Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

What's not fun about milking a cow or planting a seed?

The students at Grace Hill Elementary learned about Arkansas agriculture from members of the Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee and our friends from Arkansas Farm Bureau this week. 

I'm thankful for all of my friends who generously give of their time each year to tell the the great  story of agriculture!

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!

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.