Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We were happy to see Gittlein's custom chopper pull into the first corn field yesterday. 

Harvesting of any crop is a big deal but our corn crop is especially

 important to our dairy cows diet   through the winter and early spring.

All the corn we raise is chopped and hauled from the field to the 

silo on the dairy farm.The chopped corn will go through a

 fermenting process and become the silage that our  dairy cows 

will enjoy eating with other grains and hay.

It was my good fortune to be offered a ride around the field 

with my oldest son Cody.This was our view  of the chopper as 

we drove down the field side by side so the corn could be

 blown from the chopper into the truck.

With three trucks running to haul the corn to the silo,

it gave us opportunity to catch up on a little mother-son communication

 as we waited for our turn to pull up to the chopper.

                                              I'm thankful for the harvest of a good corn crop,
                                      the unexpected opportunities to spend time with my family,
                                                                                  and

                                                           
                                                     to share  life down on the dairy farm
                                                              with multiple generations.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though it was almost dusk when the custom silage chopper

 pulled into the first corn field this week, it was decided to open the

 field and get the process started. 

As I waited for the chopping to begin, it suddenly seemed like fall.

As darkness covered the field, the air became chilly. 

I was wishing for jeans and a long sleeved shirt instead of my shorts.

Even a big pot of chili sounded good.

Can it really be fall in August?

We didn't haul too many loads to the silo  that first evening but 

 I am so thankful for the corn crop that will be used to 

feed our dairy cows through this fall and winter.

Ready or not---I think fall is sneaking up on us!

Dairy Farmer Olympics

It's a race to the finish when you are raising a crop that will be fed to your dairy cows. 

The cows are counting on us! 

Each phase of crop production

--soil preparation,planting,harvesting-- 

is part of the relay race.

We began the harvest relay of our corn crop yesterday. 

It's being chopped and hauled to the silo so that it can ferment and

 be fed to our dairy cows  as corn silage.

  Sometimes the farmer  loses the race for 

no fault of his own because of  uncontrollable  factors like weather but  

like the Olympians we've been watching this week, 

farmers don't quit till the end of the race.

                                         My dairy farm Olympics experience tells me that we
                                          will have a few slow starts during  the harvest relay
                                                                 but like true Olympians,
                                    we can enjoy the rewards of hard work at the end of the race.
                                         

Dairy Tall Tale

It's not a tall tale,  but it's the tale of how tall  corn can grow on an

Arkansas dairy farm when you have the right nutrients and

 almost perfect weather conditions. 

Can you see the dairy farmer's smile?

Our cows produced the manure that we applied to the field prior 

to planting this spring.

 Manure, also known to us as a nutrient,  improves the soil by increasing 

the organic matter,adds nutrients for plant growth and increases the water 

holding capacity of the soil. The amount,source,placement 

and timing of manure on fields for crops that we raise

 is part of our farm's nutrient management plan.  

 By following the plan,

we are  protecting the environment and improving the land.

Our tall tale is also a perfect tale of  sustainability.

At the end of this tale, when eating corn silage this fall,

 our dairy  cows will be so happy!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

As the weathermen or weather-women were consoling us  about a rainy

 4th of July holiday weekend, the dairy farmers were smiling. 

It's not that we wanted to ruin any one's plans but a rain any 

day in July is a gift down on the dairy farm! 

I'm thankful for the 3 inch rain that watered the garden

and

 the corn crop that our dairy cows will enjoy this winter.