Well, it is time to get out the flashlight & jumpstart my late night cow checks again. We take a "break" during the later part of December & January from calving, but we are starting again with gusto, and it isn't going so well. After going 2 for 2 with live heifer calves in January, we have followed that up in February by 2 bull calves & 2 dead calves - not the wonderful start I was hoping for with a maternity barn full of expectant mamas. Several of them are starting to get overdue, which potentially means big calves that may need some assistance.
So, it's back to the late night & early morning check. I have to admit that it is so much easier to do when it isn't cold outside, and when I'm not sporting a marvelous head cold. (Yes, I'm whining!) I swore that 2 of them were "thinking about it" last night, but no babies then or this morning, so we'll have them on a close watch until they calve.
It's always good to get out on the farm at night - it's amazing the things you catch. For instance, last night, Lucke, one of our older cows that is getting "babied" & getting to stay in the heifer lot was breathing heavy & moaning. I'm beginning to think that she is a little melodramatic, as she did this Friday (as Brent & I were trying to leave for the Farm Bureau Young Leader Conference). We treated her, and the next day she was up & out eating and seemed fine. She repeated this last night: moaning, treatment, chewing her cud looking content this morning.
So, we are always wondering around - on the lookout for things or animals that look out of place.
Enjoy these quotes of the week - only heard on livestock farms:
"I saw your nice centerfold in National Hog Farmer" - (to me by a University Professor)
"Hand me that purse - I need the pocketknife in there." (from me to our neighbor who was patiently waiting in our living room while Brent & I were still finishing treating Lucke & bedding pens before we could travel down to the Young Leader Conference)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Shhh...the animals don't know
That's right, our animals don't know that winter has now officially begun with gusto. They don't know that Brent is going through 3 pairs of big wool socks a day because he sweats through them as he tramps through the snowdrifts to feed them. Now, this winter is nothing like last year's. And, we are SO thankful to have the milk cows in a nicer barn. This year, they just carry on, and really only know that it snows when Brent opens the door to drive the tractor with their breakfast or supper in it.
I took this the morning after the first snow last week! No snow to be seen.
And, sometimes, we have to work a little harder to keep them warm & away from the cold wind.
And, my pigs, that like it warmer than cows, were warm & toasty (between 65 & 84 degrees, depending on the age and size of pig). These are the days that remind us WHY we build barns to keep our animals inside, for their sake and for ours (as we work to feed, water, and care for them)!
And, our 1st heifer calf of the year was born Sunday morning. She slowed down our departure for a delayed family Christmas, but that was ok, we were happy to have the interruption!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Animals Grow Fast!
Check out the ever-acrobatic Eli!
He got thrown to the ground once....I jumped in fear, as he jumped on my back from behind!
I think he wanted to get higher to where the heater was blowing.
And, he LOVES hooded sweatshirt strings....
Monday, December 26, 2011
How Much Milk?
This is a question I get asked A LOT! And, one that requires a lot of math to answer. First of all, dairy farmers are paid based on pounds, or even more specifically hundred weights (cwt.) of milk, not gallons, like most of you are used to buying it.
First of all, it takes approximately 8 pounds of milk to make a gallon of whole milk. (we'll leave it simple for now, and not worry about trying to convert it to skim)
Our milk gets picked up every day, and the milk truck driver writes the weight based on the measurement of the liquid in the tank. Our cows will vary what they milk from day to day, depending on the weather and a variety of other factors, but overall stay pretty consistent from day to day until we get major weather shifts (like summer heat).
For instance, today our cows milked 6150 pounds, and we are milking 88 cows, so each of our cows is milking
6150/88 = 72.6 pounds per cow.
72.6 / 8 = 9.075 gallons per cow per day
Remember, that each cow gets milked twice each day, so that means they each give ~36 pounds of milk or 4 1/2 gallons every morning & every night.
Brent can tell you how many Dairy Queen Blizzards that is a day.
If our cows would maintain that milk production year round, they would produce (73*365) 26,645 pounds (3,330 gallons) in a year, and the entire herd, based on having 90 cows in the herd (we are a little low on cows right now) is (73*365*90) 2,398,050 pounds of milk (or 299,756 gallons) produced from our farm each year.
Now, we don't produce that much milk right now for a couple of reasons. One, our cows are doing really well right now. It's cool temperatures, and they are enjoying their new barn. We also have a lot of cows that are fresh (or just calved) this fall, and they tend to give more milk for the first 3-4 months after calving. The other reason is that cows don't milk 365 days a year, if everything works correctly. A cow should have a calf about every year. Before she has her next calf, we stop milking her for about 2 months. That gives the cow a chance to "reset" or "reboot", and put all of her energy needs towards her pregnancy. We also move them to a different pen (appropriately named "Maternity") that we bed with straw, so that the calf can be born into a dry place, without all the other cows around to potentially harm them.
