All in the Family

For quite a while we’ve been tossing around the idea of registering some of our cows.  Some breeders venture into the world of registered Holsteins by purchasing heifers or cows that are already registered.  We’ve talked about that, but for now, that’s not something we’re too interested in.  Instead, we hope to register some of our best.  We’ve always been a purebred Holstein dairy, and we already use registered bulls for our AI breeding program, so not much will change in our genetics except now there will be an official record.

We haven’t registered anything yet, but we did take the first step in the process by joining the Holstein Association and reserving our prefix.  Registered cattle all have names.  Their names each start with their breeders’ prefix.  We took the obvious route when naming our dairy (Heim Dairy Farm), so our choice of prefix may surprise you.  Each breeder must have a unique prefix, so we were relieved to find that Stellamaris was available – we already had our hearts set on it. 

A couple of heifers strolling along the shore of Lake Stellamaris this winter.

Those of you who know us personally likely know that David’s family owns a fishing lake (roughly 60 acres).  The lake was built by his grandpa and great uncle in 1960, and the property borders the farm we live on, which was then owned by his grandparents. The lake is commonly referred to as “Heim Lake”; however, the official name is Lake Stellamaris.  David’s great grandma (the builders’ mother) was named Stella, and we aren’t sure where the “maris” came from, but a quick Google search tells me that “Stella Maris” is an ancient title for the Virgin Mary.  Given the family’s Catholic faith, this is likely related. Regardless, the lake is important to our family and has traditionally been the site of family events (including our second wedding reception because we were married in Illinois). Stellamaris also happens to sound nice at the front of a cow’s name – when considering a prefix, it seemed like an obvious choice. 

In the last few weeks we’ve also taken a little bit of time to examine our herd records and identify specific cows we would like to register.  We were looking not only for a great cow, but a great cow with great daughters who could form our first cow family, and hopefully be a great foundation to continue to build our herd upon.  As we looked through our records, that family became clear.  In fact, a few members of this family have already graced this blog.

According to David, one of the best cows we have from the original herd is number 929.  Amazingly, 929 has also had 5 heifer calves, and we still have three of these daughters.  One, number 1108, had her first calf this spring and is one of our favorite 1st lactation cows.  She is a Geneva daughter, and her calf is a heifer by Boliver (number 1205).  You may have seen this pair in this post & video about a calve’s first few hours. We were excited to discover that 1147, who is breeding age now, is also a Geneva x 929, and we now have pretty high hopes for her.  And last fall, 929 had her fifth calf and fifth heifer: number 1194 by Abraham.

Cow number 1108 the morning she freshened, with her heifer calf, number 1205.

We haven’t figured out the exact registration process, but we’ve determined that we’d like this to be our first registered cow family.  As we work through this process, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on our progress and the official names of our animals.

Mixing It Up

This week we bought a new-to-us TMR wagon. The TMR wagon is what we use to mix feed (TMR) for our cows. I’ve written before about some of the different components of our cows feed, and since we stopped feeding grain in the barn, the cows have been exclusively eating a TMR ration.

The new TMR wagon made it home!

This purchase is more than a change in equipment, though; it’s also a change in the way we feed our cows. Our old mixer didn’t have a conveyor for unloading feed into bunks or tires that would work off of concrete. This meant that we had to unload the feed where we mixed it, and then use other means to put it in the feed bunk. We had a bunk right next to our silo (where we mix) that we would scoop the feed into using a skid loader. The main problem with this was that the silo isn’t close to the free stall or lean-to that our cows like to hang out in, so they were eating and then going to lay down, with too much travel in between. It’s better for them to be able to eat and lay down as they wish throughout the day. The long walk meant they did one and then the other instead of eating a little, letting it digest, then eating a little more.

For a couple of months we did try loading the feed into a different wagon that did have a conveyor and adequate tires (but that couldn’t do the mixing) to be able to feed closer to the free stall and lean-to. It should have been better for the cows, but the process took a significant amount of extra time, required an additional tractor, and we saw no change in milk production to justify the extra effort. It became clear that if we were going to feed near the barns, we needed a wagon that could both mix and unload the feed.

The conveyor unloading the TMR into the fence line bunk.

