Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Our spring wheat harvest has been delayed due to rainy weather.

It has been our plan to have the wheat chopped for silage but

with the rainy weather, that has not been possible.

We did have a couple of days that allowed us the opportunity

to cut, bale and wrap  a few acres of wheat before more rain 

made it impossible to drive on these fields.

It's a Wrap!

                                        I'm thankful for the wrapping process that allows

                             us to harvest our crop when  weather conditions interfere

                                                              in our best plans

                                                                        and

for these May babies that stand out in a field

of Buttercup blooms

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We're a little behind on the wheat harvest due to heavy rains last week.

Fortunately, the cooler temperatures kept it from maturing 

too fast while we waited for the soggy fields to dry.

                             
                                             I'm very thankful that the crop is not damaged,
                                              our cows are loving it in their feed ration,
                                                                                and

the family is happy to be working 

to finish the spring harvest.

Dual Purpose Dates

                     Although spring has barely started, our warmer than usual winter weather
                                   has given  the wheat crop a little bit of a jump start in growing.
                                   This spring wheat crop is an important ingredient for our
                                                   dairy cows' balanced and nutritious diet.

                                     Our plan is to chop the wheat and put it in the silo.
                             The Friday night date  was actually a crop fact finding mission.
                              We were looking for the appearance of  what's called the "flag leaf'".
                                 It's appearance would indicate the right time to begin harvest.
                           
                              Knowing the right time to chop is important for making sure
                           we get the best quality forage for our dairy cows nutritional needs.
                                     There's always a method to the dairy farmer's madness!
                                 

I still love these dual purpose  dairy dates down on the dairy farm.

                                    Producing quality forage is part of our dairy farm family's
                                             commitment to providing high-quality milk
                                                      and taking good care of our cows.

Hay Cutting Gambler

Although I love the May flowers brought to us by the April showers, dairy  farmers in Northwest Arkansas are more  excited to see the lush grass in fields and pastures!

We've been holding off getting started with our hay cutting due to the rainy days and cool temperatures.

Making the decision to cut hay isn't always "cut and dried" when you are uncertain of the rain prediction but it's a simple fact, if you're a farmer,you are also a gambler!

This hay field is a combination of rye and wheat which will be baled and wrapped  and will be enjoyed by our dairy cows.

                                  In fact, I think they've been hoping we would leave the gate open

                                    for them to graze in  this field  before we started cutting today!