Holy Smokes! This has been one crazy week! Monday was filled with preschool tours. Tuesday was herd health day where we learned that we will have over 20 cows and heifers due to have calve in December. Wednesday, our corn finally went into the ground~Jonathan and I are so excited to have our first field of corn. Thursday I was at the dentist and making parts runs. Friday, it rained, but then we had to bed in all of the cows and heifers. Saturday we dried off 4 cows due to calve in July. We also moved heifers and calves-graduating them to new pens with more space for their growing bodies.
Today, well we enjoyed a dinner out with family and then returned home to care for our newborn calf Osseo and her mother Olivia. Olivia surprised us with a new calf right before church this morning-I swear they do this on purpose! Nevertheless, we worked even faster to care for the calf and the new cow...and returned after dinner and church to do the final touches. Osseo enjoyed 1 gallon of fresh colostrum and Olivia enjoyed being moved to the milking barn, where she had all of the TMR that she can eat. Jonathan worked this afternoon on our disk mower (machine we use to cut our alfalfa) as we know that we will be cutting our first crop of alfalfa soon. I did a little landscaping. Seems like the weather forecast is calling for more cold and wet weather, so I am working during the sunny days while I can. We had a small dose of frost last night. The airport reported temps as low as 28. We woke to frost on the grass and the rooves. This afternoon I took a quick trip through the corn and alfalfa fields to survey the damage. Our alfalfa got nipped in the low lands, but on the hill sides it appears that those plants were spared. If we get some sun and warmer temps, I do believe that the alfalfa will be fine. Our corn, as it was just planted was safe and sound in the soil (warm, since the soil temps are over 60 degrees) BUT...our neighbor's have corn that has germinated and sprouted out of the soil. Those plants did get damaged, but if the growing point of the plant was still below the soil...the plant will be ok...so here's hoping their corn will be fine. I will try to be back a little more often this week, but once we start cutting hay, all bets are off....another busy week at Orange Patch Dairy!
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I write this blog to share my passion for my cows and farming, please be respectful of that. I reserve the right to delete those comments which portray hate, call names, and are out right disrespectful. If you have an honest question, I will respond, to explain what we do on our farm, why we do it and how we do it. Please read with an open mind. My time to blog is short, as most of our days are spent caring for our beloved cows. Thank you!