Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

We couldn't have asked for better hay baling weather this past week.

It was hot and dry and the last bale was rolled up before the rain shower.

Harvesting hay requires planning that includes the time needed for cutting,

raking and baling. Watching the weather forecast is part of that planning

but sometimes even the best plan can be surprised by the pop-up shower.

We're still looking for that perfect app for weather predicting!

I'm thankful for the harvest of this dry hay that will 

provide our dairy and beef  cows with the nutrition 

needed this fall and winter.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Twenty nine years ago a few  Benton County dedicated to 

dairy volunteers began what  we know as Dairy Days 

in the month of June. 

The reason for beginning Dairy Days was to provide another event

 for 4-H and FFA kids to show their dairy cattle and provide more 

dairy learning experiences.  Twenty-nine years later, 

the purpose is the same with expansion to include kids from 4 states.

 4-State Dairy Days  is an all youth dairy show  and competitions for

 kids from Oklahoma,Kansas,Missouri, and Arkansas promoting youth 

participation in dairy cattle showing and dairy educational events. 

I'm thankful for the dedicated organizers and businesses that support 

4-State Dairy Days,

 for the multi-generation family members involved in dairy activities,

for the skills learned with dairy project animals,

and 

for the life lessons learned by caring for dairy 

animals in a fun family oriented environment.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Watching my family of farmers work together vaccinating and worming 

cattle with  our veterinarian  is one of my favorite spring

 time pictures down on the dairy farm. 

These periodic checkups and vaccinations work to prevent illness 

and insure high-quality milk from healthy cows.

After receiving vaccinations, the calves are sorted and moved to new pastures.

When moving calves to new pastures it is not uncommon for

 them to find the hole in the fence that the farmer missed seeing.

I'm very  thankful for the great neighbors that live around us.

They not only call to let us know we have cattle out but offer help 

in rounding them up so we can haul them home until the fence is repaired.

                                                     
                                            There's no doubt, dairy farmers are on call 24/7.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last Saturday afternoon it rained snow down on the dairy farm.

I suppose we should not have been surprised after a variety of weather

 during the week that included record high temperatures.

 tornado watches and rain storms.

Even the cattle seemed  surprised  and a little confused

 by the variety of weather!

                                                             
                                     I'm thankful for the beauty of a little winter snow and for
                                      the fact that it is  probably the only snow for this winter!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

A trip to the Washington County Fair is a perfect way to begin September!

Where else can you see...

blue ribbon watermelons,

a variety of pumpkins,

beautiful dairy cattle,

or

                                          hear the laughter of families on the Ferris Wheel?

                                    I'm thankful for the people that participate in making any
                                                  county fair possible for all of us to enjoy.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

We've spent alot of time fixing fence during  this past year's drought  due to dairy and beef cattle pushing through to reach any blade of green grass on the other side. It's the perfect example of that old saying,"the grass is always greener on the other side."  I'm thankful for the concerned  telephone calls letting us know we have a cow out of the pasture and for the son who quickly repairs  the fence in a moment's notice!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                 
               Hurricane Issac  blessed us with three inches of much needed rain last week    that added water to our  ponds and provided relief to our drought stressed land. I'm thankful to see these green sprouts of newly planted milo that will become a feed source for our dairy cattle.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Twenty three years ago a group of dedicated Benton County 4-H parents  who had a love for dairy began what we know today as 4-State Dairy Days in Bentonville,Arkansas. Before the dairy cattle show on Saturday, 4-H members from the four state area participated  in dairy quiz bowl,dairy skill-a-thon events ,dairy cattle judging, just for fun dairy olympics and grooming their cattle  for the show on Saturday.

I'm thankful for the dedicated volunteers

 that are still making Dairy Days

a successful fun event for families during

June Dairy Month!

            

Truck Lovin' Dairy Farmer

Because we depend on our farm trucks every day to assist us in caring for our  dairy cattle and land, we tend to have special relationships with our trucks. The first truck I remember when I started dating the dairy farmer was "Brownie". She was a brown,flat bed Ford truck equipped with big tires that made her very tall and a good mud slinger, a large muffler with deafening noise on acceleration, a radio that played only country music and some type of hay spear on the back. In the beginning of my farming experience, when Brownie's name was mentioned, I thought there was another woman on the farm!

As I watched my son,Cody, feeding hay to the  dairy cows in the dry pasture, I thought about the efficiency of hay feeding with the truck and the importance of this farmer tool to our work on the farm. With the special hay feeding Deweze bed on our truck, two large round bales of hay can be picked up and brought to the pasture for the cattle. One farmer can efficiently feed alot of cattle in one day with this special hay feeding equipment.

Brownie is long gone from the farm but now that I've been on the  dairy farm for twenty seven years, I understand and appreciate the farmer's special relationship with his truck. From daylight to dusk, the truck is considered a member of the farm family--always ready and waiting to assist the farmer in caring for the cattle and land.  I can't imagine a day without our farm truck or the truck lovin' dairy farmer!