Happy October !

Change is the constant factor in life down on the farm.

I was shocked when I looked at the date of the last time I posted on the blog.

Summer has come and gone and now we welcome fall

and all the beauty October will bring.

Here's a sampling of what went on this summer on the farm 

and in the family. 

We don't milk cows anymore but we are still raising dairy heifers

and beef cows,

 

we opened a coffee trailer on a corner of the farm,

we shipped a group of bred heifers to a farm in Florida,

we celebrated Casey's 33rd birthday,

and 

we welcomed Truitt Anglin to our family.

                                           Now you know why there was so little blogging time!

                                                               Happy October!!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Early this summer we had a little extra help from

our cousin Ethan.  Ethan is the great grandson of our Uncle Deric who

 worked on our farm after his retirement from the Bentonville 

Casting Company and had taught Cody and Casey

 a lot of useful mechanical skills as they grew up. 

Ethan had a lot of  new experiences 

down on the dairy farm including feeding a new calf.

Unfortunately for us, school started just about the time

we began having new calves every day!

I'm thankful for the fact that Ethan wanted to come to 

the farm and experience the day to day life  down on 

the dairy farm and for the kindness and patience of my son,Cody,

who mentored Ethan and provided a great summer experience. 

I'm pretty sure Uncle Deric and Aunt Fritz would be

extremely proud of Ethan and Cody!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Have you ever thought about the variety in a cow's diet?

Today we started chopping a field of hay grazer grass that was 

planted late this spring.

We're adding it to the milking cow's daily feed ration that has been 

formulated by our dairy nutritionist.

I call this green chop " cow candy" because it's obvious by the 

increased milk production it is benefiting both cow and farmer. 

There is much beauty in every farm activity.

As I look across the field at the farmers working together

to harvest the crop,

I'm thankful for my family of farmers 

and the crop to feed our cows.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

We couldn't have asked for better hay baling weather this past week.

It was hot and dry and the last bale was rolled up before the rain shower.

Harvesting hay requires planning that includes the time needed for cutting,

raking and baling. Watching the weather forecast is part of that planning

but sometimes even the best plan can be surprised by the pop-up shower.

We're still looking for that perfect app for weather predicting!

I'm thankful for the harvest of this dry hay that will 

provide our dairy and beef  cows with the nutrition 

needed this fall and winter.

August Hay Day

It looked like Saturday morning was the day,

an August Hay Day.

I could see the determination on  my son's face as he prepared 

the machinery and moved to the field.

No matter what, hay cutting was happening.

If you drove across Northwest Arkansas on this August Hay Day,

it was obvious that many farmers were feeling that same determination

 with hay fields mowed or in the process of being mowed.

We've been waiting for nearly two weeks for the prediction of 

scattered rain showers to move out so hay harvest could begin.

Drought conditions during April and the usual hay cutting 

months of May and June, have created a hay shortage for

 farmers across Northwest Arkansas.

It's the unexpected rain in August that has made our

makin' hay when the sun shines  possible.

It's even possible that August rains will produce enough hay to 

replenish what was lost in our  first cutting.

That calls for a celebration down on the dairy farm

--an August Hay Day!

                               
                                                   

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Can you believe it's August?

That was my very thought as I walked down the driveway and noticed 

these soon to be mama cows resting in the thick green grass.

In June when the pastures looked like we were in August,

I would never have believed that we would have any 

grass going into late summer.

I'm so thankful for the rains we have enjoyed these last two weeks,

for green pastures and growing crops that will feed our 

dairy cows this fall and winter, 

and

 the  cooler temperatures that are enjoyed by cows and farmers.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though I'm a little sad to say good-bye to summer,

 I enjoy the brightness of the summer  flowers that are numbering 

their days before the first frost

and 

the cooler mornings  that blanket the pasture with fog and seem

 to  make the dairy cattle enjoy being leisurely.

                                    I'm thankful for the transitions we experience as fall begins.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that...

At 5 days old, August is doing great

we've enjoyed a little cooler weather,

had  rain in August,

and  

                                                                the garden corn is picked!

Happy Birthday August!

While families are thinking about the last days of summer vacation and taking advantage of tax-free weekend school shopping, we're celebrating birthdays on the dairy farm!

In the middle of the afternoon on this first day of August, this heifer gave birth to her first calf.  

I'm naming this baby...August,of course. 

We try not to have too many calves born in the month of  August due to the heat and humidity we experience in Northwest Arkansas   but as you see, we often adjust our plans on the dairy farm.

August and her mother are doing great! 

Happy Birthday August!

Don't you just love August?