Today we welcomed Louie to the farm family!

His mama is Axel Lou, and his grandmother is Opel Lou—the very first cow we ever brought to Opel Farms already in milk. She wasn’t just another cow; she helped lay the foundation for the dairy we’ve built. (And their names both have great stories to be told soon!)

Well another day, another calf - and more work! 🤪 Super grateful for another healthy birth! 🫶🏻

She actually delivered out in Reeves at the North Farm sooner than we expected, bc we wanted to give her as long as possible there with the phenomenal grass and great shady spaces with this heat. We will haul her and Louie here to Opel Farms soon! 🥛

Axel Lou, first-time mama, you did a wonderful job! 🏆

Welcome to the farm, Louie. 🤎🐮

06/29/2026

Meet Ozzie! 🐮

Grandma was Dorothy (“Dottie”). Mom is Stormie because she was born during stormy weather. So naturally, her son had to end up in Oz! 🌪️🌈

Then I thought about his sire, Auburn (“Aubie”), and figured we’d probably end up calling this little bull calf Ozzie around the farm. As soon as I said, “Ozzie… Aubie,” it hit me—that sounded awfully familiar.

Of course! We’re huge Atlanta Braves fans, and one of our favorite players is Ozzie Albies.

So, Ozzie it is! 🐮⚾️🫶🏻

Now… if he eventually fulfills his destiny as freezer beef instead of a herd sire, Sir Steaks-a-Lot may become his honorary title. 🥩😂

🎶”I like BIG steaks & I cannot lie”🎶
😉😆

06/22/2026

Talk about a full-circle moment.

Noelle‘s mother, Molly, was the first-ever calf that Roger purchased on May 11th, 2021 as a birthday gift to me when he decided to join me in this crazy dairy adventure the same summer we started to restore the family land here at Opel Farms slowly getting it ready to introduce cows one day from my family’s farm in Reeves.

Noelle, the very first calf ever born at Opel Farms, became a mama on Father’s Day, welcoming her first calf—a bull calf sired by Auburn, the first bull ever born and raised at Opel.

Our first homegrown mama and our first homegrown bull together produced another generation, all born right here on the farm.

On the longest day of the year and a day set aside to honor fathers, it feels fitting to celebrate the generations that came before and the ones still to come.

These are the moments that make all the hard work worthwhile.

Welcome to the world, little one! We’ve decided to name him Papa Jack after Roger’s maternal grandfather, Giacomo LaRocca, who lived at Opel from the time the land was purchased in 1948 until his death in 1972. 🫶🏻☀️🐮

06/12/2026

Tonight’s beautiful sunset at Opel 🫶🏻

06/01/2026

Happy World Milk Day! 🥛🐮

Do you really know what National Dairy Month means? When it first launched in 1937, it wasn’t called National Dairy Month at all — it was “National Milk Month,” and it ran from June 10 to July 10. More than a celebration, it was a rescue mission. Grocery organizations and the National Dairy Council created it in response to a very real crisis: as cows moved out to lush spring pastures, they hit peak milk production — and in 1937, the market simply couldn’t keep up. The surplus was overwhelming. To stabilize the industry and prevent massive waste, National Milk Month was launched to aggressively promote milk consumption and encourage households to use home refrigeration to keep it fresh through the hot summer months. It also coincidentally coincides with summer break for kids. By 1939, the campaign had grown into something bigger — expanding to the full month of June and rebranding as National Dairy Month to celebrate all dairy foods, from cream and butter to cheese and yogurt, while honoring the hard-working farm families behind them. Today, it’s a beautiful reminder of the deep history, seasonal rhythms, and everyday dedication it takes to bring fresh, high-quality dairy from the pasture to your table. The more you know 😊🥛💛🐄👩🏻‍🌾