Besides knowing the bulk tank weight (the weight the milk truck driver writes down), we also know how much each individual cow is milking. We have a milk tester come out to our farm monthly. Our tester, Jenny, brings milk meters that are attached to the milking machines, and give us a reading of what each cow is milking.
She also takes samples of milk from each cow to test for fat and protein. This all gets put into a computer program that Brent accesses on his labtop, and allows us to keep records on all of the cows, determining what things we need to watch for, or improve upon.
That's enough math for a Sunday night I think!
First of all, it takes approximately 8 pounds of milk to make a gallon of whole milk. (we'll leave it simple for now, and not worry about trying to convert it to skim)
Our milk gets picked up every day, and the milk truck driver writes the weight based on the measurement of the liquid in the tank. Our cows will vary what they milk from day to day, depending on the weather and a variety of other factors, but overall stay pretty consistent from day to day until we get major weather shifts (like summer heat).
For instance, today our cows milked 6150 pounds, and we are milking 88 cows, so each of our cows is milking
6150/88 = 72.6 pounds per cow.
72.6 / 8 = 9.075 gallons per cow per day
Remember, that each cow gets milked twice each day, so that means they each give ~36 pounds of milk or 4 1/2 gallons every morning & every night.
Brent can tell you how many Dairy Queen Blizzards that is a day.
If our cows would maintain that milk production year round, they would produce (73*365) 26,645 pounds (3,330 gallons) in a year, and the entire herd, based on having 90 cows in the herd (we are a little low on cows right now) is (73*365*90) 2,398,050 pounds of milk (or 299,756 gallons) produced from our farm each year.
Now, we don't produce that much milk right now for a couple of reasons. One, our cows are doing really well right now. It's cool temperatures, and they are enjoying their new barn. We also have a lot of cows that are fresh (or just calved) this fall, and they tend to give more milk for the first 3-4 months after calving. The other reason is that cows don't milk 365 days a year, if everything works correctly. A cow should have a calf about every year. Before she has her next calf, we stop milking her for about 2 months. That gives the cow a chance to "reset" or "reboot", and put all of her energy needs towards her pregnancy. We also move them to a different pen (appropriately named "Maternity") that we bed with straw, so that the calf can be born into a dry place, without all the other cows around to potentially harm them.
Besides knowing the bulk tank weight (the weight the milk truck driver writes down), we also know how much each individual cow is milking. We have a milk tester come out to our farm monthly. Our tester, Jenny, brings milk meters that are attached to the milking machines, and give us a reading of what each cow is milking.
You can see the different jars filling up at different rates based on how much those cows are milking.
Cow #9025 is milking ~30 pounds this milking (60 pounds per day or 7 1/2 gallons per day)
That's enough math for a Sunday night I think!
Monday, December 19, 2011
It works!
So, I did that restock the frig run last week. I didn't have to be home to milk, so I was able to take my time and double-check prices (something I don't have time to do nearly enough). I've always said that "milk is milk is milk", regardless of the label. It is all safe and nutritious, and you can take your pick in the dairy case of whatever suits you and your family.
There is a really cool trick you can try at home with your milk. Go to: www.whereismymilkfrom.com, and type in a 4 or 5 digit code that is printed on every dairy product, next to the "use by date" info.
This will tell you in what plant your milk was bottled (or other product was processed). If that # is 17-284, it comes from Muller-Pinehurst Dairy, a small milk bottling plant located just a couple miles from our dairy, and where all the milk from our cows goes daily. However, Muller-Pinehurst labeled products are not cheap. When we first got married, I asked Brent, "Do I HAVE to buy the our branded milk? It's really expensive." He giggled at me, as he explained that several brands of milk come out of our plant. Prairie Farms & Schnucks brands are a couple, but there are many more. So, I've always told people that if you had time to look at the codes on the different brands of milk at the grocery store, you would probably find that they all carry the same code, or were made in the same plant (and therefore, likely came from the same cows).
So, this grocery store trip, I took the time to check, and found that the:
were ALL bottled in plant 17-38, or Dean's Dairy in Huntley, IL
If you feel loyalty to a brand, those producers will appreciate your loyalty and support, but I'm also happy if you take that extra savings to splurge on an additional pork loin or gallon of ice cream!
It all depends on what you are using the product for and what your taste buds say. For instance, I buy "cheap" shredded cheese for use in casseroles, etc., but I buy branded cheese, for say, the cheese platter at Christmas, when it will be served alone. It is all one's opinion and ability to make the choice for what they want to buy. However, it is ALL safe, nutritious, and raised by a farmer that cares about their animals.
On a side note, the organic milk carried at this store came from 16-04, or Boise, Idaho. "Local" is a relative term, but it is a choice that everyone should have the right to pay more for, if they so wish.
