Walking along the path to the farm, recently white-washed with a fresh coat of snow, I noticed a calf standing outside our heifer barn. Oh boy... getting a loose calf back in the barn can be quite simple, or it can be a strategic contest of wills! This youngster, who appeared to be about six months old, caught sight of me quickly and took off around the back side of the barn.
It would seem we were off to the races.
Not wanting to spend all day chasing a calf, I went to the main barn to round up some assistance. Thinking I had accomplished that, I walked back to the heifer barn. My rose-colored glasses perfectly in place, I began to think this would probably go much more smoothly than I originally anticipated. It just took a gentle nature, patience and possession of a little more intelligence than the calf...
(Anyone reading this who has worked with cattle is snickering at this point.)
I got just close enough to realize the escapee was none other than my SWEET Lillyanne, before she galloped off to make another lap around the barn. I calmly opened the door to the pens and walked in further to adjust the gates enough so she could get a little ways back in the barn, and none of her buddies could get out. I envisioned her walking in, me coming in quietly behind her and closing the big door. Piece of cake! Then reposition the gates to let her in her pen... problem solved!
Think again, Diva Girl. Lillyanne walked partway in just as I anticipated, and never took her eyes off of me. The moment I started to get close to the door, she was trotting off for another trip around the barn! I lost track of how many laps we made around that barn before an assistant arrived.
Same plan, two people! I replaced my rose-colored glasses and we try again. Guess what? Lillyanne outfoxed us both! This is the little baby born so weak just this past summer, correct? This afternoon was proof she is one smart, healthy little pain-in-the...
(I did not just say that.)
Assistant Number Two arrived and, at long last, Lillyanne was returned to her pen.
Some people think cows are stupid. I don't buy it. Cows are not as inquisitive as a horse. However, I do believe they are intelligent, and at times quite stubborn! They learn their routines, they have personalities, and when they decide they are going in a different stall or taking off to see the sights - there's not a whole lot you can do to convince them otherwise. Ever seen a cow chew her cud? How thoughtful they look! Perhaps they were made to digest their food in this manner in order to have time to mull over whatever other life questions they might have...
Sometimes we'd all be a little better off to slow down and chew our mental cuds a bit longer.
I don't believe in stupid people any more than I believe in stupid cows. People learn and grow in many different ways. Just because someone chooses to experience life outside of their respective 'barn' and refuses to go down the expected path of life, doesn't make them any less intelligent than the rest of us. Perhaps they are MORE intelligent. They're choosing a different route, and maybe they will see things we won't see, because we're too busy "doing it right". Some take longer to process information and form their thoughts, but that doesn't make them stupid. It just makes them thorough.
Hey Lillyanne, should we go another lap? Maybe we should wait until the temperature is above freezing!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Diva Gets Dirty
Not a controversial person by nature, I began this blog more for entertainment than educational purposes. I do not consider myself an expert on anything. I greatly enjoy my life, my children and my time spent working on the dairy farm with my family and among the cows; who to me are beautiful, gentle giants that bring me peace and happiness nearly every moment I am with them.
Farming, however, has become controversial! The technologies and practices are continually called into question. We as consumers question (justifiably!) where our food comes from and how it is produced. In a capitalist society, that is how it should be. The customer is always right and will buy the products that most accurately fit their needs. Those producer's businesses in turn (should) flourish and the ones whose products are not favored either change their product or go out of business.
I've tried to keep my fingers clean and not delve into inflammatory subject matter here (as I said - this is supposed to be fun!). Lately, I am seeing some things around that are pushing my aforementioned digits to work with the brain and add some Diva Dish to the buffet of digital information so readily available. I am not about to say Organic or Not Organic; but I will say, Choose Dairy! I will say, if you have questions, look at the available research, talk to a farmer, do some experimenting in your own home with This Brand or That Type and see if it makes a difference for you. Only you can choose what is right for you.
In the interest of trying to provide a little additional insight as to the use of hormones and antibiotics in farm animals, I'd like to tell you how we handle these items at our place.
BST - that dirty little hormone so many people fear. Bovine somatotropin, a hormone that already occurs in cows (and no test can detect a higher presence of in milk) that when supplementally injected, will cause some cows to produce more milk. I say some because it is very important that you pick and choose what cows you administer it to; based on their overall health and stage of lactation. We choose cows that aren't eating as aggressively as we would like to see and aren't milking as much as we believe they can as candidates to receive BST. Once they are on the injections, most times their overall health and condition (and of course milk production!) improves.
