Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Our three farm dogs are usually the first to greet any visitors with

a chorus of barking that unnerves most UPS and FedEx drivers.

It's not a bit surprising that many of the delivery drivers carry

a lot of dog treats  and are now considered on the OK list by 

our farm trio.

No matter what I am doing on the dairy farm, the dogs 

wait patiently outside the back door so that they may follow me. 

They are not trained to do anything helpful but it's 

obvious that each one of them loves me unconditionally

 and are happy to contribute  a tail wag or a hand lick

 to improve my day.

Even though the dogs don't understand that it's okay for the 

cows to stand close to the fence or gather around the hay manger,

I'm thankful for the devotion of our farm dogs

that provide their own kind of  daily love and encouragement 

 for dairy farmers down on the dairy farm.

                         
                                             

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Arkansas is known for unpredictable weather changes but 

this week has been ridiculous!

Our cows and calves had less than 24 hours to adapt from a 

beautiful 70 degree fall day to what felt like January bone-chilling

twenty degrees with a little sleet and snow. 

We prepared as best we could by unrolling hay

for the cows to rest on and bedding calf hutches  

with extra hay or shavings for warmth. 

I'm thankful that this baby was born on the 70 degree day

before the chilly weather

and all the calves survived with no symptoms of  illness

or hypothermia.

                                                         
                                                  I'm also very appreciative of  and thankful for
                                              the warm insulated coveralls that  kept me warm
                                                                  and a little less cranky!
                                                       

Thank a Veteran

Bill Anglin, my father-in-law, served in the Army during

World War II.  Part of his service time was spent in Japan

as a medic.  Bill never talked about his war experience but

we know that he witnessed much pain and suffering during his

time of service.  He was like many others that returned to their homes

and communities and went about living life to the fullest with

their families. Although  returning home was a victory ,  there was

a great awareness of and appreciation for those that gave all for 

the protection of freedom.

We continue to enjoy the freedom to farm and

live as we choose because of the brave men and women

who have served and are serving to protect our freedoms.

                                       
                                                           Many thanks to every Veteran!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

I returned from a trip to Little Rock just in time

to check on the calves during their afternoon feeding.

It was a dreary,rain threatening afternoon and already getting

dark when I made my way to the hutches.

The calves were already finished with their afternoon milk

and were enjoying the grain that had been added to their feed

bucket.  With the threat of rain, I was glad to see that 

each calf  had their head down in the feed bucket.

I'm not quite adjusted to the  Daylight Savings time change that 

occurred this past Sunday but 

I'm thankful that our calves don't seem to be bothered at all.

Their  growth and development goes right on

as long as we provide milk and grain twice daily and monitor 

closely for any illness.

                                                 
                                                   
                                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Happy Halloween!

I hope your day was filled with more treats than tricks.

Other than our crazy cold last day of October weather,

the treats down on the dairy farm far outweighed the tricks.

I'm thankful for the healthy new calf that was born this morning

and

for the smiles brought to us by 

 the cutest Goldilocks and little Baby Bear. 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

School nutrition is serious business.

I saw it first hand   last weekend when I was invited to 

attend the Missouri School Nutrition Conference  as part of a

presentation with Midwest Dairy and Domino Pizza.

Before our "My Plate,My Pizza,My Farmer"  presentation, I was awed by the food 

trade show that included a wide variety of available 

foods that schools can choose to serve.

The trick is to choose foods that fit the requirements for dietary 

guidelines, stay within the school budget and most importantly, that  the 

students will eat.

As a dairy farmer, I'm proud of the nutritious milk 

and dairy foods that we produce and for the support of

 companies like Domino's that not only love our product

 but have developed a food that meets dietary guidelines

 and tastes good. Domino's Smart Slice Pizza  is made 

fresh where local franchise stores participate in

 providing it for schools.

I had my own slice of Smart Slice and it was delicious!

I'm thankful for the support Domino's has shown to dairy farmers,

for the opportunity to share how we work on the dairy to produce 

high-quality milk, and 

for the convenience of foods that make life a little easier

when the dairy farmer takes a day off from the farm 

and a day out of  the kitchen!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                                                     
                                           
                                        What's prettier than a new Holstein mother and baby ?
                            The answer is a beautiful red Ayrshire with a black and white calf.

                             This was an expected outcome when you use a Holstein bull for
                                    breeding the herd of cows but it's always exciting to find
                                                              a "new " look in the field!
                            The Ayrshire cattle in our milking herd  were added by our son Cody
                                                during his 4-H dairy project years and continue
                                                                to add beauty to the herd.
                       
                              Ayrshire cattle originated from Scotland and are known for low
                            somatic cell counts, ability to convert grass into milk efficiently,
                             and hardiness. The breed is known for easy calving and longevity.
                             

This new baby was born the week of our two terrific lightening and storm 

events that brought a lot of rain and destruction.

I'm thankful that we had no loss of life, human or animal, during these

storm events and for the life lesson to put no faith in surge protectors!