Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Our "rain, rain go away" chant  just didn't work!

For at least three weeks we have been hoping to see the

custom chopper pull into the fields for the spring harvest 

of our wheat crop but when the fields were too water logged

 for chopping it was decided that we would be cutting,

 baling and wrapping this wheat crop.

Harvest began today with the cutting of the first wheat field.

Hattie and Breck became part of the harvest crew. 

Their smiles during the tractor ride definitely provided the sunshine today!

I'm thankful for the wheat crop that is still able to be harvested

and used  to feed our cows and calves

and

                                       for the forever flexible farmers that never give up!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Our spring wheat harvest has been delayed due to rainy weather.

It has been our plan to have the wheat chopped for silage but

with the rainy weather, that has not been possible.

We did have a couple of days that allowed us the opportunity

to cut, bale and wrap  a few acres of wheat before more rain 

made it impossible to drive on these fields.

It's a Wrap!

                                        I'm thankful for the wrapping process that allows

                             us to harvest our crop when  weather conditions interfere

                                                              in our best plans

                                                                        and

for these May babies that stand out in a field

of Buttercup blooms

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Today was what we call "Preg Check Day".

Knowing if a cow is pregnant is a big deal on a dairy farm.

Thanks to science and technology, we have a 

variety of ways to confirm if a cow is pregnant.

Pregnancy checks can be done by  manual palpation , 

 milk test or blood test.   Our chosen method for 

the last few years has been blood test. Blood tests

can detect pregnancy in a cow as early as 30 days bred.

I had the easy job of making the list from our computer 

records that give us breeding dates.

Cody, Casey and Ryan had the job of collecting

the blood specimens that will be

submitted to our dairy cooperative's lab.

In just a few days we hope to be celebrating

the news of many pregnant cows!

I'm thankful for my family of farmers that  

work everyday to care for our cows 

so that we can have healthy calves

that will eventually grow up to be the

cows that give high-quality milk.

There's beauty in every season and

cycle of life.

 

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day of celebration and making memories with

those we love most.  My earliest recollection of today's celebration 

would be the cards we often made in Sunday School accompanied by

the flower in a paper cup to be given to Mother.

My heart is full of gratefulness for the love that has

been showered on me by my Mother and the women in my family.

It seems fitting to share the poem from a  Mother's Day

 ribbon I received at 

church when my boys were little. 

Two Temples

A Builder buildeth a temple,

He wrought it with grace and skill;

Pillars and groins and arches

All fashioned to work his will.

Men said as they saw its beauty

"It shall never know decay;

Great is thy skill, O Builder!

Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A MOTHER  builded a temple

With loving and infinite care,

Planning each arch with patience,

Laying each stone with prayer.

None praised her unceasing efforts,

None knew of her wondrous plan,

For the temple the Mother builded

Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the Builder's temple

Crumbled into the dust;

Low lies each stately pillar,

Food for consuming rust.

But the temple the Mother builded

 Will last while the ages roll,

For that beautiful unseen temple 

Was a child's immortal soul.

 ---Hattie Vose Hall

  Happy Mother's Day!

 

                                             
                                     

                                                
                                       

                                                             

                                       

                                           

                                            

                                 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

When my cell phone rings early in the morning before

I leave the house, it probably isn't good news.

Monday morning started with not so good news from

a neighbor on his way to work.

It seems that a car had run into the fence that surrounds the

pasture where several of our herd bulls reside.

I am thankful that even though the car was still lodged 

in the  fence row, it was keeping the bulls in place.

As the story unfolded, this wreck had occurred in the middle

of the night but we had not been contacted.

Thankfully no one was hurt from the accident and

the bulls did not get out or try to kick up their heels

and chase anyone!

                                            If you find yourself in a situation like this , I hope

                                you will find the farmer that owns the fence or at least

                                        report it to someone for  everyone's safety.

Our week was also filled with the love and laughter

of our family as we celebrated  Cody's birthday

and were blessed with smiles

of how a real cowboy  steps up to the job

down on the dairy farm. 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

If you are old enough, you know that old saying "April showers 

bring May flowers."

Down on the dairy farm, two
new calves appeared

after receiving more than eight inches of rain in less

than twenty four hours.

Those calves were a welcome bouquet!

That much rain all at once creates flooding issues 

on and off the farm. I am thankful that  we were

able to repair the driveways and fence rows and

that no people or cattle had any injuries during or

after the rain event.

                                                  As I look back on the days of April 2021,

                                  we were also showered with a lot of happy smiles

                                     and days of creating   memories with our family

                                                      down on the dairy farm.

Earth Day is Everyday

                                    Down on the dairy farm, Earth Day is Everyday.  

                                 We don't just say that, we live it...EVERYDAY!

                                                     It starts with cow care. 

                     The carbon footprint of milk has been  reduced by 63 percent due  to       improvements in animal breeding, animal  health   programs,  cow comfort            measures   and overall  farm management   practices.

                         Everyday we feed our cows a nutritious, balanced diet.

Everyday we  follow regulations and best management practices to protect

the environment for our cows, our family and our community.

Everyday we recycle the cows' manure to fertilize crops that we

raise to feed the cows.

Everyday we strive to produce high-quality nutritious milk by caring

for our cows and the land we call home.

Earth Day really is Everyday down on the dairy farm!

Happy Earth Day!