Dairy Q&A

Question:

How many times a day do you milk your cows?

Answer:

We milk our dairy cows in the milking herd   twice a day, every day of the year.

 Some dairy farms milk three times a day. 

Milking equipment delivers milk directly from the cows to a refrigerated holding tank to preserve freshness and safety. 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Life definitely changed for me twenty-seven years ago when I began my role as a mother and dairymom!

I'm thankful for the memories of each birthday, the milestones of growth and development and for the fact that our two sons  continue to work  on the family farm.

Cody will never be too old for chocolate sheath cake!

Dairy Frolics

It doesn't matter if the gate was left open by accident or the dairy  calves pushed it open,

 the calves must go back to the pasture they call home to make sure they are fed and cared for  properly each day.

After gathering them all in a working pen,

the frolics began!

My job was to serve as the counter--keeping track of the ones sorted out of the pen for the group going to the west pasture. It was a low stress job--perfect for me!

 After sorting, it was a little like what you would call a cattle drive...

although it was just across one pasture to the next gate.

Going through the gate was a little tricky but we outsmarted the last three on the second time!

As the calves entered the pasture they were running,jumping, and bucking.

It looked a lot like a school playground when the kids begin recess.  

Lucky for us, the pasture was green on both sides of the fence!

Dairy Celebrates Earth Day Everyday

Even though you may not find any dairy farmers at the local Earth Day celebration,  

 Earth Day is celebrated  everyday on the dairy farm as we care for our animals and  work to protect  and conserve  our natural resources for future generations.

In fact, the  dairy industry has reduced the environmental impact of a gallon of milk since 1944, resulting in 90% less cropland,76% less manure, 65% less water and 63% less carbon.

Reducing milk's carbon footprint by 25% by 2020 is part of an industry-wide sustainability initiative.

Feeding our dairy cows a  nutritious diet everyday  produces milk efficiently  and    is just one of the important ways we reduce our carbon footprint. 

I'm pretty sure our cows are celebrating Earth Day Everyday as I watch them eat!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It wouldn't seem like spring if we didn't have visitors on the dairy farm!

I'm looking forward to the conversations next week with the Moms on the Farm tour group.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to share how we work everyday to make sure we produce safe,high-quality milk for consumers of all ages while caring for our animals and the land we call home.

Dairy Q&A

Question:

How do you use the  cow manure produced on your farm?

Answer:

We recycle the cow manure  and use it as fertilizer for crops.

Manure ( nutrient) is also useful in water conservation because it increases the water-holding capacity of soil by 20 percent, resulting in reduced ground water needed to grow crops.

We are permitted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to  store manure for use on our farm.

We follow a nutrient management plan specially designed  for our farm that  guides the amount,source, placement and timing of manure on fields. 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

What's not to love about spring?

I'm thankful for the green grass growing in the pastures and hay fields

 that our cows and heifers are enjoying 

and 

the flowering crab apple tree in our yard that just can't help showing off!