Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                                             
                        It was a beautiful day on the dairy farm  in Northwest Arkansas--perfect for baling and wrapping hay.   I'm thankful for the rain and sunshine that made today possible!

Drought Damage Control

In a normal year (whatever that is) , we would be chopping corn for silage and baling hay like crazy,but drought, exceptional drought in our case, is demanding change and flexibility in all of our farming decisions for this time of the year. Even though we have received a little bit of rain that has greened up the pastures, at least one third of the grass in our pastures is dead. In times like these we are relying heavily on the information and advice from our Cooperative Extension Agent and the Natural Resource and Conservation Service technicians to help us make the best decisions for farming practices under these drought  conditions.

Maintainence of grazing pastures is important to the nutrition of our dairy cows and calves and the sustainability of our farm. For fall and winter pasture grass, several pastures have been reseeded with rye grass by using a no-till drill. With diesel fuel edging closer to five dollars a gallon, it is very sustainable and cost effective to no-till plant because it reduces soil erosion,retains soil moisture and conserves fuel needed to cultivate.

 

Drought is challenging every aspect of our farming operation but in looking for the silver lining to the drought cloud, I would say that for me it has grown my faith and given me an even deeper appreciation of the science and technology that we rely on every day to care for our animals and land and to produce high-quality milk for your family and mine!

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.

Drought's Silver Lined Cloud

It's difficult to see any positve opportunity from drought when you look at our tinderbox pastures and damaged or dead crops but there is a silver lining to the rainless drought cloud! Drought creates the perfect condition for cleaning out ponds that have filled up with silt or dirt that has drained into the ponds over several years. Drought dried ponds in Northwest Arkansas are calling all bulldozers and wheel loaders into action!

This Deere loader was delivered to the farm by a local equipment rental business this morning. It's true--boys never outgrow their love of toys or playing in the dirt! During this week,unless it rains, Ryan and our  sons,Cody and Casey,  will take turns playing in the dirt to clean ponds on our farm and a few of our neighbor's ponds.

Dirt is being removed from the dry pond and moved to either side of the pond. Eventually the  piles of dirt will be smoothed out and packed down to  make a slight slope that cattle can walk on without difficulty when coming for a drink of water.

Cleaning out the ponds is a conservation practice that will allow more storage space for water collected from rain events and runoff from the fields and pastures and increase water availability for our cattle.  

                                    Drought or no drought--
             we're committed to caring for our land and animals
                        as we work to provide high-quality milk!

Drought Grazing

Although  we were fortunate to receive a little rain this week, it was barely enough rain to cover the bottom of the rain gauge. Thankfully, the rain was accompanied by cooler temperatures and a reprieve from the oppressive heat of last week.


Just after the rain, I watched the cows reaching through the yard fence to snatch a bite of the green grass that had grown in the shade. A perfect picture of that saying--"the grass is always greener on the other side"! Drought has turned our pastures crispy brown.  Even though large round bales of hay are provided in hay mangers in the pasture, the cows are missing the green grass to graze that is usually available.  Drought conditions and what I call drought grazing,  have created a lot of fence building in many pastures this summer due to the cows reaching out for available green grass.

While we continue to wait for more rain and the return of green pastures for our cows, we are  making sure that all of our  dairy cattle are eating a nutritious diet and drinking plenty of clean water.

Drought or no Drought,

               we're  committed to providing high-quality milk!

                                            -----------------
                          
For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
                                           Philippians 4:11

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though the drought is creating hardship and stress to

the birds,

my garden friend,

and our cows,

I'm thankful that cool, clean  drinking water is available for us to provide for all the animals.

Friend in Drought

During this drought and triple digit weather, I'm watering the plants on the porch and around the house to keep a little color and enjoyment in the yard.   A couple of weeks ago when I found my beautiful caladium plants  shredded and the impatien plants riddled, I thought a terrible disease had struck. I sprayed for bugs, put snail bait around the pots and went to the garden center for advice about what I should do to save my plants if all those methods didn't work. The pot looked so bad that I decided to add a couple of drought tolerant  vinca plants to fill in the holes. In two days after being planted, the plants were mutiliated and one was pulled out of the pot.

Last week when I looked out the window in the heat of the afternoon, this is the "disease" I found resting in the pot with his paws hanging over the edge.  He was so hot, I could see him panting. When I realized that he was just preparing a nice cool place for himself, I felt guilty for all my bad thoughts about what or who had destroyed my pretty flowers. 

 

  Every afternoon around three o'clock in the heat of the afternoon, you can find my friend lying in his pot.  Just seeing him stretched out in the cool dirt and enjoying his spot brings a smile.   I wonder if he realizes that I keep watering the  pot  everyday  just for him !!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Late in the afternoon, you can find these cows resting in the shade provided by the trees on the edge of our driveway. As we    deal  with the stress created by the effects of drought on our family dairy farm, I'm  thankful for my faith, family and friends.