You must remember, as much as farming is a passion and a lifestyle, it is also a business. What is most important in business is efficiency and productivity! We must have healthy cows who can milk. We do not like to cull (sell or send to slaughter) cows. It is a much better option to take care of them, keep them healthy and watch them thrive! Those injections are not free. Popping every cow in the herd with hormones would be an inefficient, expensive way to do business. So please do not think farmers are out there randomly juicing up cows with hormones to squeeze every last drop of milk out of them before they toss them away like used toilet paper.
Now, let's get to antibiotics. I'm sure you have personal experience to draw from here. You get sick, it won't go away. After you've tried everything you know to do, you go to your doc and they prescribe an antibiotic that finally clears whatever had you feeling so wretched.
Cows get sick too. Not often, really, but they do. They can't look at you and say "Man, I feel like crap! I've got a fever and no appetite and I just really don't want to get up to milk today!" It would be a lot easier if they could! But this is why it is so important to pay attention to them as we work around them. We watch feed input (and output...), the condition of their coats, how they are walking, their eyes. If we think one is getting sick, we jump on it! A quick response usually means a better prognosis and recovery.
If one comes up sick, the first things to try to help are topical: feed hay for an upset stomach, we have mint rubs for sore legs or udder ailments (I am an AWESOME masseuse!), vitamin injections can be very helpful. Sometimes a visit from the veterinarian and possibly even surgery is in order. Sometimes a visit from the hoof trimmer does the trick. Sometimes antibiotics have to be used.
If antibiotics are used, here is what happens. As soon as that first treatment is given, a bright yellow ankle bracelet is put on one of her back legs to indicate that she is "treated". That cow's milk is collected into a separate container (we call it a drop pail) and discarded. We milk our treated cows last. Once the milking equipment comes off that cow, it is taken into the milk house (the barn equivalent of a kitchen sans cooking appliances) and not used on another cow until it has been run through the wash (think industrial dish washer!) cycles.
This process goes on throughout the course of treatment for the cow and for awhile thereafter, depending on the type of antibiotic used. On each box of medication is a label that states a "withhold time" - how long the milk will be tainted with antibiotics. Once the cow has been off the medicine for the stated amount of time, a sample of her milk is taken and tested to make sure it is clear of the antibiotics. It usually is and her milk can then go back in the mix with the other cows. If it is not, her milk continues to be discarded until her samples come back clear.
I should also mention that when the milk truck comes to pick up our milk, the driver takes a sample of our milk to be tested at the plant. If a truck full of milk comes up tainted with antibiotics, the milk is dumped and they know which farm it came from which means you are going to get called on it! Other than not getting paid for that shipment, I am not sure what the actions are here; but know that we are not the only people testing the quality of that milk.
Again, drugs cost money and sick cows mean lost milk income. So we do our very best to keep our cows healthy and our milk as clean as possible. There is way more to it than this; but this seems to be the big stuff people worry about, and at least now you know how one little farm handles these issues.
You know, we drink milk too! I wouldn't feed you anything I wouldn't eat myself!
Farming, however, has become controversial! The technologies and practices are continually called into question. We as consumers question (justifiably!) where our food comes from and how it is produced. In a capitalist society, that is how it should be. The customer is always right and will buy the products that most accurately fit their needs. Those producer's businesses in turn (should) flourish and the ones whose products are not favored either change their product or go out of business.
I've tried to keep my fingers clean and not delve into inflammatory subject matter here (as I said - this is supposed to be fun!). Lately, I am seeing some things around that are pushing my aforementioned digits to work with the brain and add some Diva Dish to the buffet of digital information so readily available. I am not about to say Organic or Not Organic; but I will say, Choose Dairy! I will say, if you have questions, look at the available research, talk to a farmer, do some experimenting in your own home with This Brand or That Type and see if it makes a difference for you. Only you can choose what is right for you.
In the interest of trying to provide a little additional insight as to the use of hormones and antibiotics in farm animals, I'd like to tell you how we handle these items at our place.
BST - that dirty little hormone so many people fear. Bovine somatotropin, a hormone that already occurs in cows (and no test can detect a higher presence of in milk) that when supplementally injected, will cause some cows to produce more milk. I say some because it is very important that you pick and choose what cows you administer it to; based on their overall health and stage of lactation. We choose cows that aren't eating as aggressively as we would like to see and aren't milking as much as we believe they can as candidates to receive BST. Once they are on the injections, most times their overall health and condition (and of course milk production!) improves.
