Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

It's a dreary, chilly last day of 2020. Today we received a load of oat hay from

somewhere in Kansas to add to the dairy cow ration.  We still have plenty of hay that 

we have raised on the farm but with the drought we experienced in the late summer and

early fall, it was decided to purchase hay to stretch our supply.  No matter how

well you plan, the plan seems to always change !

The hay has been sampled and will be sent for a lab analysis

to give us the best information on how much hay to include in the daily diet.

We're hoping the milking cows are going to appreciate this addition by

producing a little more milk!

In the last few weeks, 2020 has brought us some very sad experiences.

We have lost several friends in our community due to complications of CoVid.

I am thankful for each of these special friends that made such an impact on 

my family and our community.

Intertwined in our sadness, I am thankful for those

that we have celebrated in a big way when you turn 2,

family time that we 

enjoyed during the Christmas holiday,

and 

for Mac that was 

added to our family roster!

                                                  

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Have you ever known a dog that gets a ride to work?

Ever since Dudley figured out how to escape the yard 

fence at Casey's house, he starts walking to the dairy farm

and usually catches a ride halfway with Casey or any

 employee or family member heading our  way.

You just can't help but love this guy!

Once he arrives at the farm,

he  is busy barking at the cows, tries  to corral cows

 when his assistance is not needed or stealing any 

one's lunch left in the shop unprotected.

As you can see, he springs into action!

I'm thankful for the smiles and laughs Dudley brings

to everyone on the farm and for the fact that he loves 

all of us unconditionally.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Our three farm dogs are usually the first to greet any visitors with

a chorus of barking that unnerves most UPS and FedEx drivers.

It's not a bit surprising that many of the delivery drivers carry

a lot of dog treats  and are now considered on the OK list by 

our farm trio.

No matter what I am doing on the dairy farm, the dogs 

wait patiently outside the back door so that they may follow me. 

They are not trained to do anything helpful but it's 

obvious that each one of them loves me unconditionally

 and are happy to contribute  a tail wag or a hand lick

 to improve my day.

Even though the dogs don't understand that it's okay for the 

cows to stand close to the fence or gather around the hay manger,

I'm thankful for the devotion of our farm dogs

that provide their own kind of  daily love and encouragement 

 for dairy farmers down on the dairy farm.

                         
                                             

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for...

Beagle, our crazy four wheel riding farm dog,

                                             '
                                                                    a new fall calf,
                                                                              and

                                           
                                                to hear the  word "cow" from the youngest
                                                        member of our dairy farm family.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

When a farmer goes to the vet clinic, you never know what may 

come home with him  in the truck. Last week, Beagle, the little black dog

  joined our farm family.She had been delivered to the clinic which

 serves as the local dog pound and desperately needed a home.

We didn't really need another farm dog but 

as it was explained to me, 

Beagle is the kind of dog that will just lay by

 your feet and soak up any attention you offer.

 As you can see , even the cows know when there is a new dog on the farm.

Beagle has a lot to learn about living on the dairy farm 

but I'm thankful for our new friend!

                                       

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for the things we enjoy everyday down on the dairy farm such as

faithful farm dogs,

wild Egyptian geese that love our farm habitat,

and

curious cows that are always looking for 

green grass on the other side of the fence.

Dairy Farm Dog Delivers Devotion

There's nothing easy about losing a pet.

 Best way I can describe losing my dairy farm partner,Chester, is that  my heart hurts.

 Chester and I developed our partnership 12 years ago when he left 

a Missouri farm to live in Arkansas with me and my dairy farm family. 

His unique look--what we think was a cross of wire- haired terrier and blue healer--was so ugly, he was cute.

He had the sweetest brown eyes.

Chester lived life to the fullest.

He rode the 4-wheeler when any one would allow it.

In his younger days, he did like to nip your heels when you least expected it. This trait was not too pleasant and made a definite impression if you were a victim. 

He thought he was a cow dog--he just didn't know which end he should be moving. Most of the time, he enjoyed chasing them away from the fence.

He loved attention from any children that came to visit the farm. 

Chester was totally devoted to me. If you were looking for me on the farm, Chester was by my side.

                                           It was a lonely walk to the calf hutches this morning.
                                                         We have other farm dogs to love
                                                                               but
                                                               there will never be another
                                                                             Chester.

                                                                   
                                                                       

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

If you visit our dairy  farm, Chester will be one of  the first to greet you. We're not sure what kind of dog he is but we guess him to be a mixture of terrier and blue heeler. He's obviously not beautiful, nor trained for any particular job on the farm, but he wins the heart of all children and visitors. He does have a bad habit of nipping your heel when you least expect it-- it's always the grown men that  fear him!

 

 Chester has   been my faithful companion every step I take on the farm for at least twelve years.

With cooler weather, he has reclaimed his warm bedtime  spot on the back porch. I'm pretty sure he would like to be a house dog.

 

                                                                            
                                                                           
                                               I'm thankful for Chester--so ugly, he's cute!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

It was obviously love at first site when I brought Chester home to the farm more than twelve years ago from a dairy  farm in Missouri.  I'm thankful for this  friend who greets me every morning, loves to ride the four wheeler, nips your heels when you least expect it,  and takes his job of being my  faithful companion seriously.

Friendship Gift

Ten years ago we purchased a couple of Guernsey calves from our dairy farm friends in Missouri for our sons' 4-H dairy projects. The day we went to their farm to select the calves, getting a dog was not part of the plan. As I opened the truck door, I was greeted by this strange little wire haired dog named Chester. Chester had been dumped in front of our friends home a couple of months earlier. Our friend Kenneth had taught Chester to sit on command and ride the 4-wheeler. As Kenneth saw that I liked Chester,he offered to give Chester to us. We declined and started home with our calves. After traveling less than half a mile, I asked Ryan to turn the truck around and go get Chester. Chester became an Arkansawyer that day! Every day Chester is right beside me when I step out the back door and follows me everywhere I go on the farm. He loves to ride the 4-wheeler and it does not bother him at all to get the seat dirty! Last week after receiving the call about the sudden death of our friend Kenneth, I have thought about the many smiles Chester has given me. I don't know that Kenneth really wanted to give Chester away that day but I have experienced the special blessings of kindness and generosity from a special dairy farmer friend.