Sunrise Sunset

One of the joys of being a dairy farmer is getting up at the crack of dawn.  What, you mean you don't consider that a joy?  I actually get up before the crack, when the sky is black with only creamy clouds floating by or the stars and moon shining down.














Getting up early means seeing that crack form and wait as the sun sends a few rays at a time across the hills and trees and into the sky.

Look at what God did.

It really does not get old with me to see the sunrise; I actually look forward to seeing it every day.

My wife might say that it helps being a dairy farmer if you are a morning person as she pushes the snooze button for the upteenth time.

I have to admit that sunsets are nice, too.


A sign that the day is almost done.  Maybe a sign of a job well done.

Good Things Come in Time

The first thing I noticed this morning when I entered the calf barn was that one of the new calves had eaten all of her grain last night for the first time. Yesterday she had eaten her hay that I had put in her manger for the first time as well.  Seeing progress like that is one of the things that makes being a dairy farmer rewarding.

After 15 straight days of 95 degree temps and blazing sunshine we've finally had a cold front move in bringing our highs down to 85.  It has made a big difference to me and I know it has to the cows.  These long hot days are stressful on them and we had seen some reduction in milk production.  The last two days the cows have all come in to be milked on their own from out of the fields for the morning milking.  They have also begun eating more hay and silage.  When the cows are comfortable and happy you can bet on better milk production.

We also finally got rain today.  While it has been easy to put up hay when it never rains it has been hard to look at our corn in the afternoons.  In the morning the corn looks nice and green but by the time the sun burns down on it later you can see the leaves twist and stretch to the sky aching for a few drops.  Already we've got an inch over the course of several hours which has to be good.

Harvesting

After practically running out of hay and silage over the winter things are finally starting to look up around here on the farm.  It really got cold early last year and we had to start feeding more of both to the cows to keep them healthy.  The colder the weather the more they needed to eat and boy did they eat a lot.

Last week we finished chopping all of our spring crop.  We had wheat and rye mixed in a few fields and ryegrass and marshall ryegrass in a few others.  We try to raise a few different types so that in spite of weather stresses on one type the other might grow well.

This is a video of the silo unloader, which is raised to the top of the silo during filling, is being lowered down on a cable to the silage.  One of the worst parts about getting silos ready to feed off of is making sure the silage is level all the way across, in this case that is twenty feet.  This time we got lucky and there was very little forking to do in the silo to level it up.

We've also got our first field of hay mowed and hauled in.  What a great feeling to know that we have hay and silage ready for our cows to eat to make tasty fresh milk.

Make Memories With Ice Cream

June is dairy month and there's no better dairy treat to have on a hot day than ice cream. One of the best things about ice cream is how it brings people together and the memories that you make.

We often had large family gatherings at my house while I grew up and we always enjoyed a homemade summertime treat.  I remember my job was to bust the ice and wait.  And wait some more as the ice cream churn turned.  Everyone was all smiles when they scooped some cold ice cream in their bowls.

I will never forget the time we took our daughters on their first trip to an ice cream parlor.  My oldest had a beautiful ice cream smile around her mouth that dripped down on her clothes. My neighbor hosts a farm day each year and invites all the local schools to learn about dairy and agriculture.  There's nothing like seeing several hundred kids licking and biting into ice cream sandwiches.

What are your ice cream memories?

June is Dairy Month!

June is dairy month! Woo-hoo! (You can't see it but this is the part where I'm jumping up and down.) Imagine having your birthday celebrated everyday for a month, that is what June is like for a dairy farmer. All over the country for a whole month people will be talking about dairy farmers and dairy products.

There's a lot to love about dairy.  From milk to ice cream, all types of cheeses, butter, and don't forget yogurt because I know if I forgot to buy yogurt my girls would be upset!  The cows, too, there's a lot to like about the cows out there producing nature's most perfect food. Look at them there eating hay and getting ready to go be milked.  That is dairy delight!

So be sure to celebrate June dairy month and support the cows, farmers, and everyone else down the line that brings delicious dairy products to you!