March 2017 On the Farm

March 2 - Today was our monthly pregnancy health-check day with our veterinarian.

While I was helping our vet, 116 came over for some chin scratches & to cheese for the camera.

Reeses finally has a buddy in the nursery!

This little cutie was born Friday afternoon (March 3) & was promptly named Cindy Lou because of the white patch on her forehead that looks like the Cat In the Hat

March 15 - The calm after the storm.
We got about a foot we think...but it's difficult to tell with the drifting.
Thankfully the hurricane-like wind has died down to a stiff breeze.

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March 16

1) 95 had her fourth (4th) calf yesterday.

We will keep her in the recovery pen (2-3 days) until we are satisfied that she is healthy and strong enough to be with the rest of the herd.

2) While she is in the pen, she gets all the food & water she could want.

We also milk her twice a day so we can feed her baby her colostrum.

3) Yummy, frothy, thick colostrum full of antibodies for baby!

4) Our average daily production is currently 80 lbs of milk per cow - some of the higher producers make over 100 lbs of milk every day!

5) The milk is pumped from the weigh-jar (photo 3 above) to collection buckets below.

6) That's 44 lbs of milk! Ready to be taken to the the nursery to feed the calves

7) This little heifer (girl) is 95's newborn (one day old) - she enjoyed breakfast

8) Dairy cows were created by God to be milk producers.

Their whole life is about making nutritious & tasty milk (as well as eating, drinking, and sleeping wherever they want😜).

The average cow on our farm makes WAY more than her calf could ever consume at one time.

Therefore, if we only have a calf or two (and no newly fresh cows), we will feed milk replacer (formula) instead of wasting the milk the calf can't eat.

March 21 - Every day is National Ag Day for farmers!

March 22 - A sad morning...

This bull died in utero and the momma (first-calf heifer) was unable to give birth without assistance.

The vet had to be called and after a half hour this very large deceased bull was delivered.

Our vet prescribed antibiotics to the heifer - the calf had been dead long enough momma was sure to get a uterine infection. Her milk will be separated and dumped until the required withhold time is up to keep those antibiotics out of the tank.

Death is an unfortunate fact of life on the farm. We do everything we can to care for our animals and keep them healthy, but sometimes it is beyond our control. And it never gets easier.

March 30 - Doing some FARM paperwork today.

The National Dairy FARM program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) was founded as a way to show consumers that we as dairy producers, cooperatives, veterinarians, processors, etc. in the United States are giving the utmost care to our animals, farms, and the environment.

Farmers, big and small, have already been doing all of these things!

Being a member of FARM is simply a way for farmers to prove to the consumer we are good stewards.