Celebrating Drought's Harvest

"Happy as a termite in a lumber mill" was the perfect description of the dairy farmers this week when  chopping sorghum and hauling it to the silo. Planted in late June with only a hope of rain during a drought, this field is proof of a dairy  farmer's faith and determination. It was exciting to see the chopper make the first round in the field and watch the truck fill up with chopped green feed that will become part of the nutritious diet for our dairy cows.













After the sorghum is cut and hauled to the pit silo, it is packed down with a tractor and then allowed to ferment. The fermentation process changes the sorghum to silage. Samples of the silage will be analyzed to provide nutrition information that will be used by our dairy nutritionist to formulate a balanced diet for our cows.

 
While our pastures turned brown and other crops burned up in this season of drought, this sorghum field held its own and continued to grow in spite of the dry conditions. Even the sorghum won't yield as much as in a normal year and is less mature than we would like, we feel fortunate to have a crop to harvest.

 Harvesting a crop is truly a celebration for us in this year of drought!

Benefits of Dairy Farm Living

One of the benefits of living on the dairy  farm is to enjoy the wildlife that are living on the land. We started chopping a field of sorghum this week and while I was waiting for the chopper to make it's way up the field, I spotted this interesting bird hopping from bush to bush in the fence row. What caught my eye were the stripes on his head. I don't claim to be a bird expert but from the pictures in my Field Guide to the Birds, I believe it is a White-Crowned Sparrow.

 

 

 

 

According to information provided by the Arkansas Foundation for Agriculture:

• 75% of the nation's wildlife food and habitat is provided by farm and ranches.
• Farmers have enrolled 31.4 million acres of their land in the Conservation Reserve Program to protect the environment and provide habitat for wildlife.
• Through various conservation incentive progrems, farmers have pledged to install 20 million acres of conservaton buffers.
• The net loss of wetlands has decreased from a level of 24,000 acres lost each year(1982-92) to 24,000 acres each year (from 1992-97) through designed programs, such as the Wetlands Reserve Program (an 11% reduction).

We are blessed by the world around us. The birds in the field are reminders daily of God's perfect plan and our responsibility to care for the land and our animals as we work to provide high-quality milk for you and your family.

                                                                     Happy Sunday!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

It was obviously love at first site when I brought Chester home to the farm more than twelve years ago from a dairy  farm in Missouri.  I'm thankful for this  friend who greets me every morning, loves to ride the four wheeler, nips your heels when you least expect it,  and takes his job of being my  faithful companion seriously.

Dairymom's Show and Tell

 

Do you remember Show and Tell at school? I'm still enjoying Show and Tell! 

As a volunteer for Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee, I have enjoyed alot of Show and Tell opportunities to share how farmers  work on the farm everyday  to provide safe, affordable food.  Going to the classroom is always exciting for me--how could you not love all those sweet faces and happy to see you smiles!

 

 

First grade students at Old Wire Elementary gave me their undivided attention today as I shared how we work everyday on the dairy  farm to produce the nutritious milk or dairy product that they enjoy at school or home. Today's Show and Tell included sharing a few props, describing how we produce milk and reading a book about dairy.   As I pulled out my props--a calf bottle, a grain bucket and small sack of grain--I almost felt like a magician getting ready for the next trick!

 After packing up  my props and heading for the farm, I couldn't help smiling and thinking to myself--I hope I never get too old for Show and Tell!

Drought Grazing

Even though it has rained enough in Northwest Arkansas to green up the pastures and allow us to plant fall crops, we are still dealing with the effects of drought on our pastures,ponds and cattle. On our dairy  farm, the pregnant cows that are resting in the pasture waiting to give birth (also known as dry cows) enjoy a balanced diet that includes grain,eat hay from a hay manger, and graze on the pasture grass. The drought has created extreme shortage of pasture grass for grazing and in some cases, fifty percent loss of pasture grass.

With little grass to graze on since early summer, the dry  cows were standing for hours around the hay manger eating hay. When some of the cows began to develop problems with their feet, it became obvious that standing for extended periods of time was creating sore feet and lameness. We started drought grazing in July to limit  standing around the hay manger by unrolling a large round hay bale on the ground to allow the cows to eat the hay as if they were grazing.

Animal care is one of the most important aspects of a dairy farmer's job. Resolving problems that create lameness is important to the health of each dairy cow. Lameness decreases feed intake which in turn can decrease milk production,create other metabolic disorders, and increase reproductive problems that can lead to the need of removing the dairy animal from the farm.

 

                     Since beginning drought grazing, I'm not sure we have fooled the cows but 
                         drought grazing is preventing lameness and keeping our cows healthy!

Kiss Friday With A Cake

Whew..........it's Friday! I'm kissing it with a cake!  If you're  looking for an easy dessert recipe for your weekend gathering or family event, this recipe works!  I found this recipe in my Jim Graham's Farm Family Cookbook for City Folks. I'm not going to say it's better than a kiss but it will bring a smile!

Better Than Kisses Cake

1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 large instant pudding mix,chocolate or vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces German chocolate squares,grated
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix first 6 ingredients well. Fold in chocolate and chocolate chips. Put in greased tube pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until top is firm.

Happy Friday!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

 

Animal care is one of the most important aspects of a dairy farmer's job.

 

                                    

                            I'm thankful for the Moms that visited the farm this week to learn how
                        we work every day to produce high-quality milk by caring for our animals.