February 1 - Hubby was up at 12:30 with an alarm; three consecutive fails on Olaf The Robot so it shut down. I went out to lend a hand.
Two and a half hours later the broken hose was finally replaced and Hubby got to sleep for another hour before chores at 4.
Farming doesn't end when night chores are finished. Sometimes a cow needs help calving, or a piece of equipment breaks. Farmers get out of bed and do what needs doing because it's our life. And, when we're not trying to get a hose back in place at 2 a.m., we actually do love what we do.
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| February 2 - Cow is ready for lunch! |
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| February 2 - Cow is enjoying the Vermont Farm Show - especially the Lely booth |
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| February 3 - Calf Meeting to learn more about my babies and how to keep them healthy and happy |
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| Second presentation...This product is in some milk replacers & also works as a great feed additive that can help calves get over being sick quicker |
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| Georgina loves to be held. She was falling asleep in my arms as I danced to classic country while waiting for the calves to eat. |
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| February 7 - Cow nutrition meeting - I'm here to take notes for Dad because he's at a seed/planting meeting |
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February 13 - Wintery day in Vermont.
While most of the schools are closed, none of the farms are - the cows still need to be fed, milked, & cared for.
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| Happy Valentine's Day from the ladies! |
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| Pellets being delivered |
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| Kittens get loved by everyone around here |
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| February 17 - Getting the sleds ready for an evening run! |
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| We have a lot of furry characters on our farm; Nala is a purr-fect example |
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| Sunrise silhouette |
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| February 20 - It's time for planting in Vermont! No really, I'm serious! We're going to try frost seeding clover. Clover only grows and re-grows in a hay field for a couple years. Other famers' experience has shown that if planted in an existing hay field during a frost (when the ground is hard so we don't rut it up) the hearty clover seed will lie dormant until the right time. We'll see how it works come Spring! |
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February 21
Vermont Dairy Producer's Conference
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| Cow is attending her fist Dairy Conference |
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| Cow has been taking careful notes |
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| Cow got to meet Carrie Mess aka Dairy Carrie! |
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| The venders gave us a lot of great stuff! I think Cow has a pen & paper addiction... |
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February 23 - While it's sunny-ish and 50° today, there's still a chance for another snowstorm before Spring.
When it snows on the farm, we have some extra chores to do...like shoveling out bunks so the ladies can have snow-free food.
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| Best Hubby Award |
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| February Thunderstorm |
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| One of the crops we grow for our cows is corn. We harvest our corn one of two ways - chop the whole plant ("corn silage") or use a combine to get just the kernels. The kernels are dried and stored in a grain bin...then, every couple weeks, we take out a wagon-full (left) and run it through the grinder (right, behind the tractor) to make cornmeal. |
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We are blessed with an awesome veterinary office & top-notch vets that help us care for our animals!
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One vet in particular, Dr. J. Drexel Wheeler, DVM has become like family to us.:) And while that might make us a little biased, we don't know anyone more deserving of the Dairy Quality Assurance Veterinarian of the Year award.
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One vet in particular, Dr. J. Drexel Wheeler, DVM has become like family to us.:) And while that might make us a little biased, we don't know anyone more deserving of the Dairy Quality Assurance Veterinarian of the Year award.
Read more at this link!