---------------------------------------------

Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

Give Thanks in all circumstances.

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Farmer's Favorite Game

Just a few days ago, it rained! Even though it rained only a quarter of an inch on our farm, it was a needed positive reminder that --It Can Rain!  As you can tell, it doesn't take a lot to get us excited when we're in the middle of a severe drought. Although that little bit of rain was just enough to settle the dust, it did give us the courage to play in the dirt and replant a field of sorghum that hopefully will receive another bit of rain to grow feed for our dairy cows.

Drought hasn't changed my role as the bring-it-to-me assistant when planting or other field work is happening on the farm. As I approached the field this afternoon with an extra bag of seed and the air pump for the planter's low tire, all I could see was a cloud of dust. It was the farmer playing in the dirt!

Just as the seed was poured into the planter and the tire aired up, we looked up to see a cloud of dust and the beef cattle jogging across the field. Someone forgot to close the gate  (and it wasn't me)!

 Luckily for us, they were going for the grain that had just been put in the feed bunks and  on to the pond for a cool drink. It made my assistant job much easier to just shut the gate!

Then it was back to the farmer's favorite game---

playing in the dirt and planting a crop!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Drought, no doubt, is bringing new challenges to us every day on our  fourth generation family  dairy farm.   I'm thankful for all the lessons learned and taught  by previous generations of family farmers, technology, and science based best management practices that will enable us to restore what drought has destroyed. 

Drought Shopping Tips

In the next few weeks, drought will become a reality when doing the weekly grocery shopping to feed our families. When making decisions to get more bang for your buck, it's important to choose nutrient dense foods like dairy. Dairy foods are an economical choice and play a critical role in the diets of adults and children by providing nine essential nutrients,including calcium,magnesium,
potassium and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent daily value of protein.

The ultimate goal of all dairy farmers is to provide safe,nutritious milk regardless if it is produced by conventional or organic production methods. It's a common misperception that some milk contains antibiotic. An important fact to know when purchasing milk is that there are NO ANTIBIOTICS in  MILK.It is illegal for any milk to be sold that has any antibiotic or medication. Milk is the safest food that you can buy because of the strict quality controls to ensure freshness,purity, and great taste. Information about milk production and comparison of organic and conventional production methods can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

When stretching your food dollar, make a plan that includes these tips from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension (http://www.uaex.edu):

• Set a spending limit
• Plan menus and use them to make your grocery list
• Read sale advertisement and use them to plan menus and grocery list
• Make a shopping list and stick to it
• Eat before shopping
• Clip coupons for items you know you'll use
• Try store brands
• Compare stores
• Take advantage of special discounts like senior discounts or double coupon days
• Choose your best day to shop-some stores have sales on specificd days
• Compare forms and buy the form of food that costs less for each serving
• Compare sizes and buy the size that costs less for each serving

                                               

Drought's Oasis

Even though our vegetable garden is weedy,has been attacked by Japanese beetles and grasshoppers and far from perfect, it has been our oasis in the desert of drought.   Being  able to provide the water and watch the garden  grow has truly been a blessing while we   have been experiencing extreme and devastating drought on our dairy farm crops and pastures.

 So far we've enjoyed a few ears of corn, a small mess of green beans,tasty tomatoes, a skillet full of okra and plenty of yellow crookneck squash. Since I didn't raise any zucchini squash but have plenty of yellow squash, I decided to modify the tasty Zucchini Parmesan Rounds recipe (http://www.midwestdairy.com).

Crookneck Italian Rounds

Ingredients:
2 medium yellow crookneck squash
1/3 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Slice squash into 1/4-inch thick rounds,leaving skin on. Place rounds in a resealable plastic bag with olive oil; shake to coat all sides. Combine parmesan cheese, bread crumbs,salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Press each squash round into the Parmesan mixture,coating on both sides. Place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve warm. Serves: 4.

                                          This one goes into the recipe file with a thumbs up!
  
                                                      

Drought Coping Skills

Just hearing thunder, seeing a flash of lightning and then watching the rain fall was a great stress reliever. Although any rain is a welcome site and considered a blessing, dealing with the stress and damage of this drought on our crops and pastures will continue for the rest of this year as we adapt and make necessary changes for our farm's survivability. Undetected stress can create a drought in personal well being and I will confess, I have felt pretty discouraged and distressed in this dry,hot spell.

During stressful times when it feels like we might be "going crazy", it's important to recognize these common signs of distress as normal responses to unusual situations:

• irritability and anger
• feelings of anxiety and worry
• headaches or gastrointestinal complaints
• increasing risk-taking behavior
• changes in eating and sleep habits
• increased alcohol or drug use
• forgetfulness
• fatigue
• sense of helplessness
• lack of concentration
• avoidance or denial
• sadness

For mental and physical health, it's important to recognize stress and take steps to cope with the challenge we face by focusing on our own strengths and our community of support. According to information from the University of Missouri Cooperative Extension  and Missouri Department of Health, we can take these steps to help ourselves and our families by:

• Acknowledging feelings and talking them out.
• Paying attention to health, nutritious diet and adequate sleep is important.
• Nurturing personal relationships should be a priority.

