Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Dairy farmers work closely with a variety of professionals such 

as veterinarians and animal nutritionists. One of

 my favorite professionals that we talk very little 

about is  the dairy cow hoof trimmer. 

In the human world, you might call him your

 podiatrist or  foot specialist. 

It is a known fact that comfortable  cows are healthy  cows.

Hoof trimming provides a measure of comfort that will correct

or prevent lameness.

Our hoof trimmer is a master at 

  utilizing  his skills to diagnose and treat the types of foot issues that 

each animal is experiencing or keeps the feet healthy by trimming 

the hooves for preventive maintenance.

Hoof trimmer Ben sets up his own shop when he

arrives on the farm. His hydraulic chute and table 

will place the cow on her side with her legs

 restrained for safety and  comfort. 

I'm thankful for professionals like Ben that use their

skills and love for cattle to ensure that each of our dairy

cows is comfortable, healthy and providing  high-quality

milk for your family and mine.

Dairy Q&A

Question:

How much water does a dairy cow drink?

  Answer: 

At least a bathtub full every day!

It's a little more complicated than that but it does give you a picture of the amount needed for a grown cow. The complicated part is that cows not only drink water but their needs are also met by  water that is contained in their feed, as well as from metabolic water produced by the oxidation of organic nutrients.

The amount of water lost from a cow's body is influenced by the animal's activity,air temperature,humidity,respiratory rate,water intake, feed consumption, milk production and other factors.

The heat and humidity we are experiencing in Northwest Arkansas definitely makes a difference in how much water each cow will drink!

On our farm, water is provided in water tanks located in convenient locations for the cows in every pasture and inside the feed barn.

 It's our job to make sure that clean,fresh water is available everyday. 

Dairy Q&A

                                                                     Question:

                     What do you feed your milking cows?

           

Answer:

Our dairy cows in the milking herd enjoy a mixture of grain,hay and silage everyday of the year. This feed mixture is known as a total mixed ration and  is designed by our dairy nutritionist. 

A measured amount of each ingredient is mixed in the wagon to ensure that each cow will have at least 100 pounds of the  feed mixture.

We raise hay and silage on our farm but we purchase corn and other grain by-products from other farmers.

Our commitment to providing high-quality milk begins with taking good care of our cows by providing a nutritious diet.

             

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Before we have our traditional Thanksgiving gathering with our family, we'll be

caring for the baby calves,

milking and feeding the cows,

and making sure the new babies arrive safely.

I'm thankful for America's dairy farm families, just like mine, that are committed to providing safe, high-quality milk and dairy products for your family to enjoy not only on holidays but everyday of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cows and Clocks

 Our dairy  cows don't have to worry about  how to change the clock when Daylight Savings Time starts or stops because regardless if we're springing forward or falling back, they always have plenty of feed to eat, water to drink and a dairy farmer checking to make sure they are comfortable.

 It's the dairy farmers that have to adjust to the time change in scheduling chores and making sure everyone else  on the farm  understands the schedule!

                      One thing for sure,  cows don't need clocks to know when it's time to have a calf !
                                       That was obvious today--we had three new calves born.

What better way to celebrate the end of Daylight Savings Time--

3 new babies and an extra hour of sleep for the farmer!

Labor Day Dairy Diversion

Labor Day is always a day of labor on the dairy farm. Our dairy cows would not understand if we didn't show up at the milk barn at milking time or make sure their feed was mixed and served   in the barn on time!

Our Labor Day  holiday did begin with

a gentle rain this morning that  brought cooler temperatures and created the opportunity for a diversion of our planned silage chopping activity to vaccinating a couple of our herd bulls. 

That's how holidays on the  family dairy farm are created...

                                                                           
                                       they happen when least expected and  are  always unplanned!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Twenty six degrees this morning  seemed like a heat wave after the two days of single digit temperatures. Warmer temperatures brought a lot more smiles to  all of us as we worked to care for our calves and cows.

I am thankful for our employees, who not only work extremely hard every day, but bring a sense of humor to help us get through the tough weather  days down on the dairy farm.

 

 

The cows didn't even notice the blue Ferbie in the field!

Dairy Water Patrol

It is a serious problem when you have thirsty dairy cattle any day but even worse on 100 plus degree days! Early this morning,while patrolling the water tanks, it was discovered that we had no water available for the dairy cows to drink in hte water tanks located in the pastures and the feed barn. After determining it wasn't an easy fix, we called for the repairman's help and  began  our  emergency no-water plan.

