Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                                           Resting is part of the job for these dairy cows that 

                                      are patiently waiting to give birth in just a few short days.

                                     Each of these cows were moved from the milking herd to 

                                               the "dry" herd for a two month rest before calving.

                                            They are fed a special diet, provided plenty of water 

                                       and checked frequently  for any changes in behavior that

                                                             might indicate time for calving.

                                      

Even though we started the day with no sunshine after yesterday's rain,

I'm thankful for the picture of rest that brings a calmness

to the chaos around us and that what we do every day matters

to you and your family as we work to produce 

high-quality,nutritious milk down on the dairy farm.

Dairy Q&A

Question: 

How long is a cow pregnant?

Answer: 

9 months

FYI: A pregnant dairy cow that is being milked will be removed from the milking herd at 7 months so she can rest, enjoy a special diet  and prepare for the birth of her calf. We commonly  call this the "dry" period. In human terms, this is maternity leave!

Flat Aggie Teaches Farmers

Flat Aggie hasn't been taking any spelling or vocabulary tests while visiting the farm, but I'm quite sure he has gained knowledge of both. I've also had a lesson from Flat Aggie.

 In our every day work on the farm, we farmers forget that what we are talking about may not make any sense to a non-farmer. Flat Aggie  reminded me about this when we were feeding the dry cows.

 'Dry cow'  in dairy farmer language is a cow that is pregnant and is resting in the pasture until she has her calf. She has been ' dried off' and removed from the milking herd. Explaining that the dry cow gives milk once she calves made perfect sense and answered the confusing question--how does a dry cow give milk!

 

It's been alot of fun showing Flat Aggie around the dairy farm to share how we work every day to care for our animals and the land to produce high-quality milk! 

Flat Aggie is leaving us to visit an Arkansas poultry farm this week.  Wonder what he'll teach the poultry farmer?