A Good Reminder...

I must admit...this past week was just about all I could take!

Yes, I am a fair weather fan...I complain when it's too cold!  I complain when it's too hot!

This thermometer hangs outside our shop door...

We saw record breaking temps like this for at least four days this past week.  And this is what Jim and Eric and my nephew were doing on Saturday morning...

I will admit...I was feeling pretty sorry for us; having to work outside in the miserable humidity when others could be inside in the air conditioning, staying cool and comfortable. 

And then I read the status of one of my facebook friends...

"What if we woke up, with only that for which we were thankful for yesterday?"

Was I thankful for the electricity that runs the fans that keep the cows cool?

Was I thankful for the way the cows hung in there in the heat?

Was I thankful for the shower I could take when I was finished working...and the air-conditioned bedroom that I could hibernate to for a while?

Was I thankful for those loads of beautiful hay that Jim baled?

Was I thankful that our kids were happy to have cousins visiting?

Was I thankful that we are healthy and well fed?

And the list goes on...

Do I enjoy being hot and sticky and smelly and dirty any more than I did before I read that?  NO! 

But was I reminded to be thankful for the blessings that we have in the midst of all that?  YES!

What is it? The answers...

On Thursday, I posted a collage of some of the items we use on a regular basis, asking for guesses as to what they might be...

I got several responses, and got some great guesses.  One of you, a fellow dairy farmer, guessed them all correctly, except for #3.  That one was a little tricky!  Here are the answers...

#1.  Pill gun - used to administer pills to a cow  (it doesn't help that the end of the pill gun is off the picture in the collage!  Didn't notice that until it was finished)

#2. Calving chains - used to assist a cow in giving birth. 

#3. Milker plugs - sometimes we have a cow that is a "3 - teater" , and we put one of these plugs in the "extra" teat cup on the milker to keep it from taking in air, sawdust, or something even less desirable

#4. Spray bottle with teat spray.  After we take off the milker, each cow's teats are sprayed with an iodine based solution to seal the ends of the teats and keep them clean.  This helps prevent mastitis infections.  (if you look closely, you'll see that the bottle sprays up, not out...this way we can easily spray her thoroughy)

#5. Kick clamps.  Sometimes we have a cow that has an attitude, and just doesn't like to be milked.  These clamps fit over her hips to keep her from kicking front and knocking the milker off.  (or kicking us!)  They don't hurt her...just keep her in line for a few minutes!

#6. Ear tagger.  Think of it as getting your ears pierced.

Thanks to those of you who submitted guesses!

Now it's back to trying to stay cool!  Yesterday's temp of at least 105 was record breaking, and the humidity made it feel much hotter!  Today is still hot, but a little less humid with a slight breeze. The barn (with all the fans running) is cooler than the house these past few days!

What is it?

Just for fun...

 I took a few pictures of some of the "tools of the trade" that we use regularly, for you to guess what they might be...

Just post your answers as a comment, and in a day or so I'll post the correct answers and explain how we use each item.  This was Eric's idea...have fun!

*Linking up today to Farm Girl Friday at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House.

Heat Wave...

After a week of unseasonably beautiful weather, July is finally showing her true colors with an overabundance of heat and humidity. 

I wonder if it's cooler up there...?

I really don't like heights, but someday I'd like to find out!

A Challenge...

Finally...a good week for making hay!

So far this year, making hay has been challenging! 

We depend so much on the weather, and it has not been cooperative in the least...we've had very few dry stretches long enough to get the hay mowed , dried and baled for the hay mow.  We have more round bales of "balage"  (when the hay is baled and wrapped at high moisture) than ever before, and it's only mid-July! 

Jim is now a little more than halfway finished with 3rd cutting.  This week was just about perfect hay making weather...hot, sunny and breezy, with lower humidity.  This morning he and Eric unloaded a load that was baled last night...

Eric was on the wagon, tossing the bales on the elevator...

 Jim was up in the mow, just under the eaves, taking the bales off the elevator and stacking them...

It's wonderful to see the hay mow getting full again.  Although it's time consuming to get good qualtiy dry hay, there's nothing quite like it for keeping the cows well fed, healthy, and making lots of good, quality milk!

More Goat Shenanigans...

It's been a little while since I've posted anything about Jenna's goats...so here's an update.

April and Dot have fun personalities, but have also spent a lot of time getting into of trouble!  They spent about two weeks penned in with the chickens because they were escaping their pen!   While they were in with the chickens, they learned how to open a locked container of feed, and get the wire guard over the chicken feeder open as well!  Naughty goats! 

We got some vinyl coated 2 x 4 wire put up inside the 3 rail fence which bordered two sides of their pen, replacing the chicken wire which they were going over, and then under in order to escape.  We should have named at least one of them "Houdini"!

