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!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Can you guess which one is the mother?

Fortunately we found this new calf with her mother

earlier in the day so there was no guessing down on the dairy farm!

It's fairly common for other cows to try to adopt a new calf even though

they will have there own calf in a short time. 

Having too much love is never a bad trait!

This week seems to be filled with a lot of sharing experiences.

I'm thankful for witnessing the sharing of maternal instinct,

for the donated  Ginko tree  received from the 

Tree Program sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation

for citizens living in the county

and

                                      to witness  love  while sharing your favorite popsicle.

                                                     Life is too sweet not to share !

Easter Blessings

Our Easter blessings began  

with the  ordinary daily work

of caring for our dairy cattle ,

the opportunity to gather with our church family for the

first time in months due to the pandemic,

gathering around the table to enjoy a family meal,

the joy and excitement on the faces of the grandchildren

as they investigated the contents of their Easter baskets,

the beautiful weather that made hunting Easter eggs

one of the afternoon's  highlights,

and

the joy of sharing our dairy farming way of 

life with the next generation.

                                           Our greatest blessing is that we serve a  risen Savior!

                                           It's His great love that blesses us  on the ordinary and 

                                              extraordinary days of life down on the dairy farm.

                                          

                                                            

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Spring is in the air everywhere down on the dairy farm!

Our ordinary day became extraordinary  with a visit from

the grandchildren and their cousin William that arrived from 

Texas for a spring break adventure.

What better place to come than the dairy farm!

It was obvious by the smiles that a tractor ride ranks 

pretty high on the fun to do list.

A tractor ride can also be a serious experience. At two,

Breck kept a close eye on the calves as they were feeding 

grain. 

We celebrate new life often but  spring also 

gave us the opportunity to celebrate my Mother's 

ninetieth birthday!

Always supporting the use of dairy foods,

the cake contained a lot of butter and cream cheese!

I'm thankful for all these experiences in the past

few days that have put a little more spring in my step

and a greater appreciation for the blessings

of everyday life down on the dairy farm.

                                                         

National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month!

As a dairy farmer, I am proud to work everyday to 

produce milk, a food that  contains nutrients, including

 calcium, potassium, protein and phosphorus; plus,

 it's fortified with vitamins A and D.

It's the perfect month for learning a little more about

the true difference in the milk you find on your grocery shelf.

       Thanks to the National Dairy Council for providing this 

        comparative information and for their commitment since 

    1915 in taking a leading role in the fight against poor

         nutrition,  inactivity and obesity among our nation's youth.

 

Impact of Women in Agriculture

During Women's History Month, I often think about the

impact of   women working in agriculture. 

My late mother-in-law definitely made an impact

on my life and provided a great appreciation for living

down on the dairy farm.

The barn you see behind this row of calves was the

milking barn on our farm during World War II.

Ryan's mother, Bonnah Lyn, milked cows every day while 

waiting on Bill, my father-in-law, to return

from Japan. 

Bonnah Lyn kept the home fires burning as 

she worked beside her father everyday caring for

livestock and helping with the apple orchard.

 Bonnah, in her own stubborn way, was progressive.

She never liked change but she was always 

striving to improve the farming operation.

In the early fifties after moving down the 

road from where she was born,

this barn provided a larger area for milking,

 hay storage and a shelter for other livestock.

Raising chickens was added for diversification.

One of her greatest accomplishments in her view was 

raising a son. In her words," the best crop I ever grew."

I fully understand and agree with her  as I work with her

 son and grandsons everyday down on the dairy farm.

                                    May we never forget the sacrifices made by those before

                                    us to make a  better life for the next generation. 

                                     Women's History Month reminds me that  our

                                           challenge  is to continue that tradition!