Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Harvesting any crop can be challenging  but it seemed totally unfair 

with six or seven loads of silage  left in the field that we had a mechanical 

failure that caused a halt to finishing the job.  

Of course the entire chopper head had to be dismantled to 

find the one broken bolt that created all the problems. 

It was definitely a day of celebration when all the parts were 

back on the chopper and it made it's return journey to the field.

I'm thankful for the working relationship between brothers 

and father to keep the wheels rolling everyday down on the dairy farm.

                            I know just what Paul Harvey meant when he wrote that poem
                                                          "So God Made a Farmer."

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Harvesting any crop can be challenging  but it seemed totally unfair 

with six or seven loads of silage  left in the field that we had a mechanical 

failure that caused a halt to finishing the job.  

Of course the entire chopper head had to be dismantled to 

find the one broken bolt that created all the problems. 

It was definitely a day of celebration when all the parts were 

back on the chopper and it made it's return journey to the field.

I'm thankful for the working relationship between brothers 

and father to keep the wheels rolling everyday down on the dairy farm.

                               I know just what Paul Harvey meant when he wrote that poem
                                                          "So God Made a Farmer."

Dairy Tall Tale

It's not a tall tale,  but it's the tale of how tall  corn can grow on an

Arkansas dairy farm when you have the right nutrients and

 almost perfect weather conditions. 

Can you see the dairy farmer's smile?

Our cows produced the manure that we applied to the field prior 

to planting this spring.

 Manure, also known to us as a nutrient,  improves the soil by increasing 

the organic matter,adds nutrients for plant growth and increases the water 

holding capacity of the soil. The amount,source,placement 

and timing of manure on fields for crops that we raise

 is part of our farm's nutrient management plan.  

 By following the plan,

we are  protecting the environment and improving the land.

Our tall tale is also a perfect tale of  sustainability.

At the end of this tale, when eating corn silage this fall,

 our dairy  cows will be so happy!

Harvest Marathon

Harvest  sometimes feels like a very long marathon...

we wait to plant,

we wait for the crop to grow,

we wait for harvest.

Like all silage crops,this  sorghum  silage crop is being cut

 and hauled to the silo where it will ferment before being fed to the dairy  cows.

You might think of this as cow candy!

I often wonder if our cows know how hard we work to make sure

 they have a good supply of nutritious feed to enjoy through the winter.

It's a marathon of ups and downs,

starts and stops,

but

once you've experienced the harvest of any crop,

you know why it is celebrated!

Happy Harvest

A lot happens from the beginning of harvest until the last load of chopped sorghum  crop is on the way to the silo. Weather changes  and mechanical challenges are constant  reminders of the need for a dairy  farmer to find his happy button and bucket of patience.  Weather conditions definitely stood out on Saturday afternoon as the last round was made by the chopper for  the 2014  harvest season. 

 When we began harvest, the days were longer and much warmer--at least 40 degrees warmer!

Although freezing temperatures over the last couple of weeks   changed the sorghum from green to brown, 

it will still make great nutritional silage for our dairy cows to enjoy this winter.

With the prediction of snow and colder temperatures, 

I'm pretty sure the chopper is happy to head to the shed 

 and settle in for a long winter's nap!

Happy Harvest from down on the Arkansas  dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Fall harvest is always an amazing time on the dairy farm. I consider the perfect timing and coordination between the chopper operator and the truck driver to be a form of harvest art.

It does pay to stay alert at all times unless you want a cab full of chopped crop!

                                 I'm thankful for the opportunity to live on an Arkansas  dairy farm,
                                    raise crops for our cows to enjoy and work everyday with
                                            my family to produce wholesome,nutritious milk.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

On the way to our friend's house, we stopped to check the status of the milo crop that we plan to chop for silage.  While I was getting out of the truck, Ryan moved quickly out of site between the rows. 

I was searching for him when his head popped up and I heard him laughing.

                                                  He  reminded me of a Jack-in-the-Box toy!
                     I'm thankful for this Farmer-in-the-Field and for his dedication  and love of farming!

Harvest Harmony Down on the Dairy Farm

Watching the boys chop the silage for our dairy cows when everything goes well  is much like listening to three part harmony--it's harmonious!

 

Harvest harmony includes:

 

 

Crisp,cool October weather,

 

 

No machinery breakdowns,

 

Perfect delivery!

 

Three part harvest harmony results in high quality milk!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Silage chopping has a lot of moments of frustration and irritation when dealing with a machine that has so many moving parts that often create mechanical breakdowns.

 

 

 

 

I'm thankful for the never give-up attitude of these young farmers and the not so easy lessons learned on the farm about dealing with disappointment and frustrations beyond our control on the dairy farm.

 

 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

For the first time in forty-one years of dairy farming, every bit of feed for our dairy cows was being purchased due to last year's drought. We are more than a little bit excited as we start to harvest this spring crop of rye and wheat!

 

Making adjustments to the chopper is part of the preparation for harvest.

 

The rye is tall and thick and takes at least a day of drying in the field after being cut before it can be chopped.

 

 

The chopper pulls the rye into the knives,chops it into small pieces,

 

 

 

 

and blows it into the silage truck.

 

I'm thankful for this crop and for the smiles I've seen on the farmers faces this week!