Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Snow days down on the dairy farm are just as busy

as the days without snow but our focus is a little

more narrow in making sure that we do everything

possible to feed, water and provide comfort for

the animals during the snow event. 

 

The day before the  snow and colder temperatures hit,

we bedded calf hutches and rolled out hay

for the cows and calves in the pastures to lay on.

During feeding time for the calves this morning,

I made sure that everyone drank their warm milk.

There always seem to be one or two that may not 

come out of the hutch without a little coaxing.

You know, snow is a little scary if you 

have never seen it!

Although I'm not a big fan of these single digit

temperatures, I am thankful for the layers of

warm clothes that make the cold weather tolerable,

for the fact that all the calves

drank their milk and  appeared to be adapting to

the frigid temperatures,

all the milking cows walked to the barn without

any issues walking on snow and ice,

 and 

for my constant companion, Bea

that just enjoys being with us

regardless of  the  weather!

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

It was a snow day down on the dairy farm!

Well, you might call it more of a snow event since

most melted by noon.

The  older calves weren't a bit impressed by the little 

bit of snow that covered the ground. Nothing could stop 

them from drinking warm  milk and eating grain.

It's always fun to watch the youngest calves experience 

their first snow. Most were hesitant to come out of their 

warm hutches but once I coaxed them out with 

a warm bottle of milk, the snow was not an issue.

                                           Regardless of the weather, the calves are fed milk
                                        and grain twice daily  and monitored closely for any
                                                              signs of stress and illness.

                                             I'm thankful for the beauty of the snow day and for
                                            the joy we find in caring for our calves and cows
                                                       every day  down on the dairy farm.
                                         
                                       

Winter's Spring Deposit

Snow days down on the dairy farm not only  provide a  beautiful winter wonderland but 

   a spring deposit  of moisture that will soak into the soil for the green grass that we long to see in the pastures and for growing crops.

 Spring is just around the corner!

 

Happy March!

Snow Day Dairy Snack

Cheese is a good snack for any day of the year but these cheese sticks added a few smiles to the dairy farmers  during our week of snow days!

  Baked Mozzarella Sticks and other easy, nutritious recipes can be found  at Dairy Makes Sense. 

 

 

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 (12 ounce) package reduced-fat Mozzarella string cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 tablespoons panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 cup prepared marinara sauce,warmed

Preparation:
Position rack in upper third of oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Remove cheese from packaging and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk egg until foamy. In a small non-stick skillet, mix Italian seasoning with bread crumbs and place over medium-heat. Cook and stir bread crumbs until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Dip one piece of string cheese in egg until coated and then into toasted bread crumbs,
coating completely. Re-dip the string cheese in egg and again in bread crumbs, if desired. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining string cheese and place on baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Spray string cheese lightly with cooking spray.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until heated through. Serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.   

                         

Snow Day Down on the Dairy

I wasn't surprised to do chores in the snow since it all happened on Sunday, but  it was an extra bonus to  enjoy the beauty of the freezing fog this morning  that decorated everything around us including the fence surrounding the calf hutches.

 

 

The calves weren't one bit impressed with freezing fog!

 

 

Snow and fog didn't stop them from coming quickly

 to enjoy their warm milk and grain.

Dairy Farm Snow Day

Even though my toes were cold and I was looking forward to warming by the fire after late afternoon chores, I had to pull out my phone for a snapshot of this evening's sunset.  Snow brightened the background around the cows as they gathered around the feed wagons for a late afternoon snack before returning to the milk barn for the evening milking.

Snow days on the dairy farm are a lot different than a school day snow day!

 

With plenty of feed and water available, the cows don't seem to find the cold temperatures or  snow to be a problem.

For their comfort, large round hay bales have been unrolled   for them to rest on  while they are in the pasture.

 

 

Extreme cold weather presents a lot of challenges when trying to do the everyday chores on a dairy farm. Machines and vehicles  just don't work good at below  zero degrees!

The best part of our snow day is when all the animals are cared for and we can rest and prepare ourselves for tomorrow's challenges with the hope of warmer weather for us and the cows.