Permitted to Farm

                   
                       Like it or not, rules and regulations are a part of our everyday lives.
                           In fact, we are permitted to farm because we follow the rules that
                                protect the environment for us, our neighbors and our cows.

                       
                 We've been following the rules and regulations  of the Arkansas Department
                          of Environmental Quality with a Regulation 5 Permit since 1985.
                         The Regulation 5 Permit allows our dairy farm  to store liquid
                                     and dry manure that is produced by our dairy cows.

                                Our facility was designed by a professional engineer to
                            make sure that storage was adequate and designed specifically
                               to protect the environment and preserve our water quality.

                   A nutrient management plan that has been designed by a soil specialist
                        guides the amount,source, placement and timing of manure on fields.

                             
                                
                                     Whether you are a dairy farmer or a hog farmer,
                               we love the land, live to protect it and follow the rules so
                                                      we are permitted to farm.
                                 

Happy Agriculture Day

                                                      Happy National Agriculture Day
                                                                            from
                                                      down on the Arkansas dairy farm!

                     Today is an  opportunity as farmers to share how we are working everyday
                              to produce safe affordable food for consumers and celebrate
                                                all that agriculture provides to each of us.

                                            Thanks to proven science and technology,
                                we are producing a gallon of milk using 95 percent less land and
                                     65 percent less water while  producing 76 percent less
                                                         manure compared with 1944.

                                             Do you know what hasn't changed since 1944?

                                                 
                                 Farmers still care  for our animals and the land we call home
                                                  and are committed to providing you
                                             with safe,high-quality milk and dairy products.

                                                   Happy National Ag Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Cow manure may not look like it has any value, but to a farmer, it's liquid gold.

To protect the environment, the liquid manure produced by our

 dairy cows is collected in a cement pit at the dairy barn. 

Our  permit from the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality  allows us  to store it in this pit 

and haul it to fields for fertilization.

                           
                                             I'm thankful for this recycled liquid gold that
                                                         is used to sustain our dairy farm.

Rolling Up October

We're rolling up October in the hay field.

Even though we haven't had a killing frost yet, 

the grass has stopped growing and much of it has already

 turned pale green or brown due to  the seasonal changes but

 it can still be harvested for feeding our beef and dairy cattle.

                                                                     
                                   After rolling up  the hay from this field, we will apply
                                 a measured amount of cow manure (what we call nutrient)
                                                                 to fertilize the field.

                                     Nutrient management plans guide the amount,source,
                                              placement and timing of manure on fields.

                                     Rolling up October  is a sustainability  win for the
                                                 environment and  the dairy  farmer.

                                 

Earthday Everyday

On Earth Day, like everyday down on the dairy farm,

you'll find us milking our cows twice a day,

feeding our cows nutritious feed,

and watching our crops grow.

Earth Day is Everyday down on the dairy farm.

We understand the importance of taking 

good care of this land we call home.

Lovin' on Agriculture

What's not to love about agriculture? Agriculture is  vitally important in our everyday lives.

 National Ag Day gives us a special opportunity to celebrate and give a little extra love for

 what we often take for granted.

Agriculture is celebrated on National Ag Day to appreciate :

• the value it brings to our everyday lives 
• how it improves and  maintains a strong economy
• the role it plays in providing abundant and affordable products
• how food and fiber products are produced

This year's national  theme is "Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet".
 It's obvious that with limited resources and more people (9 billion) to feed by 2050,

 producing more food and agricultural products will require all of us working together
 to conserve and preserve all along the production and farm to market  path.
 Dairy farm families across the United States are working every day to produce high

 quality milk using proven science and technologies.

Here's a few ag facts to celebrate...

• One U.S. farm feeds 168 people.
• 97% of U.S. farms are family owned
• Total U.S. crop yield (tons per acre) has increased more than 360% since 1950.
• Dairy farms produce a gallon of milk using 95 percent less land, and 65 percent 
• less water while producing 76 percent less manure compared with 1944.

                         You're invited to join us for a little lovin' on Arkansas agriculture at our 

                                                         Benton County Ag Day celebration 

                       being held at the Northwest Arkansas  Community College from 1-4 p.m. 

                                                                      Happy Ag Day

                                                          from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Everything was perfect at the Benton County Cleanup...

perfect October weather and happy volunteers.

We filled one 250 gallon container of used motor oil

 and started on the second.

I'm thankful for the Benton County employees who organized 

the clean-up event, the many volunteers that spent Saturday 

morning helping to keep our county clean and

 for the Benton County residents who utilize this service.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It's been a family tradition before I was a member of the dairy farm family

 to have a picnic supper on July 4th  on the banks of this spring fed pond.

Adventure has always been part of the gathering!

