Thankful Thursday

 

The view across the pasture on the north side of the farm is definitely changing.

Even though we have been watching the neighborhood of houses

 being built since last summer, the sight of this crane was a little 

startling when it appeared close enough to pick up a cow!

On the south side of the farm we will welcome students

to the new Vaughn Elementary School  in August.

Although change can often take us out of our comfort zone,

I'm thankful that we will  continue to live and work on our family farm

as we embrace life surrounded by our new community of neighbors.

                           Even Zoom is experiencing change as she moved to the pasture!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Snow days down on the dairy farm are just as busy

as the days without snow but our focus is a little

more narrow in making sure that we do everything

possible to feed, water and provide comfort for

the animals during the snow event. 

 

The day before the  snow and colder temperatures hit,

we bedded calf hutches and rolled out hay

for the cows and calves in the pastures to lay on.

During feeding time for the calves this morning,

I made sure that everyone drank their warm milk.

There always seem to be one or two that may not 

come out of the hutch without a little coaxing.

You know, snow is a little scary if you 

have never seen it!

Although I'm not a big fan of these single digit

temperatures, I am thankful for the layers of

warm clothes that make the cold weather tolerable,

for the fact that all the calves

drank their milk and  appeared to be adapting to

the frigid temperatures,

all the milking cows walked to the barn without

any issues walking on snow and ice,

 and 

for my constant companion, Bea

that just enjoys being with us

regardless of  the  weather!

 

Farm Snow Days

What do we do on snow days down on the dairy farm?

The same as we do on a summer day!

Feeding the calves and milking the cows are chores that we

do every day of the year regardless of the weather or the 

holiday schedule.

I will say that snow days serve to remind us to enjoy 

the beauty of nature  and remind me of how blessed

we are to live and work on the farm  and experience

God's creation everyday.

I'm not particularly fond of cold weather but snow days

do alter the schedule to  doing the absolutely necessary chores

and sometimes allow for unexpected  time together with our family.

Snow days are always good days for enjoying 

a little chocolate cream pie

 (made with real whole milk, of course),

 a cup of coffee made from this week's family  find

of an antique coffee percolator,

and a few family  stories about the good old days

 down on the dairy farm!

                               
 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

In October we hosted a virtual farm tour for school age

children. During the tour,  we were asked if this new baby calf had

a name. Since we were using the Zoom platform for the tour,

one of the students stated that we should call the calf, Zoom.

We thought that was a perfect name and that is what we

call her. She also has her number name 3381 attached 

to her ear.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to share how Zoom is 

growing and changing and for the new ways

we have learned to use technology to provide

learning opportunities  for all of us.

I'm pretty sure Zoom knows she is a movie star!

                                  Zoom and I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!

                                       
 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                           

                            It's been a week of wild weather changes from balmy

                          70 degrees  down to the  low thirties .   To go with 

                           the changes,  we have welcomed five new calves

                            this week.  I don't know   if it is scientific or just 

                            coincidence,   but full moons and   barometer

                           changes  often bring   calving action in the pasture!

One of my favorite jobs is to be the Uber driver for

picking up calves and delivering them to their calf hutch.

I am a good driver going forward but watch out for those 

trailer back up skills!

Our calves will  spend the first three months in

an individual calf hutch where they are closely monitored

and fed milk and grain twice daily.

A healthy calf is the beginning for high-quality milk.

                                       I'm so thankful to live and work down on the dairy

                               farm with my family and for the opportunity to    share 

                                         with my friend just where milk comes from. 

                                                        

Thanks from Down on the Dairy Farm

                                                Before November slips into December,

                                      I wanted to share a little bit of  thankfulness

                                                     from down on the dairy farm.  

                          I'm thankful for the new calves that we welcomed to the farm

                                              during this season of Thanksgiving,

for celebrating 37 years of marriage to an 

Arkansas dairy farmer,

for the opportunity to take my Mother to visit

her 93 year old Uncle Max in Alabama,

to watch my grandchildren lick their ice cream bowls clean,

to celebrate the beginning of Advent with my family,

and 

to share with you  about life

down on the dairy farm.

                                        

                                                     

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

You know the farmers are still making hay while the sun

shines during these beautiful fall days.

No doubt this will be the last cutting of hay for this field

for the season but these last cuttings  are

 still good quality hay  that can be fed to the beef and

 dairy cows during the winter months.

I'm thankful for the rain we received last week that gave the 

fields the desperate drink that was needed to finish the season and

fill the ponds as we get closer to winter weather,

for the days Breck and I spent talking about how Daddy's

working on the farm and farming together  in the play room,

and

for the magic appearance of Casey's long lost

Dudley who just happened to show up at the Centerton

Animal Shelter after being gone for more than a year.

                                               Happy fall from down on the dairy farm!
 

Fall Blessings

Although the farm work has not slowed down these first few 

days of fall, it has brought us that big sigh of relief  as we reached

into the closet for our long sleeve shirts  and hoodies with cooler

temperatures and less humidity.  On top of that, it rained three inches!

Talk about fall blessings!

