flash forward monday 2019

Just to mix it up a bit I thought I'd do flash forward posts! Because all my posts are from the past. Then you can see some real time posts! I'll  keep it to Monday only though. Maybe it will be fun, maybe it will confuse you, maybe it will confuse me!! LOL  IDK. But I thought it might be fun.

 

So lets talk about breeding age heifers...

This is Poppy.

This is Camilla.

We got them last week. We got them from the same farm we bought our first cow from in 2010. Poppy is actually in the same line as that cow (Maggie). 

After getting neck chains on them my husband took Poppy off the trailer first. She was just fine. Well Camilla didn't like being alone with new people, smells and sights. She started to spin around and knock on the walls of the trailer. She wanted her friend back. My husband went back on the trailer to get her with the halter on her and the door swung open. 

Camilla came out rather quickly, in the opposite direction of the barn. We were all placed around the door of the barn and the entrance we wanted her to go in. She headed my way, and I tried to grab her rope halter to steer her. I'm not much when compared to a scared 800lb heifer...next thing I know I'm on the ground with legs, feet, and a gray belly over me! I was able to cover my head with my arms, and tuck and roll on my side. Then there were arms grabbing me under my arm pits pulling me up! I remember saying "I'm OK!" Then we got her back in the direction we wanted her to go and put in her stanchion. I looked down at my shirt and had a hoof print on me. I knew I'd been kicked and had fallen on a piece of fire wood. I also was kicked between my shoulder blade.

Rough introduction to a new heifer for sure. I was, and am fine. I took a couple milking's off, and have some fun bruises. 

But Camilla and I are good friends now :)  She and Poppy have settled in, and we really like these girls. We're looking forward to getting them bred and having 2 more productive members of the herd. 

Happy Monday y'all! 

the cows come home

 November 16, 2017.
The cows were on their way to their new home. 15 of them. New to us, and us new to them. We had never worked with them. They were used to a parlor barn and never been tied. They were coming to a stanchion barn...oh the lessons and time we were to have. The good, bad, ugly, scary and bloody. Gotta keep things real here. I want you to know the real life of farming here and I'm doing my best to share that with you. Because life is messy, and hard, and wonderful all mixed together. And this new farm life with all these new cows was going to be an adventure for all of us, even the cows.
Now I'll tell you a bit about cows if you don't know. They like things to be the same. EVERYTHING. They don't like change, unless it's  a new grass pasture they get to go on. They like the same people milking them. And their routine to be the same. I know people like this (hardy har har) Another fun fact about cows, they like female milkers better then male. Good thing I love my girls now. Milking is my favorite!
The day these new cows came home, was, like I said a mad dash to the finish line. The hot water was being tested, the pipeline was being finished and needed to have water run through to make sure it worked properly. Not to mention we needed to be taught how to wash the line properly. There are several steps and cleaners that need to be used. We also had to be in contact with Organic Valley to set up pick ups. You have to be picked up a couple times and the milk tested before it can go on the milk truck. We also had to be in contact with the milk pick up company to let them know we were now on the list of pick ups. It's an every other day pick up.
It's all kinda a blurrrrrrrrrrrr. The truck and trailer carrying the cows came and went a couple times with cows. I don't think we got any pictures either. Bummer.
Funny little side story here. On one of the trips the cattle truck was there and we had just gotten done unloading the cows when a truck and trailer pulled in the driveway. This man came in the barn came in the barn and started looking at the cows and wondering what ones he could have!! He liked the looks of them! Saaaay whaaaaaaat?! He was all ready to buy them. Then Matthew told him they weren't for sale, that these cows were just arriving at our farm. Everyone looked confused. Upon further discussion the confusion was cleared up. He was looking for a different Matthew at a different farm down the road from us that had cows for sale. We all got a good laugh outta that one.

The cows were home. They all had collars and a chain to keep them tethered to their stalls. Everyone was restless.
By this time it was time to milk them...now keep in mind these girls had never been in a tie stall. They were used to a parlor barn. Thankfully our Amish friend who had housed and cared for them was there to help us with the first two milking's. This night and the next morning.

pipeline

Thankfully we were able to do a lot of the work ourselves, on  a lot of the projects that needed to get done. But we did have to hire some help in getting the pipeline set up just right. It needs to be at a certain slope for the milk to work with the suction and the milk to flow properly to the holding tank, to then go into the bulk tank.