I'm thankful for the land that we work on, play on, 

and

 protect for the next generation to enjoy.

Dairy Farmers Celebrate Earth Day Everyday

Earth Day isn't just a one day celebration on our  dairy farm--it's an everyday experience   as we work to produce  high-quality milk by caring for our animals and conserving natural resources for future generations.

 It's a fact that dairy farms today produce a gallon of milk using 95 percent less land and 65 percent less water while producing 76 percent less manure compared with 1944. It's the modern science and technology that make it possible to produce more milk today with only 9 million cows than with 26 million cows in 1944.


In looking to reduce our carbon footprint and operate as sustainably as possible, we completed an energy audit  in 2012 with the help of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and its partners EnSave and USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Services. The audit provided potential areas for saving energy use and improving long-term efficiency and profitability.





Last year after completion of the energy audit,  we  chose to install equipment in the milking parlor that would reduce the amount of electricity used to cool the milk. By installing this equipment we saw immediate results in efficiency and a reduction in the farm's carbon footprint. The change saved more than 26,000 kilowatts in electricity and  reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 6 tons annually.

 In addition to saving electricity, the plate cooler provided additional water that can be recycled for our cows to drink. We installed two rubber tire water tanks  for the cows to enjoy drinking from  year-round.  A win-win for us, the environment   and the cows!





We'll be using our energy audit to provide direction for other changes we can make to operate as sustainably as possible and continue to celebrate Earth Day Everyday down on the dairy farm.

 

How will you celebrate Earth Day?

Earth Day Dairy Spin

Although it's Earth Day Everyday on the dairy farm, I was an invited guest to the  early  Earth Day celebration with Bentonville students at Old High Middle School. Students enjoyed a variety of activities related to protecting and caring for the earth that are important  to   everyday living.


Sharing information about dairy farming is important to me   because caring for the environment is a responsibility dairy farmers share with our local community. Good environmental practices are  essential to a dairy farm's success and for  future generations. You can find more dairy facts and information about sustainability and environmental protection practices   at Midwest Dairy.

                       My display included information about dairy nutrition and dairy farming.

 

It was my day to be the Vanna of Dairy--passing out string cheese for every spin of the Dairy Wheel of Knowledge!

 

 

                                      I had fun  giving my own dairy farmer spin on Earth Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

It's not just people that watch the birds!

 

You can find this pair of Egyptian geese under the shade trees in the yard or in the pasture by the house every afternoon just after the grain is fed to the pregnant cows.

 

 

I'm thankful for the wildlife that live on the farm with us and for the habitat that farms and ranches provide for all of God's creatures.

June Dairy Month--It's All About the Cows!

Just when you think there's not another minute to add another job  in the day on the dairy farm  during June Dairy Month , we begin a project! Quality water is essential to a dairy farm and  the good thing about our   project is   that when completed it  will protect, conserve, and recycle the water supply on our farm.  A water line from the dairy barn will provide recycled  water from the energy saving milk plate cooler  to two rubber tire water tanks in the pasture for a group of our milking cows.

 

 

Most of this project work began late in the afternoon after other chores and field work  were completed. It required a lot of coordinated  planning to be sure materials, machinery, and manpower were available.
 

 

 After installing the water lines, the work began to build the pad for the large rubber tire tanks.


 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



After the forms were built for the cement pad and the pipe placed for the water, the tire was set.

The devil is always  in the details!

 

 

Fortunately we had a beautiful sunny

Saturday for pouring the  cement  pad under the tires.

 

 

Hopefully by the end of the week, we'll finish this project and the cows will be enjoying water from the new tanks.

Providing our cows with clean water contributes to high-quality milk.

 

 

 

June Dairy Month--it's all about the cows!!

 

June Dairy Month Celebrates Sustainability

June Dairy Month is a perfect time to celebrate how we work to provide safe high-quality milk while caring for our cows and the land.

Last year our family dairy farm completed an energy audit to look at potential ways we could save energy to improve the sustainability of our farm and in the long run, work to reduce our carbon footprint.

It's easy to understand that one of the recommendations from the audit was to install a piece of equipment in the milk barn called a 'plate cooler' because it takes a lot of electricity to milk the cows, cool the milk and keep the milk cool in the refrigerated tank until it is transported to the processing plant. The plate cooler saves energy by cooling the milk before it reaches the
refrigerated tank.




Our new plate cooler was installed in January but we just flipped the switch and turned it on last week because it involved the addition of a variable speed milk pump and an additional water system to recycle the water used by the plate cooler to cool the milk.

 Although we're still installing the permanent rubber tire water tanks in the pasture, the recycled water from the plate cooler is flowing into the water tanks in the pasture.