Water is an important nutrient year round for our dairy cows. A plentiful supply of good,clean water  is needed for milk production and proper growth and metabolism. A dairy cow will typically drink a bathtub full of water every day and that amount increases even more when the temperatures rise above 90 degrees.

Our morning was spent hauling water from a separate water system to the water tanks in the feed barn and pastures while waiting for the pump repair man to restore the system. By early afternoon, the water was flowing freely and we were feeling great relief to know that the water system had been restored and the cattle would have plenty to drink.


Water tank patrol is  part of our everyday routine in taking care of our dairy cows and providing high-quality milk for all of us to enjoy! 

Summertime Smoothie

By the weather we've been having for the last month in Northwest Arkansas,summer started a month ago!  It's so hot and ohhh...,so dry.While we can't make it rain, we can provide comfort measures to make sure our cows are as comfortable as possible. Fans and sprinklers are already in use to keep the cows cool while they eat and wait to be milked and water tanks provide fresh,clean water in the feed barn and pastures.

Enjoying a nutritious smoothie made with high-quality milk seems a perfect fit for celebrating summer and June Dairy Month. I found this tasty recipe at http://www.milkmustache.com.

PBB&J Smoothie

2 tbsp strawberry preserves
2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 banana
1 cup lowfat or fat free milk

Directions:

In a blender combine all ingredients. Cover and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Hoof Trimming Artistry

Yesterday's schedule included the monthly visit from our cows' podiatrist, commonly known as the "hoof trimmer".  Providing hoof care prevents lameness that creates discomfort and leads to decreased milk production. It's a fact---high quality milk is produced from cows that are healthy and comfortable. One of the most common hoof problems for cows on our farm is when the hooves grow long in the front of the hoof making it difficult for the cow to walk.

Ben, our hoof trimming specialist, identifies hoof problems and works with precision and great skill to carefully trim each hoof as needed. He brings a special hoof trimming table that allows each cow to be treated individually. One by one, each cow walks into a chute that is connected to the hoof trimming table. Once secured in the chute, the hydraulic equipment secures the cow to the table and turns the cow on her side. After trimming the hooves, the cow is turned to the standing positon released from the chute and ready to eat or return to the pasture to rest. I find it amazing to watch how Ben works much like an artist, carefully making sure every precise movement of his tool results in a perfect hoof shape to provide comfort for the cow when walking.

I'm thankful for professionals, like Ben,  that work with us to make sure our  dairy cows are healthy and comfortable and able to produce  high-quality milk for my family and yours!

Snow Day on the Dairy

Before I looked out the window early yesterday morning, I knew we had snow just by listening to the excitement in the TV weatherman's voice as he updated us on the winter weather conditions. It was announced that school was closed but not a word about Anglin Dairy closing for snow!

Snow days on the dairy are considered a little more challenging because it takes us longer to move from one chore to the next and to deal with any unexpected problems that may arise from extreme cold such as equipment breakdowns or frozen outside water tanks that must be thawed.

All days on the dairy farm, snow or no snow, are spent providing consistent care for our dairy cows, heifers and calves by making sure they have plenty of nutritious feed and water and making sure they are as comfortable as possible.  From my snow experience last year, I can verify that a two inch snow day on the dairy is a lot easier to manage than a twenty-four inch snow like we experienced last year in February!

Raw Weather Dairy Care

Although we work outside every day in all kinds of weather, when the weather changes from a light jacket day to "can't put enough clothes on" day--that's what we consider, as my grandmother might have said,  a "raw" day.  Today's thirty two degree temperature with wind was a perfect "raw" day in northwest Arkansas! When we scheduled the hoof trimmer for his monthly visit to the farm, we had no idea it would be such a chilly day.  Even though we had several layers of clothes on, the cows actually seemed to enjoy this cooler weather!

Hoof trimming is important to the health of our dairy cows in preventing lameness or correcting problems that create lameness.  On hoof trimming day, the cows walk from the milk barn after being milked to the feed barn into a pen and alley that is connected to the special hoof trimming tilt table that is brought by Ben, our hoof trimmer.  With this special tilt table, Ben is able to secure each cow to keep her safe and comfortable and tilt the table to position the cow for easy access to each hoof.  Ben is like an artist at work as he shapes and trims each cow's hooves with his tools.  Every movement is done with precision and accuracy with the intent to provide cow comfort.

Our commitment to providing high quality milk begins with taking good care of our cows--regardless of the weather!