I know nothing of this type of work, but I can hold things and be the "gofer" you know, go for this and go for that! LOL  And it was time I got to spend with my husband. We kinda like each other. And being able to work together in all this new adventure we were on was fun.

A little out of order, but none the less the pipeline went in

good qoute

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic."


John F Kennedy 

Photo credit goes to our girl DaLaney 

 

the fire truck comes

Not in the way your probably thinking though. Thankfully.

We needed the under ground water drain cleaned out to make sure that all the water we use during wash up would actually go out where it should go. The best way we could be sure it was clean was to have the water truck come and dump pressurized water down it! So we did!
We also had the plumber out to set up the on demand hot water supply system. Our water temp is run on propane and needs to be 185 degrees. So ya, it's super hot. And yes when it hits your hand it is so hot its almost cold then it's instant pain. Gives a nice little burn on your hand. I've gotten one. So we try not to touch the water.

the truck arrives

getting everything ready

worked like a charm! there she blows!!! 

the plumber and my husband

family

The days and weeks went by super fast. There was always a flurry of activity around the farm. New excitement, and stress building as the day was coming closer that the milking herd was coming home.  There was never a day that went by that something wasn't going on.
Life in the big, yellow, farm house was great. We were still not moved in totally. Still needed pictures hung up and making it "home" was last on the list with getting the barn ready for the girls. But we were home, and very happy and content to be where God had planted us. Close to family and friends where we wanted to be. Our farm house was so much bigger then the trailer we had come from. It was a little strange to be in the house and not be so close together all the time. My kitchen is so big along with the pantry that I had no idea where to put my small amount of kitchen things. Not a bad problem to have. It was fun to figure out how to organizer it...ahahaha. I'm not an organizer by nature. It's something that I work at and thank goodness for Pinterest!! I had no idea how to make my kitchen work right for me. It was not a huge big deal, and I've figured it out. I love the big kitchen and was looking forward to having lots of family gatherings and such here.
I felt so blessed. I still do. I haven't forgotten where we came from and how we started. I pray I never do. We took the old number of our place and screwed it to the door frame out in our garage so that we would always have it there to remind us if we needed reminding.

see the number? 338

 The whole life journey we've had together has been lifeful. I don't think that's a word, but my life if full of life. We've had our share of ups and downs as any couple has, but we are stronger for it as a couple and a family. That being said we are very thankful for this big house. That is where family comes in. My husband has a big family with 4 other brothers. I joke with him and say they should have made a movie about you guys, 5 brides for 5 brothers! ahahha. Do you know the real movie of which I speak? It's a classic.
Anyways. His youngest brother, and his wife were selling their house, and looking to buy one closer to the family in our area. They actually had one picked out and were just waiting out all those annoying buying/selling a house details to be worked out. Well, as it turned out their house sold before they could close on the house they were looking at. And then the house they wanted fell through, they couldn't buy it. So as a family we all talked it over and decided that we would offer our house to them to come and stay. The girls have a large room and didn't mind staying together longer. So they could have the 4th bedroom. It even has it's own entrance to it, so that added privacy for them. We invited them to stay as long as they needed, and we were happy to have them. They accepted and moved in. They have one son and he stayed in our sons room. We set up a bed for him there. My sister in law and I get along famously so having her around was great!  She is not a farm girl, but I love her anyways, hehehe. Then she happily offered to do all the cooking so I could be more available to be in the barn! Boy what a gift that was! I knew everybody would be fed I didn't have to worry about getting a meal. Made my life easier for sure, and she's a great cook.
They moved in in October.
And as farm being new farmers and all these new farm things to figure out, their time living with us would be an added blessing.

the first load of grain

At the time we started getting our bulk grain delivered it was coming from Canada. This was our first load to come. We get a load once a month at this time as I type this post.
We usually have a revolving driveway of trucks and people stopping in. Folks seem interested in what we were/are doing and how we were reviving this old farm back to a dairy. Like I said in an older post no cows had been here in 40 years. The previous owners had horses in the stable and hayed the fields.
So on to the grain coming in. All these firsts were exciting.

Good thing we have a loop of a driveway. Makes it a lot easier for these big trucks that come and go. 

It was kinda cool watching all this happen and how it goes from the grain truck to the grain bin. My husband has climbed to the top of the bin before, and I told him I was only too happy to let him do that! I would watch from the ground.

All the girls came up to see what was going on. I guess they could smell the grain and were wanting to get in on the action!!