Happy October !

Change is the constant factor in life down on the farm.

I was shocked when I looked at the date of the last time I posted on the blog.

Summer has come and gone and now we welcome fall

and all the beauty October will bring.

Here's a sampling of what went on this summer on the farm 

and in the family. 

We don't milk cows anymore but we are still raising dairy heifers

and beef cows,

 

we opened a coffee trailer on a corner of the farm,

we shipped a group of bred heifers to a farm in Florida,

we celebrated Casey's 33rd birthday,

and 

we welcomed Truitt Anglin to our family.

                                           Now you know why there was so little blogging time!

                                                               Happy October!!

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.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Fall has arrived!

Just in the last few days, we are wearing jackets 

in the morning and sweating in the late afternoon.

That's how it is in Arkansas!

The grass is mostly brown with a twinge

of green but it will still provide a tasty

treat this winter for our cows to enjoy!

As the hay harvest season is winding down,

the calving season is speeding up!

I'm thankful for these  new healthy 

babies

that are arriving in the perfect 

days of fall

and

for the changes of the season

that remind us to count our

many blessings down on the 

dairy farm.

October Treat

Even though we can buy apples year round, there's just something special when given apples from a friend's own tree.  We don't know the name of the apple but I would describe them as a mild Granny Smith--slightly tart but perfect for baking in cake or pie.  Kicking off October with a new cake recipe that filled the kitchen with smells of cinnamon and apples seemed the perfect way to celebrate the gift of fall apples. I read through a lot of recipes posted on line and even though many were very similar to the one I chose, I trusted my old cookbook,Sassafras!

The recipe was easy to make and the brown sugar icing was finger lickin' good!
I'm pretty sure this cake will be a family favorite especially when you add a dip or two
of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon.


Alley Spring Apple Cake

                                                              Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4  teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1 cup chopped pecans

Brown Sugar Icing:
 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
 1/2 cup butter
 1/4 cup evaporated milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a bundt pan. In a large bowl, mix oil, sugar and eggs.
Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and salt.
Blend into oil mixture. Fold in apples and pecans. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 60 minutes.
Remove cake from pan and cool. To prepare icing, bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Beat with a spoon until icing is cool. Drizzle over cake. Serves 12 to 15.


                                                        Happy October!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Foggy mornings are sometimes challenging when you are looking 

for new calves that may have arrived in the early morning hours.

The gathering of these expectant cows around the new baby  was a 

beacon as the fog began to lift.

It's that mothering instinct that always shines.

                                       
                                       I'm thankful for the beauty of new life as we transition
                                                into the fall season down on the dairy farm.
                                                                                   
                                                   

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though it was almost dusk when the custom silage chopper

 pulled into the first corn field this week, it was decided to open the

 field and get the process started. 

As I waited for the chopping to begin, it suddenly seemed like fall.

As darkness covered the field, the air became chilly. 

I was wishing for jeans and a long sleeved shirt instead of my shorts.

Even a big pot of chili sounded good.

Can it really be fall in August?

We didn't haul too many loads to the silo  that first evening but 

 I am so thankful for the corn crop that will be used to 

feed our dairy cows through this fall and winter.

Ready or not---I think fall is sneaking up on us!

Dairy Time

As the sun was setting this afternoon, the dairy cows  were resting and 

 enjoying their leisure time in the pasture.  

It was obvious that even though we changed the milking times  

 to accommodate the time change, the cows didn't seem to notice that

 Daylight Savings Time ended today.

I'm afraid it will take me a couple of days to adjust to the schedule 

changes in chore times even though I did get that extra hour of sleep!

We live on dairy time regardless of the 

beginning or end of Daylight Savings Time.

                             
                       
                                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though I'm a little sad to say good-bye to summer,

 I enjoy the brightness of the summer  flowers that are numbering 

their days before the first frost

and 

the cooler mornings  that blanket the pasture with fog and seem

 to  make the dairy cattle enjoy being leisurely.