There is a really cool trick you can try at home with your milk. Go to: www.whereismymilkfrom.com, and type in a 4 or 5 digit code that is printed on every dairy product, next to the "use by date" info.
So, this grocery store trip, I took the time to check, and found that the:
Dean's @ $4.39/gal
Jewel @ $3.59/gal
and Shopper's Value @ $2.99/gal
were ALL bottled in plant 17-38, or Dean's Dairy in Huntley, IL
If you feel loyalty to a brand, those producers will appreciate your loyalty and support, but I'm also happy if you take that extra savings to splurge on an additional pork loin or gallon of ice cream!
It all depends on what you are using the product for and what your taste buds say. For instance, I buy "cheap" shredded cheese for use in casseroles, etc., but I buy branded cheese, for say, the cheese platter at Christmas, when it will be served alone. It is all one's opinion and ability to make the choice for what they want to buy. However, it is ALL safe, nutritious, and raised by a farmer that cares about their animals.
On a side note, the organic milk carried at this store came from 16-04, or Boise, Idaho. "Local" is a relative term, but it is a choice that everyone should have the right to pay more for, if they so wish.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A Farmer's Vacation
We've had a whirlwind of activity lately! Brent & I were in Chicago for the Annual Farm Bureau Meeting for the entire weekend. That meant missing 8 milkings in a row! I was already out of the barn due to my foot, so we are very thankful that Warren & Gail are still able to hold down the fort while we are gone. Though, I'm guessing, that they felt kind of like we did when they were gone for a week at the end of that time, and were glad to see us return. I got back in the barn to milk Monday night, but I realized if everyone is around for milking, I should probably still take it easy a bit, as my foot was swelling a bit by Wednesday morning. Therefore, tonight's mission - restock the fridge!
Brent had a lot of official duties as a member of the Young Leader Committee, and was elected to serve as Secretary for the next year. We both want a vacation from the "vacation". As we have been told, a farm meeting and the State Fair don't count as vacations, but when you farm, you take whatever little time away from the farm you can get to enjoy with each other. We got to spend time with other young farm families, see friends we hadn't seen in awhile (my college roommates), and other farmers from throughout the state. It was certainly physically easier than "normal" farm work, but we also had a lot to do!
I got to visit with field moms about our dairy and our farm, along with other farmwives.
I also got to visit Mrs. Mimlitz's and the other 4th grade class at Ames School. I enjoyed talking to the kids and the teachers about all things farming!
Rest assured, I will answer some more of those questions you asked:
"How much milk does a cow give?"
"Where does our milk go?"
and several others.....when I catch up from the "vacation"!
Brent had a lot of official duties as a member of the Young Leader Committee, and was elected to serve as Secretary for the next year. We both want a vacation from the "vacation". As we have been told, a farm meeting and the State Fair don't count as vacations, but when you farm, you take whatever little time away from the farm you can get to enjoy with each other. We got to spend time with other young farm families, see friends we hadn't seen in awhile (my college roommates), and other farmers from throughout the state. It was certainly physically easier than "normal" farm work, but we also had a lot to do!
I got to visit with field moms about our dairy and our farm, along with other farmwives.
I also got to visit Mrs. Mimlitz's and the other 4th grade class at Ames School. I enjoyed talking to the kids and the teachers about all things farming!
Rest assured, I will answer some more of those questions you asked:
"How much milk does a cow give?"
"Where does our milk go?"
and several others.....when I catch up from the "vacation"!
Brent & I don't take a lot of pictures together that don't also include cows!
This is one back from our college formal, and shows that yes, I do own a dress, and we know how to "clean up" now & then!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Guest Blog..
Check it out:
http://www.watchusgrow.org/_blog/Illinois_Farm_Families_Blog
I have a few guest blogs on the Illinois Farm Families website, if you scroll back in time, and lots of other interesting stories from other Farm Families, and Field Moms.
However, I should take a little of my own advice, and drink a little more of our favorite mixed milk!
Then, maybe my foot would not have broken when I fell last week. I miss my cows and pigs already, and I'm only 5 days out of at least 2 weeks not going to the parlor. (though, I may have to sneak down to check on the girls later in the week)
http://www.watchusgrow.org/_blog/Illinois_Farm_Families_Blog
I have a few guest blogs on the Illinois Farm Families website, if you scroll back in time, and lots of other interesting stories from other Farm Families, and Field Moms.
However, I should take a little of my own advice, and drink a little more of our favorite mixed milk!
Then, maybe my foot would not have broken when I fell last week. I miss my cows and pigs already, and I'm only 5 days out of at least 2 weeks not going to the parlor. (though, I may have to sneak down to check on the girls later in the week)
Stylish, don't you think?
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