January Reflections

January is in full swing...

freezing weather and high winds,

 a little fog,

lightning but no rain,

a little sleet,

 single digit  temperatures followed

by 

70  degree days...

 

but what can you say?

It's crazy January!

The calves are handling crazy weather better than the 

farmers.

I will say, January also gives time to reflect on some

of the fun times of the holiday season...

and a special Christmas gift of a visit from 

my friend Nancy.

Life on the farm just can't get any better when you 

have the love of family and friends.

It's that love that keeps us going on the 

toughest days.

 

Thankful Thursday

Although our daylight hours are silently 

slipping away as fall approaches,

the hours in September have been packed

with weaning calves and cattle working.

Each calf has received a new ear tag for 

identification, vaccinations, and wormer before

being moved to a new pasture. 

It wasn't a rodeo but it was fun to watch the 

calves kicking up their heels and showing off

as they were released from the head chute.

We decided it was their reaction to the cooler

temperatures we were all enjoying!

Even though we are not milking cows on the farm,

we are still raising babies in the hutches.

These calves are from our cows

 that are being milked at other farms. 

Their care requires feeding milk and grain 

twice daily and monitoring them

 closely for any illness. 

Living on the farm isn't just all work!

As you can see,

Hattie and Breck make life exciting and fun.

                                      I'm thankful for our life on the farm and for the jobs

                                                      of raising calves and kids!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

If you are old enough, you know that old saying "April showers 

bring May flowers."

Down on the dairy farm, two
new calves appeared

after receiving more than eight inches of rain in less

than twenty four hours.

Those calves were a welcome bouquet!

That much rain all at once creates flooding issues 

on and off the farm. I am thankful that  we were

able to repair the driveways and fence rows and

that no people or cattle had any injuries during or

after the rain event.

                                                  As I look back on the days of April 2021,

                                  we were also showered with a lot of happy smiles

                                     and days of creating   memories with our family

                                                      down on the dairy farm.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Fall has arrived!

Just in the last few days, we are wearing jackets 

in the morning and sweating in the late afternoon.

That's how it is in Arkansas!

The grass is mostly brown with a twinge

of green but it will still provide a tasty

treat this winter for our cows to enjoy!

As the hay harvest season is winding down,

the calving season is speeding up!

I'm thankful for these  new healthy 

babies

that are arriving in the perfect 

days of fall

and

for the changes of the season

that remind us to count our

many blessings down on the 

dairy farm.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

From the minute we bring a newborn  calf into 

their own private hutch, it becomes our priority

to monitor the calf for any health issue and to 

make sure it is drinking milk  twice a day and

adding grain at the appropriate time.

Care in the hutches continues for approximately three months.

The hutch protects from weather and the pens surrounding

 them provide ample space for the calf to freely move about 

while protecting them from other members of the herd.

When the calves are transitioned out of the hutch into a small 

pasture, the training begins for living as a group,

 eating together from a grain trough and drinking at

the water tank.

My job last week was to stand in the gate and direct

 them to follow Ryan to the feed manger at feeding time.

It doesn't take very long for the calves to know

it's time for dinner!

  

I'm thankful for the opportunity we have

each day to care for our calves that will  assure a future 

of producing high-quality milk

                                                                                  and

                                                         for the little surprises down on
                                                                       the dairy farm!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

I returned from a trip to Little Rock just in time

to check on the calves during their afternoon feeding.

It was a dreary,rain threatening afternoon and already getting

dark when I made my way to the hutches.

The calves were already finished with their afternoon milk

and were enjoying the grain that had been added to their feed

bucket.  With the threat of rain, I was glad to see that 

each calf  had their head down in the feed bucket.

I'm not quite adjusted to the  Daylight Savings time change that 

occurred this past Sunday but 

I'm thankful that our calves don't seem to be bothered at all.

Their  growth and development goes right on

as long as we provide milk and grain twice daily and monitor 

closely for any illness.

                                                 
                                                   
                                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though we have a daily routine that includes milking our cows

 and feeding all the animals on the farm, today was anything but ordinary.

During fall or spring calving season, 

it's not unusual to have from one to three calves born.

Today we had a total of nine new babies!

It was anything but a routine afternoon  as Ryan and I worked to

give each new calf a bottle of colostrum and vaccinations to prevent illness.

I'm thankful for these kind of interruptions of our daily routine

that bring smiles to our dairy farmer faces

                                                                                  and

                                         for the new crop of calves for Hattie  to help  feed!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Just when we thought winter was over,

it snowed.

I'm thankful that it was just a little April snow

that  melted in a few short hours,

that all of the new calves born during this crazy  weather week 

 have been born without complications,

and 

real spring is finally emerging just in time for

the two year old to teach us a few new ways

                                                       to enjoy life down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

While I'm always thankful for rain, 

feeding calves is much better when the sun is shining!

After all the calves received their morning milk, 

Casey and I proceeded to feed the grain.

My job was tractor driving while Casey scooped a measured 

amount of grain into each calf's bucket from the tractor bucket.

I'm thankful for each of these healthy calves

 that are growing down on the dairy farm

and

 that my son trusts me not to run over him!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It's pretty special when your Dallas cousins include feeding 

calves on the dairy farm as part of their trip to tour the University of Arkansas.

The calves enjoyed all the extra attention

and 

we are always thankful for extra help at calf feeding time!

Faith, Family, Farming, Friends...

                                         
                                                      so much to be thankful for everyday!

                                             Happy Thanksgiving!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                              I'm thankful for....
                                 

the pair of Egyptian geese that have come

 back to enjoy the farm habitat,

                                         

the new calves born this week,

the variety of  beautiful  colorful iris blooming,

and

                                               
                                                           for the entertaining conversations
                                                                   with Hattie and Frog.

                                                         Life is good down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I don't think we have a name for this season that happens

 just before the beginning of spring, but I love it. 

Winter's not quite finished but we've got the promise of spring.

 I'm thankful for the blooming jonquils, 

for the blooms I found on the  Lenten Rose 

 tucked away in the corner of the flowerbed,

and 

                                                                         
                                     for the  calves being born during  this in between season
                                                                 down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I attended the Southern Dairy Conference in Atlanta,Georgia this week to learn about the latest current issues and information related to the dairy industry.

It's always interesting to learn  how calves are raised on other dairy farms  and about the latest research that will help us   improve how we care for our newborn calves

 that eventually become the milking cows on our farm.

                                                                               
                        I'm pretty sure the calves missed me the way they looked at me this morning!
                                         (Ok, they might have been looking for their warm milk!)
                               I'm thankful to be back home on the farm and for my family and our
                                       employees that took care of the calves while I was away.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We've been adopted by two of the sweetest gray cats. This one followed us from the dairy barn  to the calf hutches and must have decided  feeding calves was just too tiring!

                             I'm thankful for the moments like this that bring a smile and 
                              an appreciation for the enjoyment we receive everyday  as
                            we care for all our  animals down on the Arkansas  dairy farm.