With little rain through the summer and the stunted growth of the 

millet crop due to those nasty army worms, it was decided to harvest

 the crop when the rain was over. We were pleasantly surprised 

at the number of bales that were harvested.

These wrapped bales are actually making  fermented silage in a bag

that  will be fed to the dairy cows in their  balanced 

nutritional ration. 

Taking samples of silage and dry hay is part of 

the process to know the quality and types of nutrients 

provided for the feed ration.

My job was to patch the holes once the silage sample was

removed.  It was the easy job for sure!

We've also been welcoming new dairy  calves to the farm.

And at the end of the day,

                                             I am reminded of the simple blessings  we enjoy

                           and often take for granted during fall down  on the dairy farm.

Labors of Love

Labor Day down on the dairy farm, like everyday,

will be full of the daily chores that include

milking the cows,

mixing and preparing feed to provide the

daily nutrition for the milking cows,

feeding the calves,

driving  tractors to complete a  a variety of  daily chores,

welcoming new members to the herd,

checking crops,

and enjoying time together as a family.

                                            Every activity down on the family dairy farm is a

                                      labor of love as we work together to care for our animals,

                                      produce nutritious milk and make Labor Day memories

                                                              for our  next generation.

                                                               Happy Labor Day!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

If you would like a job filled with variety,

dairy farming would be your perfect choice.

We have the jobs that happen everyday of the year 

like mixing the balanced feed ration for the dairy

cows and making sure the cows are fed and milked twice a day.

Then we have the jobs that are unexpected but 

necessary like spraying a field for the

disgusting armyworms that will devour a crop

in just a few days.

                                   One of our sweetest jobs is to welcome  new life to the farm.

                                                        Finding two at a time is always fun!

I'm thankful for the blessings we find in both the 

ordinary and the challenging days down on the dairy farm.

                                     

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

One of my morning dairy farm  jobs is serving as the taxi driver 

to deliver the newborn calves to their private hutch in the 

calf raising area.  The calf's mother is walked to the

milk barn to join the milking herd and

I become the substitute mother making sure that 

each calf is monitored closely and fed milk and grain

twice daily. 

One of the best parts of my day is sharing this 

job with my sons. 

It's been a busy week with  one or two calves delivered 

every day and baling hay like crazy. 

I'm thankful that even in the busyness of farm life,

we always have time for celebration with our family.

We managed to celebrate a special "Going to Kindergarten"

lunch and shopping day with Hattie Claire 

and

 shared a picnic supper in the hay field  that 

ended with watching the  Decatur Barbecue fireworks show 

from the top of a hay bale.

We couldn't have asked for a better August picnic!

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Who would ever think   August 

temperatures  in Arkansas would be less than 90 degrees

 with little humidity! Cooler summer temperatures make 

every job on the farm a little easier.

It was perfect weather for bringing this group of

 dairy cows to the  pasture by the house so we can 

observe them closely and assist with delivery if needed.

I love to watch them graze in the late afternoon.

I'm thankful for these first days of August that 

have increased the comfort of our cows, 

                    
 

calves,

and farmers.

Happy August!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

 

Who would of thought we would still be working

on this wheat crop!  The boys are wrapping it up this week 

with hauling and storing  straw bales in the barn.

Making room for the straw in the barn was a great 

incentive to clean out old hay and make it handy when  

straw is needed for use on the farm or to sell.

We  also have welcomed a few new calves

in the last couple of weeks.  It's always a treat

to find a red one! 

The Ayrshire cattle in the herd belong to Cody.

His first one was purchased for his 4-H dairy project.

I love it when Hattie and Breck spot these red cows and

calves because they instantly know they belong to them!

I'm not sure their daddy has given up ownership!

                                              I'm thankful that July is winding up and

                                      we are looking to what August has in store 

                                                 for us down on the dairy farm.

                 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Teamwork is part of life down on the family  dairy farm.

While Ryan and Casey moved straw bales off the fields,

Cody was preparing to spray the fields before planting 

hay grazer and millet seed.  

Once the fields were sprayed, it was another  picture of teamwork

as Cody and Ryan added seed to the planter.

With the spring rains delaying our wheat harvest  and crop planting,

the race is on to get the crops planted while we can still

hope for a few rain showers and moderate growing temperatures.

The donkeys even seemed to be working as 

a team as they strategically moved 

close enough  to make sure we didn't have 

any feed with us!

I'm thankful for the teamwork we  experience

down on the dairy farm and for the cutest surprises  

when we least expect them!

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                         Although we are happy to report that the last semi- truck load

                                     of wheat left the field to find its way to market, 

                                        the wheat harvest continues with the baling

                                                of the wheat straw left in the fields.

                                     

                               Baling the straw is much like baling hay except for the need  

                              to dry the straw.  It was raked into windrows and  baled

                              into large  round bales.  Straw is great to use as bedding in

                               the calf   hutches  or to roll out for cows to lay on when 

                                                        winter conditions occur.

                                      

Even though the early spring rains changed our plans for 

this year's wheat crop , I am thankful that we did have

a crop that can be used to care for our  dairy cows in ways that 

we hadn't planned and for the family and friends that 

have made harvesting the wheat a possibility.