We spent some time looking for such a wagon, but every one we found was out of our price-range. We really had quit looking; we were getting by with what we had. Then last week David’s dad was at an auction and noticed they had a wagon just like what we had been looking for. Knowing we had stopped looking, he didn’t bid. The wagon was auctioned and “sold”, but we have enough experience with auctions to know that “sold” doesn’t always mean a piece of equipment has gone to a buyer. The price they stopped at seemed reasonable, so the next day they called the auction company to see if the wagon was still available and it was.

On Friday, David and his dad went down to take a look at the wagon, and for the same price the auctioneer pronounced the wagon “sold” for, they pulled it home that afternoon. David mixed with it that evening and fed the cows in two big steel tubs and a concrete bunk along the fence line, right next to the freestall and lean-to. The cows were a little confused at first, as they stood by the gate to the silo while their feed was unloaded back by their beds, but they’ve caught on now. Our cows aren’t the type to miss a meal.

Some cows enjoying their dinner at the fence line bunk.

We hope this time around the cows’ production will increase, but if not the wagon is a good investment for the time it saves. The old process used to take an hour and 20 minutes twice day, but today mixing and feeding took a total of about 45 minutes. The new wagon has two augers to mix instead of one, so it mixes a bit faster, and the old process to unload and scoop the feed was cumbersome and time consuming. By giving David an extra hour every day, the new-to-us TMR wagon should help our overall dairy operation run a lot more smoothly!

National Ag Day: Why do we farm?

Today is National Agriculture Day. I often write about what we do as a part of agriculture, but today I want to talk about why we do it. Michele Payn-Knoper wrote this post about taking the time to explain the personal nature of farming.

I’ve said too many times that farming is hard, that it’s so hard that many people aren’t willing to do it. I’m certainly not saying farming is the only difficult job out there. Engineering is hard, too, trust me. But as an engineer, I’ve never had to get up at 2 AM and go out in a cold rain to check on anything. As a farmer, I have.

So, if farming is so hard – why do we do it?

It’s a difficult question to answer – and one I’ve asked myself a million times. After all, when I met David, I wasn’t a farmer. It’s difficult to explain a decision like ours to someone who hasn’t farmed. There are certainly easier ways to make a more comfortable living. I admit that at times I needed a little convincing, but the process that convinced me didn’t include lists of pros and cons and logical reasons.

The process of buying the farm was very stressful. If we had given up and moved closer to my job, our lives would most likely be easier. But it wouldn’t be right. We talked about it, a lot. The thought of someone else milking our cows, of not seeing our calves grow up and have calves, of my husband putting on a tie every morning – it was heartbreaking. The more we worked side by side, I just knew. I understood what David always seemed sure of.

David’s veiw from the tractor while planting corn

I believe farming is something inside of us. Its a love for all things living and (for us at least) a faith that God will provide what we need. We love the good times – the newborn calves, the high milk tests, the yields that exceed expectations. The struggles, though, are what make those good times great.

The weather and our prices are two of the things we depend on most, and two of the things we have the least control over. Last year, our first year as owner/operators, neither was favorable. The past year has no doubt made us stronger. It has made us appreciate the things that do go right. If farming was easy, it wouldn’t be so rewarding.

View from the chopper.

We enjoy the challenge of doing more with less and finding new ways to do old things to make our cows and our farm better than they were before. And I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again – we take pride in continuing a tradition that started in our families over 100 years ago. Farming is truly in the cloth from which we were cut.

If its so hard, why do we farm? We farm for our families, for our cows, for our land, for all those who need something to eat and drink, and for us. We farm because it’s who we are.

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard…is what makes it great.” – Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own

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Bring on the Mud

We had about two feet of snow at the end of February, and last week it was over 40 degrees for several consecutive days, melting all but the tallest piles of snow. Then, on Saturday, it rained all day long. We were sitting on the couch on Sunday night, and I said to David, “Any ideas what I can blog about?” His response was “All I can think about is mud.”

To say it is muddy is an understatement. We do our best to keep everything clean and dry, but this time of year it’s nearly impossible. Every calf group has some type of shelter, a structure with a roof, to keep them dry, but our cows and calves eat outside. They have free access to the exterior of their shelters at all times. Because of this, despite our best efforts, they get muddy. They really don’t seem to mind, but boy they are a mess. And muddy cows and calves result in muddy farmers.

The muddy road through the barnyard.

This weekend I bedded down all of the huts and groups. We use a bale shredder to bed down the milk cows, but the tractor won’t fit in our calf pens.  Bedding down calves means bending over into buildings whose roofs are lower than your height and breaking apart and spreading out straw bales to give the calves something warm and dry to lay on.

