Buying Impulse



All in the farmer's week....



Monday, Rick and I went to Otsego to pick up our Alfalfa seed from friends who own Newland Seed & Supply.  We purchased it last fall at the early discounted price, and Craig stores it for us until we're ready.  Our sitter watched the kids, so...

We also picked up this guy. His name is Impulse.  He is a pure Jersey bull, that we will use to breed the 2 yr. olds this summer.  Our Jersey bulls come from a farmer that specializes in raising bulls, and all of them have been tested.

Craig & his wife treated us to lunch!  The bull hollered from the trailer the whole time.  Guess he wanted some, too.

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We also started working on our new calf lots this week.  These will be in the grass lot in front of the new barn.  Here, Rick is showing our son where to nail in the insulators on the corner post.



We borrowed a post pounder from a friend, and got most all of the post driven in an afternoon.

I created a plan that involves 3 pens, with a "feeding center" in the middle, or "the cube" as we call it.  I'll share pictures of that when we get it done.

In preparation for our son's birthday, I made some ice cream.  It takes two batches in the Cuisinart, so I have to make it ahead of time.  In reality, it is actually must faster for me to whip up ice cream at home than pick it up at the store.  We have all the ingredients on hand, too-eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla.  I'm not sure why we don't make it more often!

We had a great time celebrating his birthday. We did only the minimals outside, then played in the park, had pizza, and his birthday party with Grandma and Grandpa.  His birthday was the last time I ever had a day off in April (11 years ago)!  Its takes a special kind of crazy to love seasonal calving!

Our Spring days are filled mostly with outside tasks.  After school in the morning, we have lunch together then head outside to gather up new calves, work on projects (calf pens, fence,), clean up around the farm, and do daily chores.

I've noticed that others have already tilled their garden once, mulched around their plants, and even mowed their lawn.  I know we'll eventually get to those things too....as soon as Cutting Edge Lawn Care shows up!

Have a great day!
-Terri 

Half Way There!

Today, we had 6 cows freshen (give birth), putting us over the half-way done mark!
Here's today's newborns:

Its a girl! Her mom is Holly.

Its a girl! Her mom is Verbena

Its a boy x2, from Ava and Tye.

Its a boy! His mom is Orva (not pictured).  Taffy, the cow here, claims this calf...do you see the foot?  After milking, she had a bull calf. We had to call the vet, it's head was bent back and we were unable to maneuver it into position on our own, but both cow and calf are doing good.

The rest of the ladies in waiting...

 

The barn is currently divided in the middle, milk cows on the west end and dry cows on the east end.  The dry cows are always trying to slip past us as we sort cows.  Isn't funny how even cows always want to be on the other side of the fence???



 

I also got to recline back with my feet up for about an hour....at the dentist.  Aside from the protruding objects in my mouth, it was great!

 

God is Great!  We may get tired, but when you look back the days are full of blessings- new calves, access to great Dr.'s (for people & animals), the ability to work, the list could go on and on.

 

Take whatever challenges you've had recently and see them for what they are-blessings....and then remind me in the morning when I'm bottle feeding all these new babies! :)

 

Happy Spring!

-Terri

 

 

 

 



Go For Greek!

If you're a yogurt consumer, I'm sure you've noticed the changes in your store's dairy department lately.   There's a new yogurt in town, and everyone is talking about it....Greek!

For consumers, greek yogurt is known for its high protein content, often twice that of regular yogurt.  For dairy producers, greek yogurt is known as the latest product that requires large amounts of milk...yeah, we're good with that!  Fluid milk consumption may be down, but greek yogurt consumption is up.

I do enjoy greek yogurt.  I find that it fills me up, without having to eat anything else.  It's often creamier than traditional yogurt, and the new flavors taste great.

However, just like anything else, not all greek yogurt is created equally.  The companies making the yogurt are constantly trying to find what varieties will easily part you with your money.  Some have lower calories, some have higher protein, some have flavors that nature cannot provide.

Its important to me to not compromise quality.  We do our best around here to not consume artificial colors, flavors, or sugars.  And guess what? I've found these things in greek yogurt!

For fun (yes, I do these things for FUN), I did a little comparison on 12 different yogurts found at my local grocer.  Having all the information on a chart makes my decision at the store much easier.  All but 2 of these 12 were on sale for 1.00 each (still pretty high-but the price of milk is up, and when that goes up, so does everything else).  For easy comparison I picked vanilla whenever possible, because vanilla can be flavored naturally, and most brands have a "vanilla" choice.

Here are my findings:

The biggest disappointment here is that Kroger's regular greek yogurt has artificial coloring in it.  Otherwise that would be my top pick, given that it has a whopping 16 grams of protein.  However, since we are trying to avoid those additives, our next best choice would be Stonyfield Organic, which has 13 grams of protein for 140 calories, and you are guaranteed there will no additives, ever.

So what will you choose?  Is saving 20-40 calories worth putting artificials in your body?  Don't let this deter you from purchasing a very healthy, tasty, and filling meal or snack.  Just remember to always check your labels, even on products you've been buying for a long time.  Every time you make a purchase, you cast a vote for the next type of product companies will create. Vote for Real. Vote for Healthy.  Vote for Greek! (Okay, so that last one was to encourage milk sales....I can't help it!).

-Terri