Tulips and alfalfa are confused....

On eof the many tulips I have, wondering is it winter or summer in MN?

Boy does this weather in MN have my plants, flowers & veggies confused!  Not to mention the poor cows.  Just yesterday afternoon we were dodging thunderstorms in a humid 70 degree haze.  Today we are talking about snow, wind chills, and oh yeah....FROST!  Last week we endured a low overnight of 19.  That's not only harmful to my precious flowers....but also to our alfalfa.  It's scary to think what this next cool night might bring.  Last week's frost nipped the tops of all of our previously georgious alfalfa plants.  Most appear to have survived, but they are most definitely stunted.  Tonight's weather is going to put some already stressed out alfalfa plants at greater risk for more damage and even possibly death!   Our alfalfa crop is critical.  Healthy plants, harvested correctly, will make healthy feed for our cows...thereby growing healthy cows ;)  So, we are praying with fingers crossed that by the end of the week our dear alfalfa field will have survived the cool weather and resumed their path to an early harvest in May. 

Weekly Re-Cap

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!

Frosty Pics from the Farm

Purple cone flowers that made it through the winter.

Pretty vines on the trees in the grove.

Frosted round bales of grass hay.

Winter view of the heifer lot.

Dry cows, relaxing in the dry cow lot on this frosty winter day.

Meet AC/DC, our heifer who is 16 months old and expecting her first calf this fall.

Yevette!!! (our preemie calf from this summer) She's doing so well! She loves it outside, even if it's frosty. She's almost as tall as the other calves her age, but has so much more attitude.

Kittens like to snuggle up with the bulls calves in the calf barn.

Frosty trees in the yard.

Silver Bells, checking out the frost covered shrubs in front of her calf hut.

Our Dairy Barn, almost 5 years old already. View from the road.

Komanche, our heifer, checking out the birds in the tree out in the yard.

It's so cold, but we have such a pretty view outside!

Which one of these doesn't belong? Yep, it's Glencoe, she was our "day care" calf this summer, who visited area day cares. She thinks she needs to be spoiled and is completely immune to electric fences-she goes where she wants to and we just let her.

What a great view from the dairy barn!

Cows eating in a very foggy barn. Yummy! TMR! (total mixed ration-containing alfalfa, corn silage and so many other great feeds!)