it was fighting with my brother on who’s turn it
was to go to work with Dad as a child, waking
up at 4 am to go pour ice water on the back
of my show cows because an old wives tale
says it will make their topline grow, or having
to feed calves before we could open presents
on Christmas morning, these experiences will
forever hold a special place in my heart.
When my great grandparents and
grandparents got involved in the dairy industry,
they had no idea of what was going to
come about because of that decision. They
passed down the tradition of dairy farming to
their sons and daughters for generations and
generations, and I am blessed to be involved
in such a great industry today. I am proud to
say my foundation in Dairying has made me
the young women I am today. •
Photo Captions, clockwise starting on
opposite page: The dairying legacy going
back to 1945 as my grandfather Tony Lopes
and great uncles picked up loose hay to haul
to the barn on a wagon (my grandfather
is sitting on the top of the hay); Alexandria
showing her replacement heifer, Karisma, this
past year in FFA; Alexandria and her older
brother, Tony, jumping in the hay as kids after
a long day out on the dairy; The Lopes family
on the dairy where my Great Grandfather
Antonio Oliveira started his roots as a
dairyman; and Alexandria’s first year showing
in 4-H with her calf, Tinkerbelle, at the local
county fair, the calf that started it all!
California FFANEWS • Page 11 • Fall 2015