Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Although I was truly spoiled on Mother's Day with  roses,candy, an assortment of gifts

and  gathering around the table for lunch together,

I'm most thankful for the daily blessings I experience as a Mother,

working with my family every day on our dairy farm,

and

                                for the fact that this third generation dairy  farmer chose a city girl !

Dairy Q&A

Question:

 How long do a dairy  cow and calf stay together?

Answer:

On our farm, the calf is usually with the mother for the first 12 hours after birth. The time varies depending on the time of birth.

The mothers will join the milking herd  and the calves are placed in an individual calf hutch to be fed and closely monitored.

Calves are separated from their mothers to ensure the best individual care and monitoring of both animals, especially in the first 24 hours.

Our calves grow up to become the cows that produce milk on our farm, so we make it a priority to get them off to a healthy start.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope Mother's Day is full of blessings for you and your family!

We're celebrating the birth of 5 calves this morning--a perfect Mother's Day!

                                                        Mother's are outstanding in any field!

                                                         Happy Mother's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

May is definitely a merry month down on the dairy farm!

Just as the flowering trees are leafing out and the pastures are greening up, 

the iris, also known as 'flags',   make their grand  entrance.

I'm thankful for the colorful landscape provided by old fashioned flowers like the iris blooming next to the pasture and the sweet memories of childhood days spent in the garden with my grandparents.

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!