You must remember, as much as farming is a passion and a lifestyle, it is also a business. What is most important in business is efficiency and productivity! We must have healthy cows who can milk. We do not like to cull (sell or send to slaughter) cows. It is a much better option to take care of them, keep them healthy and watch them thrive! Those injections are not free. Popping every cow in the herd with hormones would be an inefficient, expensive way to do business. So please do not think farmers are out there randomly juicing up cows with hormones to squeeze every last drop of milk out of them before they toss them away like used toilet paper.
Now, let's get to antibiotics. I'm sure you have personal experience to draw from here. You get sick, it won't go away. After you've tried everything you know to do, you go to your doc and they prescribe an antibiotic that finally clears whatever had you feeling so wretched.
Cows get sick too. Not often, really, but they do. They can't look at you and say "Man, I feel like crap! I've got a fever and no appetite and I just really don't want to get up to milk today!" It would be a lot easier if they could! But this is why it is so important to pay attention to them as we work around them. We watch feed input (and output...), the condition of their coats, how they are walking, their eyes. If we think one is getting sick, we jump on it! A quick response usually means a better prognosis and recovery.
If one comes up sick, the first things to try to help are topical: feed hay for an upset stomach, we have mint rubs for sore legs or udder ailments (I am an AWESOME masseuse!), vitamin injections can be very helpful. Sometimes a visit from the veterinarian and possibly even surgery is in order. Sometimes a visit from the hoof trimmer does the trick. Sometimes antibiotics have to be used.
If antibiotics are used, here is what happens. As soon as that first treatment is given, a bright yellow ankle bracelet is put on one of her back legs to indicate that she is "treated". That cow's milk is collected into a separate container (we call it a drop pail) and discarded. We milk our treated cows last. Once the milking equipment comes off that cow, it is taken into the milk house (the barn equivalent of a kitchen sans cooking appliances) and not used on another cow until it has been run through the wash (think industrial dish washer!) cycles.
This process goes on throughout the course of treatment for the cow and for awhile thereafter, depending on the type of antibiotic used. On each box of medication is a label that states a "withhold time" - how long the milk will be tainted with antibiotics. Once the cow has been off the medicine for the stated amount of time, a sample of her milk is taken and tested to make sure it is clear of the antibiotics. It usually is and her milk can then go back in the mix with the other cows. If it is not, her milk continues to be discarded until her samples come back clear.
I should also mention that when the milk truck comes to pick up our milk, the driver takes a sample of our milk to be tested at the plant. If a truck full of milk comes up tainted with antibiotics, the milk is dumped and they know which farm it came from which means you are going to get called on it! Other than not getting paid for that shipment, I am not sure what the actions are here; but know that we are not the only people testing the quality of that milk.
Again, drugs cost money and sick cows mean lost milk income. So we do our very best to keep our cows healthy and our milk as clean as possible. There is way more to it than this; but this seems to be the big stuff people worry about, and at least now you know how one little farm handles these issues.
You know, we drink milk too! I wouldn't feed you anything I wouldn't eat myself!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Necessity gave birth to what?
We've been milking our smaller herd for nearly a month now. We're still farming and still milking cows, so the change may not seem that significant. But many small things make the difference seem quite big!
I now am back at my house before the kids get off the bus. Before the sale, they got off at the farm, got all comfortable at Grandma's house, and it took nothing less than a child-sized shoehorn and minor threats of never seeing a television in the "ON" position ever again(!!) to get them back out! In the barn, it is only about half an hour gained; but counting time gained in the after-barn-life, it's actually more like an hour! More time to get homework done, prepare a decent dinner, and not march my children through their nighttime routines like enlisted soldiers at basic training.
The milking flow is the next thing that topically wouldn't appear to be a big deal; but feels really different. I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as significant if we milked in a parlor. The cows would still go in, get milked and go out, it would simply take less time. Obviously, it takes less time in our tie stall also. But at our farm, we bring the milkers to the cows, not the other way around.
There are a few different ways I know to milk cows in a tie stall. We usually have two people on hand to milk cows. One way to get things done is to each take three milkers (we have six) and milk all of the cows on whichever side you are on. Since the prep and post-milking supplies are kept on a cart in the middle of the barn, it is best to try to keep the sides paced about the same so the supplies are within easy access for both people. It's not always possible; but there's option one.
The other method, and how we usually do it, is to work together and milk both sides of the barn simultaneously. Start with the first three cows on either side, one person applies pre-dip, then each takes a cow and cleans her up and checks her milk. Then start putting milkers on and as the first set are finishing up, you start getting the next group of cows ready. The process feels like a waterfall: your actions tumble after the actions of the person you are milking with and you flow down the length of the barn until all of the cows are milked.
