Baby Days

                                           

                                  It's been a perfect fall for welcoming  new babies to our beef herd.

                                There's nothing cuter than new calves running around the pasture

                           in search of new adventures while under the watchful eye of their mother.

                                    

                                              For the last few weeks, Ryan has been checking

                                          two groups of heifers several times a day that are due

                                          to give birth for the first time.  Fortunately, all but one

                                          have calved on their own and with assistance, that calf

                                          was born alive and healthy.  Needless to say, we feel very

                                          fortunate for a healthy calf crop.

                                          

Aren't they cute?

Cutest in the herd, of course, is the

youngest grandson!

As my mother-in-law said 

"best crop I ever raised" when speaking of her family.

                                               I'm thankful for life down on the farm and 

                                the opportunity we have of sharing our love of the farm

                                                     with the next generation.

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

We've had new babies in the pasture every day this week, in fact,

some days it has been 3 or 4.  Calving heifers, those first time mamas,

are often a little more challenging but I'm happy to report all have 

calved without any problems that required  assistance.

This heifer calved yesterday. She happens to be one of the "horned heifers"

in the group that are calving this month.  Somehow these heifers did not

get dehorned  when they were small calves. 

 Dehorning is done to decrease the risk of injury to other cows, 

 farmers or other humans. "Disbudding " of non-developed horn 

buds is a fairly simpleprocedure that is typically conducted

 the first few weeks after a calf is born.

Any dehorning at this point will be done by the veterinarian using

best industry practices to ensure the comfort and safety

 of the animal through sedation or anesthesia.

                               
                                 I'm thankful that we have had no injuries to calves or farmers
                                  and for  the interesting conversations about horned heifers!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Farming is dangerous business.

It seems especially dangerous when moving large,wide

equipment from field to field when it requires moving on

 narrow country roads or entering a highway that is full of 

vehicles that are not too happy to share the road with 

a slower moving tractor.

One of my jobs this last week was to follow the tractor

 and planter as we moved to the next field. I held my breath

 a few times on the dirt road when we met a car or truck

 but my fits of anxiety were worth it just getting to

 enjoy the canopy of trees that shaded

 this old country road. 

I'm thankful for these moments of inspiration

provided by the beauty around us,

for the farmer that loves to plant a crop for his cows to enjoy,

and

                                          for the curiosity of heifers when you open the gate
                                                                 to the field next door!

Dairymom'sThankful Thursday

                               
                        What's not to love about this picture of spring down on the dairy farm!
                             

We have calves born through out the year but spring calving adds a 

little more stress as we closely watch our heifers give birth to their first calf.

We're on call 24/7  to ensure a healthy delivery.

I'm thankful for the awesome responsibility we have to care

 for our cows, heifers and calves and  to share the life experiences with 

the next generation of our family farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

What's not to love about spring?

I'm thankful for the green grass growing in the pastures and hay fields

 that our cows and heifers are enjoying 

and 

the flowering crab apple tree in our yard that just can't help showing off!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

There's nothing prettier or more peaceful than to watch cows grazing in a field at dusk. This group of young Holstein heifers were the perfect example of  "pretty as a picture"!

                                                  I'm thankful for the green grass of August 

                                                                                and

 for the opportunity to work everyday with my family to raise healthy cows that produce high quality milk!

Daily Care Provides Quality Milk

After feeding baby calves this morning, I went back to look at each calf that has been born since the beginning of September.  We have added twenty to our group so far and about eighty more to be born! Although we will have calves born through the year, we usually have a group of heifers to calve in the fall.  We will have a total of thirty heifers this fall.  Adding heifers to the milking herd is important to the future of our farm.  It's one of my daily jobs to feed and monitor the health of each calf when brought to the calf hutch area.  For the first eight weeks, each calf is raised in an individual hutch, fed milk and grain twice a day and monitored closely for any illness.

 

While I was checking calves, Casey was in the pasture checking on the cows and heifers that will be calving today and in the next two weeks.  Next to the calves in hutches is a group of babies that we weaned last week.  As I looked at each group, I  thought about this full cycle of growth and development of our dairy cattle.   Everyday on the farm we are taking care of our animals  through every phase of their growth by providing nutritious food, appropriate medical care and comfortable surroundings.  Caring for our animals is how we provide quality milk!

Fall Calf Crop

Most of the time when we use the word "crop" it seems we are talking about plants that we grow to feed our cattle but since the first of September, I have been increasingly busy with our fall calf crop. We will have new calves born all through the year but usually in the spring and fall, a group of heifers will give birth to their first calf. These forty two first calf heifers were also babies I raised from birth two years ago. Each heifer is identified with a number name that I assign to them at birth. As the heifer matures, we will use her number name to record her indiviual genetic,health and milk production information. Waiting for these heifers to calve requires close observation and sometimes requires very late in the night or wee morning hour assistance from the dairy farmer and family assistants(that would sometimes be me). During this past month, it has been common for us to have two or more babies born per day. As this heifer group finishes calving, we can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate the beginning milk production of the heifer that we have raised from birth. Watching our cows grow from babies to mature cows brings a great sense of pride and accomplishment. These cows are not only part of the herd but part of our family!