All Kids Eat Dirt

Human kids are not the only ones who enjoy eating dirt!  This is actually a product called Desert Dyna-min.  We just call it dirt, because, well, that is what it looks like.  We offer it to our calves to help prevent scouring and also to give them a cleaner option rather than watch them lick the floor and the walls...  As you can see--they LOVE it! 

One of our baby bull calves who just loves the "dirt"!

Quarryville Grazing Conference and a Sad Goodbye

Roman Yoder, the man behind the
 conference, was getting ready to
 introduce Terri Hawbaker (sorry, the
 pic was a bit blurry)

We just arrived back home from the Quarryville Grazing Conference last night.  The conference lasted two days and was packed with some amazing speakers like Gary Zimmer with Mid-West Bio Ag (I hope I spelled that right), Nathan Weaver (an Amish grazier from New York), Terri Hawbaker (a grazier from Michigan), and a lot more!  We learned a lot...or at least we listened to a lot.  To make an analogy to grazing:  I felt a lot like a compacted field at the conference--a little bit soaked in, but a lot just flowed over my head (grin). 

It may seem like we go to a lot of conferences, but that is mostly to do with the time of year.  This is the slower time for farmers with it being and after the holidays, too early to plant, and not quite calving season (unless you have over achievers for cows like we do).  Also, I think it is so so important for us to humble ourselves and admit that we don't have all of the answers.  I want to remain teachable.  If I lose that attitude then I end up being the one that loses out.  Not that I think people should jump on every ban wagon and sign up for every new fad that comes along, but we should listen and research the ideas that are promoted and to use our judgement to decide what might work on our farm and what might be compatible with our personalities. 

Our first heifer calf of 2012!

We were able to stay overnight at a Motel in Ronks, PA!  Wohoo!  Danny's dad filled in for feeding the cows, and he suffered through the extremely arduous job of milking all two cows.  But, our cows being the over achievers that they are--had another volunteer to calve early...again--while we were gone...I think they are trying to send us a message (grin).  But, we did have our first heifer calf of the year!  Now I just have to figure out what to name her. 



We did have a bit of sadness upon returning home.  I went to feed Bandit, our dog, and saw that he had killed Miss Hen.  I probably wouldn't have been as upset if it was the rooster, but I really liked Miss Hen.  Apparently, she got to close, which usually isn't a problem (at least it never was in the past), but this time he attacked her.  So, that has me feeling a little sad, and now I am not on speaking terms with Bandit (yes, I am one of those crazy ladies that talks to her animals).  So, here is my tribute to Miss Hen--my first pet chicken.

Miss Hen went the way of all things on 2-22-2012
We'll miss you.

Drying Up Cows & A Suprise!

We are still busy with preparations this past week and have a bunch more to do.  The count down until calving is 8 days, but for the past two years we have always had one cow calve a week early.  So that always puts an extra edge to the preparations.

Danny and his dad dried up our remaining 20 milk cows yesterday (Friday) morning.  Our SCC was creeping up (as is not uncommon for late lactation cows and cows that are milked once a day).  So, in trying to be merciful to our milkman, who I think was wondering what the point was in us shipping so little milk, we dried up the remaining cows.  It will be a short but very sweet break from milking.

Today (Saturday), we went to a conference in Lancaster.  There were TONS of really amazing topics being discussed.  Dr. Huber was there and spoke about glyphosates and gave Danny and I a lot to think about when it comes to feeding GM (genetically modified) feed.  Here are some links if you wish to hear more--I would really encourage you to take a look at them:  Mercola's link , Green Pasture's Link, Non-GMO link.  These are by no means an exhaustive list.  Please, do the research.  We also heard speakers talk about vitamins and minerals and the body, Danny went to a breakout session on fermenting foods, I went to one on pruning fruit trees (our poor, pitiful trees need some sort of help), and overall we were extremely blessed to be there and share in the wealth of knowledge. 