As my family and I worked together this week to help our neighbors who are also struggling , it was definitely a stress relief for personal drought!

Dairy Farmers Committed to Community

Our neighbor's corn didn't check the calendar for the July 4th holiday schedule so Ryan and the boys spent most of the day chopping the corn and hauling it to our neighbor's farm. It's definitely not a good corn crop but any crop is better than none when you are experiencing a season of drought.

It was a typical hot,dusty July 4th!

 The drought we're experiencing in Northwest Arkansas makes harvesting any crop crucial and it's definitely the time for farmers to work together  to harvest available feed for our animals.

 Working with our neighbor to provide feed for his cattle is a great example of how our contributions to the local economy are measured not only in dollars and cents, but also in the well-being of the community where we live and work. 

Dairy Farmers Challenge Drought

Life,no matter where you live or what you do, has its challenges. For Northwest Arkansas dairy farmers,drought is our current challenge. With lack of the normal amount of spring rains and the late spring and early summer heat wave with no rain, our crops that we rely on to feed our cows through the year are extremely stressed. Although irrigating crops is not a common practice in our area, it can be done if you have the equipment and access to enough water. For the last two days, Ryan and our nearest dairy farmer neighbor,Don, have been working to set up the irrigation equipment to water a field of Sudan grass that will become feed for Don's dairy cows.

Getting the equipment set up is a hot,sweaty job in 100 degree weather. Irrigation pipe was hauled by trailer and connected from the lagoon water source to the field. Since the equipment had not been used in several years, it has taken time and effort to basically blow the cobwebs out of the pump system. Late this afternoon as we watched the water pump into the irrigation pipe, we were feeling a great sense of accomplishment when all of a sudden, a clamp broke, the hose blew off and provided a bath for Don and alot of laughter for all of us!  It was the perfect time to end the day's work!

Tomorrow the plan is to add more gaskets and clamps and get the water pumping on the field without any extra baths for the farmer. Drought can challenge our crops and the financial sustainability of our farms but it will never beat the friendship of farmers or the spirit of farmers who love their animals, care for the land and will do everything in their power to save the family farm.

Dairy Diversion for Hot Weather

As a diversion from the hot weather and stressful weather conditions that we are experiencing on the dairy farm, I'm thinking about next week's holiday celebration that we will enjoy as a family. Even though fireworks won't be part of our July 4th celebration due to the drought, we will be making our traditional freezer of ice cream to go with our hamburgers and hotdogs! If I can find some ripe peaches, I'm going to try this recipe I found in my Jim Graham's Farm Family Cookbook for City Folks which is a collection of recipes from a lot of good cooks in North Carolina.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

1 quart milk
1 10-ounce package of marshmallows
2 cups sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Half & Half dairy creamer
3 cups mashed fresh peaches

Combine milk and marshmallows in Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until marshmallows melt; remove from heat. Add sugar and remaining ingredients; mix well. chill. Pour mixture into freezer container of gallon hand-turned or electric ice cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and salt, and let stand for 1 to 2 hours to ripen before serving.

                     Hope you have a safe, dairy good July 4th!

Perfect Dairy Project for Drought

Instead of making hay while the sun shines, we've been digging in the lagoon during the dry weather.  Our lagoon is basically a large pond that sits at the end of the dairy cow feed barn.  Its purpose is to provide protection for our land and water quality by capturing any water or manure from the feed barn.  Since being built in 1988, the lagoon has never been completely emptied or cleaned out.  Drought conditions this summer made this the perfect time for cleaning out the lagoon and refurbishing the banks under the technical guidance of the Conservation District. 

Because milking the cows and caring for our dairy animals takes priority, it has taken several weeks to complete this project. The project began in July with pumping the water and progressed to scooping out the solids in the bottom. Labor Day weekend was the grand finale of the lagoon cleaning with a bulldozer operator sculpting the sides of the lagoon bank to allow us an easier angle for mowing and maintainence.

Caring for our natural resources is a responsibility that we take seriously because we live and work on our land.  The lagoon is an important part of our manure management system that meets the requirements of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and allows us to recycle the water and manure that is produced on our farm to fertilize the soil for  our crops and pastures while protecting the  land and water for us and our neighbors.

We celebrated the completion of this project with a steak dinner, a tall glass of milk,   and a big sigh of relief.
Now--let it rain,let it rain,let it rain!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

You don't need a thermometer to know it is beastly and dangerously hot for our dairy cows and us. As I was watering plants in the yard and garden after feeding baby calves, I found Skittles, one of our farm dogs, enjoying the wet dirt under the garden corn. I'm thankful that on these hot and challenging days of drought on the farm, we still have plenty to smile about and be reminded of the blessings we enjoy daily.