June 2016 On the Farm

June is dairy month! 😃

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My little shadow helping me put the collars together that the cows will be wearing that will talk to the robot so each cow can be identified.

The life of a dog...

June 8 - Lely training

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I decided to join the growing ranks of farmers sharing how many literal steps it takes to bring you delicious, nutritious, & healthy milk. 😊

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I started during chores this evening & figured I'd set the goal at (what I deemed) a reasonable amount for feeding my 25 babies with hubby's help...as you can see I surpassed my expectations! 

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Twice a day each calf gets 2+ quarts of fresh yummy milk.
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The youngest calves get just milk. As they get older (calf age is figured in day & week increments) they need more liquid so we add warm water, gradually increasing the amount until the oldest calves get full buckets (about 1 gallon) per feeding.

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June 11 - Right now!
96 and 216 both had their babies in the last hour or so!

June 12 - Putting collars on the ladies in prep for start-up with the robots next month!

Soybeans!

June 13 - You're probably thinking this is a joke...it's not.
Had to chase some escapees this morning!

These two beauties are twin heifers! :D There is only a 3% chance of twins in dairy cattle, & it's even more impressive to have twin girls!
They were born on June 5th & are healthy, happy, growing babies <3
We need names! Please comment below your suggestions! 

June 13 - Started chopping first-cut haylege.
Haylege is hay that has been mowed & conditioned, chopped into finer pieces, had some juice added to it to make it ferment, & is then stored in a bunker silo.
The cows love it!

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June 14 is Flag Day

The 100th Flag Day...

🎶 Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion

A home and a country should leave us no more?

Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,

Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! 🎶

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June 15 - Just your typical day on the farm...

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Tile drainage is a wonderful invention! I remember when my dad put it in for the first time; it has made all the difference!

Look at this fellow farmer's example of how this simple technique has saved his field!

We can *not* let the government take this away from us.

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My brother working on his favorite tractor Rusty

My shadow didn't want her mommy to come pick her up so she could spend more time with me 💜

Boots the year-old cat telling Precious the day-old calf all about his adventures.

Books-on-tape keep me sane in the tractor all day

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Happy Father's Day

Whether it was riding shotgun on a parts-run or getting greasy in the shop or being lulled to sleep in the combine, I was daddy's little shadow as a child.
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Eventually I outgrew the floor of the combine, & going for parts became my responsibility. However, my admiration has continued to grow for the man who gets up early & works late every single day.
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Man of faith. Father & husband. Farmer. Daddy. ❤

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June 19 - It's a family affair...
I'm mowing, Dad is chopping, Mom and brother are hauling with the old truck and tractor & wagon (respectfully), while our family friend is pushing & hubby is packing the bunker.

The bredheifer ladies (mommas-to-be) may like going to pasture in the morning (although some days they have to be persuaded), but they are always ready and waiting to come back up to the barn by mid-afternoon.

June 20 - It's 90 degrees today!!!

This rose bush has been around since the Briggs Family moved here!
It moves around the lawn - actually migrates, no joke.
It's been run over, mowed, & comes back stronger than ever!

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Thank-you all for your suggestions! :D
We have picked the twins' names......

May we introduce Splish & Splash! <3

(We are keeping all of your other name suggestions for future babies :D )

Splish is such a sweetie

Splash was ornery haha

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June 22 - Painting it up!
Making the gates around the robots look nice (& keeping them from rusting)

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The average age of a farmer in the US is 58 years old.

It's a very sobering thought...

Who will grow & produce the food to feed our families when my dad's generation is gone?

We need doctors & plumbers, mechanics & nurses, electricians & lawyers (honest ones ;) )... But every single person also needs farmers.

At one point in my life I wanted nothing to do with the family farm. I was excited about the possibility of moving away, starting a new life, new line of work...

But God & my heart knew better. This is where I belong. This is where I'm needed. This is home.

I will do my best to fill my father's & grandfather's boots.

I will be a farmHer.

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June 23 - We finished chopping first-cut!
The few fields left will be either square-baled & wrapped, or round-baled.
My dad keeps track of the quality & nutrition of the hay to determine what should be chopped & what can be baled.
(This was taken before a storm blew-in...)

June 28 - Taking a break from entering cows into Lely's T4C program (in prep for start-up) to edit some construction photos.

Plump barn swallow babies! About to become fledglings

This is Prancer - she likes to jump and prance all around for no reason.

June 30 - Mowed & baled first-cut hay today.
My brother is baling a windrow behind me so that the hay doesn't dry out more than it already is.

Same day & same field as the one above...
We baled over 200 large square bales & that was just the hay left over from chopping half the field!
These bales weigh 800+ lbs & will be part of the ladies' feed this winter.