While we were there, Danny's brother, Nathan, went up to our farm to move the cows in the afternoon so they could get some more hay...and this is the picture he sent Danny along with a frantic phone call

Brio started out our calving year with a red and white dutch belt bull, and 251 is making sure that the little guy is
cleaned off while he eats.

Sigh, so much for a break (grin).  Apparently, we are holding to tradition and CALVING SEASON HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN for spring 2012!  In looking at this I will strive to hold tight to God's commands to

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,"  

~Philippians 2:  14-15

and also to

"Rejoice always;

pray without ceasing;

in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

~1 Thessalonians 5:  16-19

(italics mine)

As a Christian, I am held to a higher standard.  The verses above are some that I stuggle with, because I find it so easy to grumble and whine and complain, but that isn't God's will, nor His desire for us.  Part of the light of God that I can shine into the world simply comes from choosing to be thankful in EVERYTHING.  Everyone can grumble and complain, but I challenge myself and whoever reads this, that is a follower of Christ--give thanks.  In my mind, grumbling is what lazy people do, it is the easy thing to do, it is the natural thing to do, but when I gave my life to Christ, the natural man had to be put to death and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me.  The challenge, the path that takes effort, is to give thanks, to look for the good, and to see the blessings that God has bestowed on us amidst the trials.

So, I will give thanks for this new little life on our farm.  I am thankful that it was a bull calf, because I can send him to the auction and may still get a few days without having my baby girls to take care of.  I am thankful that the heifer that had him didn't have a problem delivering him.  I am thankful that he is alive, and I am thankful that it was a beautiful day and the weather was not rainy, which makes for an easier transition on the heifer that calved.  If I take the time to look there really are so many things to be thankful for.

God bless you all.

Preparations - Heifers Arriving!

The time is drawing near.  I can feel it within me.  I am filled both with excitement and dread...calving season is approaching.  Since we are a seasonal dairy (described in "Our Cows" tab), that means that we will have 207 cows calving from the beginning of March to the end of May.  Technically our first calves are due February 26th, but since when did any babies abide by a proper schedule? (grin).  We have quite a bit of preparation left to do, but things are underway, and today we took a big step towards being ready:

In preparation for calving season, we are bringing up the springing heifers from my father-in-law's farm (he raises the weaned heifers and brings them back to us right before they calve).  I am excited to see the once little babies that I named and cared for about to be mamas! 

Peeking out to see their new home...

Off the trailer they go!

Uno is looking at me suspiciously...

this is one of Dad's Normande/Ayrshire crosses...like all part Normandes--
she just wants to know where the food is (grin)

Danny shuts them in

We use electrified poly tape for our gaps into the laneways and fields.

It is always important to close the gates!  As one of our fellow farmers, Glen Moyer, remarked, "You can have the best and most expensive fences that money can buy, but if you leave the gate open the cows still get out."

A few heifers are still at Dad's but we are counting down...the babies are coming soon!

Animal Stalkers

 Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Or maybe that you just happen to have your own personal greeters almost EVERY TIME you go outside?  Pictured below is what I see just about every time I leave the house.

Unless, of course I happen to be in the kitchen a lot during the day.  Then I see this out the back door...

and when we used to have goats I saw this....

Johnny, the goat, was so thoughtful.  He just KNEW I wanted my
concrete sidewalk fertilized for all of the flowers that I was going
to try to plant EXACTLY THERE... *sigh*
sometimes you just have to choose to laugh :)

I am not sure if it is just me, or if it has something to do with our farm, but our animals seem to have an odd fascination with what goes on inside the house.  But, if I had to choose a stalker, I'd pick these guys :).

Fuzzy Heifers

My brother-in-law sent this to Danny and I today.  Danny's dad raises our heifers and occasionally we get "updates" on them.  This is one of them (grin).   Although, when he learns that they are being published on the blog, we might see a decrease in the updates...so shhhh!  13 is my brother-in-law, Nathan's, favorite heifer.