Jenna's 4-H leader was here this week, just checking in to see that things are going ok, and to answer any questions for us.  Before he arrived, we trimmed their hooves, gave them baths, and weighed them.  Did you ever try to weigh a wiggling goat?  Jim had to hold them and stand on the scales, while we tried to get an accurate reading...interesting experience!  Dot weighs around 70 lbs, and April weighs around 75 lbs. Their weight should be between 60 - 110 lbs. by fair time, which is the end of September.  Everything looks like we're right on track!

The biggest challenge (now that they're secure in their pen) is walking them.  This will get them used to being handled in the show ring, and help with their conditioning.  We first used the halter, and now are using a collar and lead. 

Jim and Jenna walked them over to our neighbor's house to show them to him through his back windows.   Sometimes they cooperate...

...and sometimes they don't!  Dot is particularly cantankerous...

 

She has to sample just about everything she sees, including the apple tree...

Bathing them went a bit better than walking them.  It was a hot day, and April loved being washed...

And in true "Dot" fashion, she had to wiggle through most of it!

There's never lack of something to do this summer around here!  If you're bored, come on over and get to know the goats!  You just might fall in love with them and their shenanigans antics!



Milk Testing...

Being aware of the milk quality of each cow, and knowing just how much each cow is milking is an important part of dairying...

Every so often, we take individual samples of each cow's milk and send it to the DHIA (Dairy Herd Improvement Association) lab for testing.  The test tells us the percentage of butterfat and protein in the milk in addition to the somatic cell count of each cow.  These components play a part in determining our milk price each month.  High butterfat and protein raise the price per cwt (hundred pounds of milk) and low somatic cell counts earn us a bonus. 

We know how the herd is doing on average, but this gives us information on each cow individually.

In addition to analyzing the quality of the milk, testing also tells us how many pounds each cow is milking.  We hook this meter up to our milkers.  The milk is measured and recorded for our personal records.  We turn the gray valve at the bottom of the meter and fill a sample bottle to send for testing...

Each sample bottle has a preservative pill in it to keep the milk fresh until it is tested.  It turns the milk orange..if you look closely, you can see the color change.  Each bottle is labeled with the cow's name or number...

After we're finished milking, the meters are washed along with the milkers and the pipeline...



We got the test results back in the mail today.  Our milk quality/somatic cell counts were excellent!  We wish, however,  that our butterfat and protein would be higher.  I guess we'll have to give some of those cows a pep talk!

Hi-Crop Spraying...

Can it be just two short months ago...

...that we had more rain than we knew what to do with...that we wondered if the corn would ever get planted...that we wondered if the seed would ever grow...that we wondered if the sun would ever shine again...that we wondered what kind of summer we'd have?

The rain finally stopped...

The corn was planted...a bit late, but planted...

The sun came out...

The seed grew...most of it, anyway...

...and so did the weeds!

Early in the season, we had all the corn fields sprayed for weeds.  Since then, the corn has been growing quickly, and in most cases is well over our heads. 

Last week we scouted the fields for late emergent weeds.  We walked through the fields enough to get a feel for whether or not weeds were enough of a problem that they needed spraying again.  We were looking primarily for pickle vine, thistles and high grass.  Too many weeds will stunt the growth of the corn.  We saw a little pickle vine and just a few thistles, but some high grass and broad leaf weeds.     *note to self...always wear long sleeves when scouting corn fields which are at least head high, or be prepared to take Benadryl to counteract the itching!

Time to call in the hi-crop sprayer!

This is the only piece of equipment that can get through the tall corn.   I rode along here at home, and I learned a lot! . The clearance underneath the truck is 6'. That's enough, he told me, that occasionally when he's travelling down the road (top speed around 35 mph) that motorcycles sometimes drive right underneath him.  NOT a good idea!!

 I think it looks  like a big grasshopper when it's "wings" are all folded up...

 The width of the sprayer, when his "arms" are extended, is 90 feet...45 feet on each side.  The sprayer is equipped with a GPS which maps each field.  When he gets to the end and turns around, the computer can tell where he has already sprayed.  If there is any overlap of spray on his return path, the individual drop nozzles on his arms automatically turn themselves off, to avoid wasting spray.  Pretty slick, I think!

This is looking directly in front of the sprayer as we went through the first field.  If you look closely, between the rows you can see the drop nozzles.  They are situated along the arms to hang down between the rows of corn and spray the weeds on the ground. 

He told me that a lot of farmers are having the hi crop sprayer in this year, due in part to the wet spring we had.  Some of the weeds are late emerging, and the first spraying just wasn't enough...

A different perspective on a corn field...



 It's good now, almost a week later, to see those weeds slowly dying.  It's just one more thing that Jim has to be on top of, to ensure a good crop of corn to feed those hungry ladies in the barn!

Knee-high...

...by the 4th of July!

Or so it used to be...



I'm sure there are a variety of reasons why the corn is much taller now by the 4th of July than it used to be...weather, planting dates, improved seed corn, etc...but it's definitely more than knee-high today!

Happy 4th of July!