Regardless of which option sounds the most efficient to you, try subtracting 25 cows from one side of a barn that usually holds 64 and see how you flow!
Everything has changed. Since one side is nearly empty, one person would really have an easy gig if you choose the each-take-a-side option! Instead of criss-crossing from cow-to-cow across the barn; you are milking the length of it the first half, back to criss-cross for about 10 minutes in the beginning of the second half, back to the long stretch for a bit, and finish with a flashback of the criss-cross for the last eight cows.
It takes about an hour to milk them all now (it was about an hour-and-a-half before). You are getting into it, and then you are done!
So milking is a little wacky right now. What happens when life gets wacky? You develop ways to deal with it. Instead of taking one towel to clean one cow, you might stuff three in your pocket and skip the extended trip to the cart to get more.
If you are post-dipping a cow after she has been milked, you might hang on to the dip instead of immediately returning it to the cart, and go to the next cow, take her milker off and dip her and THEN return the dip to the cart. This one is a bit of a trick for me. I am less than graceful with the whole milking contraption, and often get tangled up in hooks and hoses. But if you can manage to avoid tripping over all the stuff you are carrying or getting a hook wrapped around your leg or stuck in the hole in your jeans, this little step streamlines the process a bit... at least until some genius comes along and figures out a wireless milking process! Oh wait, to some extent they have... I believe it is called a "parlor".
Wacky milking; but in the end, it challenges your brain to find ways to do it better. THAT is why, no matter what you are facing, change is good!
I now am back at my house before the kids get off the bus. Before the sale, they got off at the farm, got all comfortable at Grandma's house, and it took nothing less than a child-sized shoehorn and minor threats of never seeing a television in the "ON" position ever again(!!) to get them back out! In the barn, it is only about half an hour gained; but counting time gained in the after-barn-life, it's actually more like an hour! More time to get homework done, prepare a decent dinner, and not march my children through their nighttime routines like enlisted soldiers at basic training.
The milking flow is the next thing that topically wouldn't appear to be a big deal; but feels really different. I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as significant if we milked in a parlor. The cows would still go in, get milked and go out, it would simply take less time. Obviously, it takes less time in our tie stall also. But at our farm, we bring the milkers to the cows, not the other way around.
There are a few different ways I know to milk cows in a tie stall. We usually have two people on hand to milk cows. One way to get things done is to each take three milkers (we have six) and milk all of the cows on whichever side you are on. Since the prep and post-milking supplies are kept on a cart in the middle of the barn, it is best to try to keep the sides paced about the same so the supplies are within easy access for both people. It's not always possible; but there's option one.
The other method, and how we usually do it, is to work together and milk both sides of the barn simultaneously. Start with the first three cows on either side, one person applies pre-dip, then each takes a cow and cleans her up and checks her milk. Then start putting milkers on and as the first set are finishing up, you start getting the next group of cows ready. The process feels like a waterfall: your actions tumble after the actions of the person you are milking with and you flow down the length of the barn until all of the cows are milked.
Regardless of which option sounds the most efficient to you, try subtracting 25 cows from one side of a barn that usually holds 64 and see how you flow!
Everything has changed. Since one side is nearly empty, one person would really have an easy gig if you choose the each-take-a-side option! Instead of criss-crossing from cow-to-cow across the barn; you are milking the length of it the first half, back to criss-cross for about 10 minutes in the beginning of the second half, back to the long stretch for a bit, and finish with a flashback of the criss-cross for the last eight cows.
It takes about an hour to milk them all now (it was about an hour-and-a-half before). You are getting into it, and then you are done!
So milking is a little wacky right now. What happens when life gets wacky? You develop ways to deal with it. Instead of taking one towel to clean one cow, you might stuff three in your pocket and skip the extended trip to the cart to get more.
If you are post-dipping a cow after she has been milked, you might hang on to the dip instead of immediately returning it to the cart, and go to the next cow, take her milker off and dip her and THEN return the dip to the cart. This one is a bit of a trick for me. I am less than graceful with the whole milking contraption, and often get tangled up in hooks and hoses. But if you can manage to avoid tripping over all the stuff you are carrying or getting a hook wrapped around your leg or stuck in the hole in your jeans, this little step streamlines the process a bit... at least until some genius comes along and figures out a wireless milking process! Oh wait, to some extent they have... I believe it is called a "parlor".
Wacky milking; but in the end, it challenges your brain to find ways to do it better. THAT is why, no matter what you are facing, change is good!
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