                                    I'm thankful for the transitions we experience as fall begins.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Foggy mornings bring surprises!

                                             
                                                      I'm thankful for the weather changes
                                            that paint pictures of peace down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                         Happy Fall,Y'all!

                                                        

                                        I love these seasonal transitions down on the dairy farm.

                                          Even though  there's a little bit of farmer frenzy as they

                                   work to finish harvesting the hay and silage crops before winter,

                                                   

                                              I'm thankful for the abundance of hay that will

                                                     feed our cows and calves this winter,

the cooler weather for our calves,

and

                                         the beauty of summer flowers that brighten the fall days.

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!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

For the past week, we've all been enjoying the most beautiful 

October afternoons on our Arkansas dairy farm.

While feeding calves this afternoon, these pregnant cows that will have babies within the next two weeks became interested in what was happening on our side of the fence.

I'm thankful for these fall days

 and 

the  conversations I  have over the fence with these beautiful bovines!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It was a perfect first day of Fall  down on the dairy farm!

Babies are always welcome but it seemed fitting that this mama cow gave birth on the very first day of the fall season. We're expecting and looking forward to  a lot more babies in the next few weeks.  

I'm thankful for the cooler temperatures ,the beginning of the fall calving season

and the time we have left with bright summer flowers!

                                                            Happy Fall,Ya'll!

Fall Treats

 With the days becoming cooler and shorter, I know the days are numbered for these flowers I have enjoyed all summer. As I returned from feeding calves this morning, I just had to stop and admire these fall treats...

 

 

the knock-out roses,

 

 

the pink begonias on the porch,

 

 

and pick the last bouquet of multi-colored zinnias from the garden.

 

 

 

Thank goodness for this year round treat from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

            We're not the only ones on the dairy farm enjoying the cool, crisp October weather!                 

                             These calves will grow up to become the cows that produce milk.
I'm thankful for the experience of watching our dairy cattle grow and develop through all the seasons.

Dairymom's Sunset Adventure

 

Early in the summer, Ryan cut the hay on an acreage surrounded by subdivisions   at the edge of Centerton, not too far from our farm. Since we're considering renting the pasture for cattle, I was asked if I would like to take a ride on the four wheeler to check fences all around the property. Sunset adventure  rides with a dairy farmer are pretty irresistible!

 

It was worth all the adventure --blackberry briar scratches, chigger bites and a few tense moments when I wasn't sure the four wheeler would carry us out of the jungle of weeds above our heads--to see the beauty of an  overgrown Arkansas  meadow in early fall.

 

 

 

Underneath all these colorful weeds (I call them flowers), is a pasture of carpet thick grass.

When you compare this year to last year's drought--we are so blessed!

 

 

 

The earth is the Lord's and all it contains.

The world, and those who dwell in it.

---Psalm 24:1

 

Happy Sunday!

Moovin' Into Fall

 We've been moovin' into fall for the past week...


                           as we harvested  a field of Bermuda hay for small  square bales to
                                 feed our young calves  and moved it to the barn for storage,

 

added new cows to the milking herd and new babies to the calf hutches,

 

 

 shared a little  dairy love with young consumers during a farm tour,

 

 

 

and watched the flowers breathe a sigh of relief  with the rain and cooler temperatures.

 

 

Just signs of the season down on the dairy farm.

 

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                                                
    Even though we desperately need rain and  would welcome  it,  I'm thankful for the   beautiful fall days  that are allowing us to harvest hay and  plant fall crops of wheat and rye that  will be used to  feed our dairy cows.

                                                                  

Sunday Specials

 

Fall has arrived!  The flowers in my yard (what have survived the drought) are taking on a brighter look as the days are cooler and shorter. I love to watch this season of transition and appreciate the reminders of how blessed we are on the dairy farm even in the midst of extreme drought challenges.

                                                Sunday Blessings to you and your family!