Dairy Farmer's Party

 

A birthday down on the dairy farm is always a celebration.

These new calves represent the growth of our dairy herd

and the future production of high quality milk.

My daily job is caring for these new babies.

It truly is a celebration when you witness a calf that is

 born and raised on the farm give birth to her own calf.

It's one of the labors of  dairy farmer love to watch 

this process over a two and a half year process.

It's our own brand of dairy farmer party!

 

                              

                                      We're also finding the fun in farm family birthdays

                                              with the expert candle blowers.

                                Hattie and Breck definitely bring more fun to the party!

Sheath Cake is one of our family favorite birthday

requests. It's not so pretty but if you love

chocolate cake with a big dip of vanilla ice cream,

this is perfect!

Sheath Cake

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

 1 teaspoon soda

2 eggs,slightly beaten

Bring margarine, shortening, cocoa and water to a rapid boil.

Pour over the sugar and flour,beat well.

Add buttermilk and soda, vanilla and eggs.

Beat, then bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes.

Cover with the following.

Icing:

1 stick butter

4 Tablespoons cocoa 

3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

6 Tablespoons milk

1 cup pecans (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring butter, cocoa and milk to a boil.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans.

Beat well, pour over cake while hot.

Dairy Farmer Delight

Providing a nutritious diet for our dairy cows is an everyday job

down on the dairy farm. The diet can include a variety of ingredients but

it is a balanced diet that is formulated by our dairy nutritionist. 

Our cows' diet currently includes silage, hay, vitamins and minerals, and ground 

corn. Each ingredient provides a nutrient that the cow needs to produce milk

and maintain body functions. 

I was reminded of the importance of good nutrition this week by my

family doctor during my "Welcome to Medicare" yearly physical.

As we reviewed the lab work, the discussion turned to the need for

a bone density test, a review of calcium and vitamin D requirements

 and how to increase the calcium in my diet.

It was music to my ears, when I was encouraged to increase the

dairy in my diet! Was my doctor trying to make this dairy farmer's day?

Instead of taking a calcium pill, could I increase the dairy in my diet?

Wow--could I increase the dairy in my diet? You bet!

A dairy farmer's delight!

There may come a time when I need that calcium pill and I

 will be happy to take it, but I'd much rather improve my 

dietary habits than to take a calcium pill!

After all, milk contains nutrients, including calcium, potassium,

 protein and phosphorus; plus, it's fortified with vitamins A and D.

When I left the clinic, my thoughts turned to the decades of nutrition research  

 and the ongoing educational efforts of the National Dairy Council.

  As a dairy farmer, a nurse and now a member of the Medicare age group,

I'm thankful and grateful for the nutritional information and education shared

 by the National Dairy Council with physicians and other health

 professionals  that are caring for all ages.

 

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

It's a dreary, chilly last day of 2020. Today we received a load of oat hay from

somewhere in Kansas to add to the dairy cow ration.  We still have plenty of hay that 

we have raised on the farm but with the drought we experienced in the late summer and

early fall, it was decided to purchase hay to stretch our supply.  No matter how

well you plan, the plan seems to always change !

The hay has been sampled and will be sent for a lab analysis

to give us the best information on how much hay to include in the daily diet.

We're hoping the milking cows are going to appreciate this addition by

producing a little more milk!

In the last few weeks, 2020 has brought us some very sad experiences.

We have lost several friends in our community due to complications of CoVid.

I am thankful for each of these special friends that made such an impact on 

my family and our community.

Intertwined in our sadness, I am thankful for those

that we have celebrated in a big way when you turn 2,

family time that we 

enjoyed during the Christmas holiday,

and 

for Mac that was 

added to our family roster!

                                                  

Merry Christmas!

Fifteen degrees was not the temperature I was hoping for

on Christmas morning but with several layers of clothing for 

myself and a new calf coat for the baby, we really had

nothing to complain about.   

Even though our chores of calf feeding, milking and feeding

all of the cows continue as usual, our celebration will take place when

all the work is done. 

I hope that today brings you an abundance of 

love, peace and joy as we

celebrate the birthday of our Savior.

From down on the dairy farm...

                                                     Merry Christmas!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

We had a population explosion in one night!

You might even say, Christmas came a little bit early.

Eight new calves greeted us Monday morning.

It's not unusual to find one or two during calving season but

we were a little overwhelmed to have eight new babies 

to bring in from the pasture.  

Before each calf is taken to its own hutch, we record 

information about the calf and its mother, give calf vaccinations.

dip the navel with iodine to prevent infection and provide

a warm bottle of colostrum. 

I'm thankful for our employees that

work hard everyday in helping us

care for each calf,

for our two sons that work with us

everyday down on the dairy farm 

and

even though the pandemic has caused

a lot of craziness, 

Santa still stops for milk and cookies  on Christmas Eve!

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Sunday was truly a snow day--

it snowed all day long. It has been 

 a very long time since we have experienced a snow day

 and like  many of our friends and neighbors,

it seemed a welcome change in our daily lives that 

have been impacted by all the changes brought to us during this pandemic.

 A snow is much more welcome

than freezing rain or inches of ice that can be hazardous

to the cows walking  and  for the farmers  trying to care for them.

It's always our daily job to make sure that the cows and

calves have plenty of feed and water to meet their 

nutritional needs. Colder temperatures with a blanket of

snow made the day's work even more important 

to make sure plenty of calories were provided for 

the stress of increased cold weather conditions.

Most of the calves were eager to drink their warm milk 

                                            but   a few needed a little coaxing to enter out into 

                                              their first   experience  with  six inches of snow.

                                       

                                I'm thankful for the refreshed feeling brought with  this first

                                 snow of the season, for the magical landscape created by snow,

                                              and the reminder of how God blesses us

with the beauty provided in nature  down on the dairy farm.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

 

Although the Pandemic has brought many 

changes to our lifestyles and cramped our 

 social gathering plans for routine and holiday events,

it has not stopped the essential work down on the

dairy farm.

We are still milking cows twice daily, seven days a week

and providing the feed and care that the cows and calves

require daily. We are proud to be considered essential

workers to provide food for our fellow Americans.

I'm thankful that  my family and our employees have remained in 

good health and able to continue the daily tasks on the dairy farm.

All across our community, we have essential workers that

are performing jobs that we often take for granted.

With the help of Midwest Dairy, our dairy promotion group,

we are able to thank a few of our essential workers with

a token of our appreciation.

This week I wrapped up an Undeniably Dairy thermos cup and

warm stocking cap  to give to our rural mailman.

                                                 I'm thankful for every essential worker and

                                                    this week I celebrate the rural mailman 

                                                   for a job well done and much appreciated!