Final Milk Check...

Twenty five years ago, Jim and I eagerly awaited our first milk check.  We had to wait for a while, because dairy farmers are paid for milk shipped the previous month.  We were so excited, and documented the event...

This past week we received our final milk check, one month after we milked for the last time.  It was much nicer on this end, getting paid for a full month after we finished milking!

It would be nice to say that after twenty five years, the milk price has continued to increase like everything else, including expenses...but sad to say that's not the case.  I tried to compare prices, but it was difficult.  We shipped to a different co-op in 1994, and things were structured differently. The deductions that come off of the milk check each month are so different, and so much more now than they were then, but it was still fun to look at those old milk check stubs and try to compare!  

One thing that hasn't changed is the smile on my farmer's face!

Time For Something New...

It's been a season of changes around here, and this week, they became reality.

On Monday morning, David, a young Amish neighbor who is starting out farming, came to choose which of our cows he wanted to purchase.

On Tuesday we sent several cows that he didn't want, to a dairy sale.

Yesterday several older cows went to the sale barn, and early this morning Jim and I headed to the barn to milk for the last time...

It was pretty cold, but thankfully not windy...

We finished up milking and kept our eyes on the clock, anticipating the cattle hauler arriving soon...

He first transported some cows from another neighbor and then arrived at our farm...

The cows cooperated quite nicely as they were loaded onto the truck.  Off he goes with the first load...

Last trip down Clearview Road...

...and here they are, settling into their new home!  Henry, age 2, looks on...

Our job for the next hour or so will be draining all the water lines in the cow stable.  We don't need any surprises when the weather warms and we turn on the water again to the barn!  For now we'll water the heifers with a hose from the milk house into a stock tank.

It's the end of an era, and as we expected, we have mixed emotions.  One thing that helps is knowing that most of the cows went to a neighbor, and will be helping him get off to a start in dairy farming. We've felt a lot of support from friends and family, and are looking forward to what's next.  What all that is, we don't know yet, but we're slowly piecing it together.

Jim and I spent almost twenty-five years working together, and we think that over all it went very well!  We might not get to eat three meals a day together any more, but we'll be fine!

For now, we still have some heifers and a couple of young calves that will keep our fingers in farming for a little while!

Changes Are Coming...

I suppose some of you have heard "rumors", and others of you may have wondered what's happening on our farm in 2019!

Changes are what's happening...

Changes can be exciting...changes can be challenging...changes can be unsettling...changes can be fun...or they can be all of it rolled up in one.  That's kind of what our coming changes feel like!

Jim and I have been dairy farming since the day we were married, just over 25 years ago.  We started out with Jim working for his dad on the farm, while I worked full time at a local bank.  In April of 1994, we officially took over the dairy, while I remained working at the bank.  I slowly took on less hours at the bank and eventually stayed at home full time to help Jim on the farm and to start our family.

The past 24 years of being self employed dairy farmers have been mostly good ones!  I say mostly, because no job, however wonderful, is completely without challenges.  It was great to both be at home, and to raise our kids on the farm.  Being self employed certainly has it's benefits! When the kids were small, I could go for groceries while the kids were napping, and Jim had the baby monitor with him...we could eat three meals a day together during the "slow" times on the farm...the kids had lots of fresh air and space to explore, and many more. There were sacrifices however, like being able to get away rarely, even for weekends, having to "divide and conquer" to get to our kids activities over the years, and being "on call" 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  We chose to farm, and we don't regret it!

All that said...we just spent our last evening working all together as a family in a barn that's full of cows...

Eric went back to college on Monday, and Jenna heads back next week.  By the time they're both home again at the same time, our cows will be gone.

A lot of thought has gone into this decision; it was never taken lightly.  The kids have chosen paths other than farming...and we're totally thrilled for them.  We are making this choice voluntarily, and perhaps in a few years, Jim will choose to crop farm again.  For now however, we have rented out the ground, and will be working at jobs primarily off the farm.

I'm sure there will be visible emotions when the cows leave, but that's natural.  We've talked to many farmers who have gone through this transition, and they have shared the ups and downs that go along with the changes.

I hope to keep blogging, but my blog will look different, for sure!

If you pray, we would appreciate prayers as we make decisions regarding our jobs, and for the changes that our family will be going through.

We're still "happily married...just not to the cows!"

Featured Bovine of the Week..."the Twin"...

You know how often there's a teen of the week featured in the local newspaper? Or at least there used to be...

A week or so ago when the vet was here for herd check, he was doing pregnancy checks on some cows, and we got to talking about the history of this one particular cow.  He said I ought to do a blog post about her...

So here she is...#245, aka "the Twin"...

You'll have to forgive her not so perfect photo.  She was much too interested in chewing on some hay than posing for her picture to be taken.

Here are a few facts about her:

Birthdate:  August 13, 2005

Sibings: twin sister #244

First freshening date:  July 10, 2007

Heifers vs Bulls to date:  5 heifers, 4 bulls

Interesting facts, trials and tribulations in her life:

...Twin calvings are often hard on Mom, and she's had several sets.

...Early on, she had some paralysis in her one leg from a complication during calving.  She went down in a narrow entryway (late at night, of course) and we had quite a time getting her up again.  We made a pathway of rubber cow mats for her, and she was able to crawl until she got to a box pen.  She had better footing there and was able to stand.  Jim kept her in the box pen and milked her by hand for a few days, and then with a portable milking unit for another week or so until she had regained her strength and was able to handle herself in a stall.

...Last year after freshening she developed a mysterious infection and temporarily lost her sight.  She has since fully recovered.

...She tries really hard to be good!  She doesn't like to be surprised and doesn't like it if the milker squawks when it's being put on her udder.  For some reason on her (just the way her udder is shaped) when the milker is finished and stops pulsating, it tends to fall off of her right away.  She doesn't like it, but tries to stand still like a statue until someone comes and rescues her!

This was her last night just after the milker was put on.  She's milking like crazy...

And oh, what a relief it is when she's done...

She will be ten years old in August, and is the second oldest cow in the barn. She's seen and heard a lot over the last ten years, and she must be enjoying life here, because she's sticking around a lot longer than most cows do!