Babysitting Bessie

Hello Readers!

While our 1st cutting of hay gets rinsed off (again....and yes, today is June 20th) we are freed up a bit to catch up on some other things...like the blog!  I could go on and on about some of the challenges we have been facing, but the fact of the matter is that we have done all that we can do, and things such as the weather are out of our control.   So while we wait and prepare to finish the hay, haul the compost barn out, and start 2nd cutting, we keep busy with some other things....


Monday I picked up 4 flats of berries.  I started at 10am, and by 5:30pm I had 61 jars of jam-enough for almost 2 years and some for gifts.  7.5 hours every-other-summer is SO worth it!  They recommend consuming home canned goods within a year, but I have not had a problem with the product into the 2nd summer.  I've also found that doing all of the berry prep first, then the jam making, is much more time- efficient.

 

Tuesday we managed to get what we had baled hauled home and wrapped!  Now we just have the 2 fields and pasture to get baled and wrapped, then its on to hauling compost and starting 2nd-already!



We paid the wrapper off this week! Only one month early, we saved about $2.00 on the interest.  This picture is from the day that we bought it, almost 3 years ago. :) Happy Day-both of them!



Today, since it is raining, Rick and the boys are taking a load of scrap to the junkyard.  It's a win-win for us...the farm stays cleaned up, and we get paid to recycle!

FINALLY...the best part of this past week.  This is "Bessie". She is actually cow number 486.  See that red collar she wears?  It holds what is called a "responder"-an electronic device that robotic milkers use to identify cows that go into the robots to be milked.  No, we didn't get robots.  My dad called and said he had a cow that was just recently fresh.  She gives 80lbs milk/day.  The issue is that her recent calving has caused some udder edema (swelling), making her udder a tad too low for the robot to milk her.  He asked if we were interested in her staying with us for awhile.  I said "sure!"

Bessie has been so much fun.  At home, she gets to go to the barn to get milked and eat grain whenever she likes.  Here, she is on a much more structured schedule, and she doesn't care for it too much.  She waits at the paddock gate and hollers.  She moos continuously in the holding pen.   She complains on her way down to the paddock.  Dad said she was a little bit of a pet, but I think he forgot an "s" in between the "e" and "t".  She likes to be petted, and is in no hurry, ever.  Bessie had been milked in my dad's parlor before he and Mom got the robots, so she comes into the parlor well.  Bessie puts our milking herd numbers to 120, with 6 left to freshen yet. 

May God bless you this week, and if you need rain, may God send it your way.....

-Terri

Taco Seasoning...without MSG!

I told a friend the other night I would get this recipe to her, and then I thought you might enjoy it, too.  I buy all the seasonings in bulk, then mix about 2 cups worth and store in an airtight container.  I do not care for the cumin in the recipe, so I do not include it.

For about 3 Tbs., or the equivalent of a .25 oz package from the store:

1 Tbs. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Garlic powder (I've also used salt)
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt

Mix together in bowl...and you're done!  Just like the packets from the store, you may want to add a small amount of water to your meat with this mix.

In terms of healthy eating, one small change at a time can make a difference-in your wallet, too!

The Cube

This morning we were greeted by Grace and her new calf, a bull.  Is it a coincidence that Grace calved on a Sunday morning? Maybe. Probably not.

Our new calf pens are 90% finished!  Here is "the cube"

In front of the new barn, we made three new pens.  Each pen has a super-hutch, a 10-bar Braden milk bar feeder, and 10 calves.

Under each feeder are two cement slabs out of an old hog barn.  They are slated so water drain through, yet they protect the feeding area from becoming a mud hole.  This also helps the calves be at the correct height for the feeder.  This pen is being weaned this week. They get milk in the morning only, for one week.  They have grain and water available all the time.

This pen was weaned last week. In the morning they get water in their feeder, to satisfy the suckling need that calves have.  Eventually they will tire of the feeder and stop going to it.  They will get water in the morning for no more than one week.  They also have grain and fresh pasture available.

This pen was weaned a couple of weeks ago.  While the feeder is still on their gate, they do not get milk or water in it.  They get a pail of grain each morning and pasture.  The feeder will be left on their gate until we see that they no longer show interest in it.  By leaving it in there, they will suckle the feeder and not the other calves, which may cause udder health issues when the calves are older.

This year I took all the milk I needed to the new pens using a wagon.  It was nice to only make one trip.  Water is available from the new barn, and the calf pens are on their own electric fence system, so we can unplug it right there at the pens, keeping the rest of the farm's fence hot.  I've also noticed that the calves have not been spooked so much since they are not by the road.

We also got to bring home these guys recently!  We start them in a hutch until they're eating well and have adjusted, then we move them to a larger pen on pasture.  The pigs are always fun.  Taste great, too!

We're trying to finish up planting.  Its taking a bit longer since the drill broke down, but that is nothing more than a mere bump in the road.  The alfalfa is not quite to bud stage, so we should still be on time for first cutting.  Its hard not to feel rushed as you see the other farmers getting their hay done.  It reminds me that we cannot get caught up in comparing ourselves to others.  We need to do what is right for us, which is getting the planting done first, then the hay.

We had two sermons this weekend on discipleship.  It was interesting how they differed so much in delivery, tone, and presentation of the gospel-yet at the end they were both the same. We are to go, follow Christ, and make disciples.  This looks different for everyone.  Some may be called to actually go to far off places and converse with people.  Some may be called to go to the neighbors...or their own dining table.  The key is to listen to what God is trying to tell you, have faith-then GO.

-Terri