 

I realize that you might not share my enthusiasm about a piece of equipment but for me and my third generation dairy farm family, it's exciting to see the new milk pump and plate cooler running efficiently to reduce energy and recycle water to improve the sustainability of our family farm and the efficient use of our natural resources. 

Dairy Farmers Celebrate Earth Day Everyday

Although we celebrate Earth Day everyday  on the dairy farm by caring for our  land and  animals, harvesting our spring crop of rye grass  is a great way to celebrate the actual day. This crop has grown due to the application of cow manure on the field. Cow manure not only  provides needed  nutrients for a crop , it also   increases the water holding capacity for the soil.


 Recycled cow manure is a perfect example of how we celebrate Earth Day everyday!

Federal ,state and local clean water laws regulate how manure is applied on crop lands, so nutrients are absorbed by crops,not groundwater.  To protect the environment, we follow a farm plan that has been designed by environmental engineering specialists that  guide how much manure can be applied to acceptable acres of farm and crop land.

From all of us down on the dairy farm,

 

Happy Earth Day!!

Hope Rains

For the first time in two years, Sunday morning  we saw water standing in the pastures, running down the road and bringing ponds to overflowing levels after receiving just a little more than two inches of rain during the night. It seemed like magic--I wondered if it happened in that magical  Daylight Savings Time hour when the clock springs forward.

After this year's drought, we are looking forward to spring and the hope that our pastures and ponds will be revived by adequate moisture and good growing conditions. We have alot of work ahead of us in restoring drought damaged fields and pastures but....

 

the rain does give us hope for the possibility for our farm's sustainability.

 

 After losing my hour of sleep to meet the Daylight Savings Time schedule, receiving rain was the perfect attitude adjuster for me. I didn't even mind putting on my rain suit and rubber boots to face the wind and rain to feed calves!

Dairy Recycling Fights Drought

Even though winter isn't over yet in Arkansas,   it's easy to feel a touch of spring fever when I look across the lush green rye grass that our cows will be enjoying in a few weeks as part of their nutritious balanced diet. This crop is extremely important to our dairy farm's sustainability as we work to recover from last year's devastating drought.

 Dairy recycling is managed year round on our farm by a  plan designed specifically for the amount of cow manure produced on our farm. By utilizing the cow manure produced on our dairy farm to fertilize crop lands, the water holding capacity of the soil is increased,   the groundwater is protected  by   the crop absorbing  the manure  nutrients and  the amount of commercial fertilizer that would be needed is decreased.

    Our commitment to producing high-quality milk means taking good care of our cows and the land!

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!

Dairy Recycling

While shuffling papers and doing computer work this afternoon in the office, I kept hearing a constant whirring sound.  When I looked out the front window, I could see the tractor and hay mower in the field next to the house moving quickly across the field cutting hay. It was the perfect time and a good excuse  for leaving  the paperwork)  to  walk across the yard, smell the freshly mowed hay and capture the beauty of the aftenoon. While watching the hay being mowed, it brought to mind this complete picture of dairy recycling--cows eat the grass, cows produce manure,manure is applied on the land, grass is harvested to feed the cows.

Manure from our cows is a nutrient for the soil, builds up the soil and increases the water holding capacity which benefits crop or pasture growth. Since 1985, our farm has been permitted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality allowing us to store dry and liquid manure nutrient and use it to fertilize the soil on our farm. Manure is applied to each field in a prescribed amount that is guided by our farm plan that was designed by environmental engineers and technicians.

Dairy recycling is an ongoing manure management method on our farm that protects water quality for us and our  neighbors and contributes to the sustainability of our family farm!

Environmental Stewardship

As I walked to the calf hutches across the soggy yard this morning in shirt sleeve weather, it was hard to believe that just a week ago we were twenty four inches deep in snow and minus twenty degrees on the dairy farm. This week as the weather has improved and conditions have allowed, we have been working to move the liquid and dry cow manure that was stored during our snow event last week. Cow manure is a nutrient with added value for our farming operation but must be handled responsibly everyday to protect the environment. Our dairy farm has been permitted since 1985 by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. This permit allowed us to build a facility with areas that store liquid and dry manure nutrient and to follow a farm plan designed for land application of the cow manure for fertilization of our pastures and croplands. These farm plans are also called nutrient management plans. Cow manure adds needed nutrients to the soil,decreases the need to use as much commercial fertilizer and increases the ability of the soil to hold water. Utilizing cow manure is a picture of sustainability in my view! As we were preparing for the winter storm last week, we removed as much manure as possible from the dry and liquid storage areas knowing that manure removal would not be possible during a snow storm. During the worst of the weather, manure was stored in the designated areas until it could be applied to the land. Protecting the environment is an everyday job on our dairy farm whether it's before,during or after winter storm events.