National Agriculture Day

Dairy farm families across America are working every day to provide safe,high quality milk and dairy products. National Agriculture Day is a great opportunity to celebrate that fact and point out that while producing a great product, we are also caring for our land and animals.

You might find these dairy facts of interest:

• According to USDA, 98 percent of all U.S. dairy farms are family owned and operated


• More milk is produced today with only 9 million cows than with 26 million cows in 1944


• Dairy is the No. 1 agricultural business in California,Idaho,Maine,Michigan,New Mexico,New York,Pennsylvania,Vermont and Wisconsin

While American farmers are providing the safest,most affordable and available food, we are also providing jobs and economic support for our local communities. In a recent article about American agriculture, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stated,"Every one billion dollars in agriculture exports supports 8,000 American jobs, which means agricultural exports supported nearly one million jobs in 2010."

Food security is important to all American families. With only two percent of our population providing food,fiber and fuel for all Americans, National Agriculture Day is a great opportunity to not only celebrate agriculture but share information about how we continue to provide for all consumers.

Happy Ag Day!

Dairy Cows and Clocks

Farmers love daylight savings time! It means more daylight hours to work at the many tasks on the farm and begin work in the fields planting the crops that we raise to feed our dairy cows. Turning the clocks back is the easy part of this change to daylight savings time on the farm. Dairy cows are creatures of habit and even though they don't wear watches or look at clocks to know what time it is, they know when it is time to come to the milk barn to be milked. The day before we change our clocks, we talk to all of our employees about how we will gradually change the milking time for the cows. Changes in our milk schedule will often change the cow's milk production. We know this from when we have the unexpected breakdown of equipment or loss of power in the milk barn. Milking too early or too late not only affects production but can also have an impact on cow comfort. The cows look forward to coming to the barn to be milked! Yesterday, the first day of daylight savings time,we started each milking at 8a.m. and 8p.m. , which is thirty minutes later than our regular milking time. Today we started milking at 7:30. We have found after many years of the time change that this gradual change in schedule works well with the cows' clock. The cows adjust much better than I do to this change. In about thirty days, I will quit whining and complaining about getting up in the dark and I will enjoy the warm spring days as I work outside. Thank goodness the cows' clock adjusts quicker than mine!

Milk--Made in America

It caught my attention when the ABC news reporter announced an upcoming report on what products are made in America. With our country in such an economic turmoil, it will be interesting to see what is reported. I think a lot about the economic condition of our country and how it affects all Americans, my family and our dairy farm. No matter what is reported this week, you can feel confident in the food that is produced in our country. American farmers are still providing the safest,most available and affordable food for our nation and the world.

Here are Made in America Dairy Facts:

• Dairy farmers are present in all fifty states


• The top five producing states are: California,Wisconsin,New York,Pennsylvania,Idaho


• The number of milk cow operations has declined


• Milk production and cow numbers have risen on larger operations


• Ninety nine percent of dairy farms are family owned


• Dairy farmers are committed to animal care,land care and producing high quality milk

Proudly reporting from the dairy farm: Made in America--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!