In the end, the person doing this is generally a little sore and completely covered in straw. To give you a visual: I had my phone in a pocket on the inside of my vest, and I have a case that covers the charging port, and when I went to charge my phone, I had to remove a piece of straw from inside the closure over that port. I can’t explain how that happened. Bedding down calves isn’t anyone’s favorite job, but its important to keep things as clean as possible, and the calves are always appreciative.

Let me stop my complaining for a minute, though, because I’m not really complaining. Last year we went months without mud, and drought is far more difficult to deal with. So as the rain came down on Saturday, no one complained. We changed our wet clothes at noon and went back out and got our dry clothes wet without a word. We’re extremely thankful for the rain that will hopefully turn into ground moisture to help our crops and pastures grow so that our cows will have something to eat.

Because of last year’s drought, we’ve had to buy a lot more feed than normal. And because of last year’s drought, feed is hard to find and expensive. We hope to grow more feed ourselves this year and need to buy less next year. And we hope that what we do need to buy won’t cost quite so much. Given all that, bring on the mud.

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Snow Day!

Last Thursday morning when we woke up there was no snow on the ground. The weather reports all said it was coming, though. Around 7 am, it started. Our employee Aaron arrived early and got the cows in and stayed to help with chores.  Between the three of us we finished all of the outdoor chores by about 11:30.  In the meantime, 8 or 10 inches of snow had piled up. This storm was no joke.

We sent Aaron home after chores, and David and I sat down to lunch around noon. The snowfall slowed, but it continued lightly for most of the afternoon. Our preparations had paid off and allowed us to get our outdoor work done early.  We had plenty of things planned to do indoors during the afternoon. Funny thing about plans, though.

About halfway through lunch David’s mom called: there were 4 Holsteins in her front yard. We thought we might take a trailer over, but thankfully, we decided to check out the roads with just a truck first. The road in front of our house was ok, but the first turn put us on a road that had been plowed and then badly drifted. The county hadn’t made it to the road his parents live on yet, and there was a big drift in front of their driveway. We made it, but we quickly realized that no trailer could make that trip, and really, we didn’t want to risk it in the truck again either. The safest option was to walk with the heifers back to our farm. So our adventure began.

The heifers darted into the woods at the first opportunity. There is a road just off to the left.

We hiked roughly 2 miles in a foot of fresh snow, through the woods, along the lake, in and out of creek beds (still dry from the drought) until we finally reached the pasture where the heifers belong. The whole way we had to guide the girls, who were clearly lost – they didn’t recognize the way back until we were very close. It was about a 2.5 hour trip. Also, I owe a huge thanks to David for taking them through the pasture to the other cows while I walked the more direct route along a dirt road back to the farm.

We took the scenic route along the lake.

The heifers weren’t sure which way to go to get home.

When he got back to the farm I was still trying to get the 4 wheeler through the drift behind it to go pick him up. We still don’t know where or why these heifers got out; they had plenty of hay where they belonged.  It was quite a journey, but we survived. And so did the heifers. An hour later we pried our tired selves off the living room floor and milked the cows and did evening chores. And neither of us accomplished any indoor work.

David and the heifers head the long way through the pasture to find the other cows.

I talked about our normal winter routine a few weeks ago, but a winter storm requires extra preparation, and even small problems can turn into big adventures. Today we prepared for another incoming winter storm. Hopefully this one will be less eventful.

Did you have a snow day this week? How did you spend it?

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What’s In A Name

One of the first questions I get from many people when they find out I have cows is: “do all the cows have names?” The short answer is “No. They have numbers.”

If you read this blog regularly, though, you know that some of them have names; we’ve even asked for your help in selecting some names. When I first visited the farm, only one cow had a name: Cupcake. She is a story for another day, though.

As I started helping with calves, several of them started picking up names. The timing is probably coincidental. One of the first was Sparky, number 1062. She was a really active calf, and it just came out one day as she was attempting to eat the hose I was using to give her group water. Another calf born about the same time was number 1068, Buttercup. When moving her to a pen she tried bucking and running. David said something like “whoa there Buttercup”, and it stuck, kind of. She went by Buttercup for several months, but now, as a milk cow, she’s just “1068″. Sparky, on the other hand is still just “Sparky”.

This is Sparky. You can’t read her ear tag, but we know who she is.

Many of the calves that got names were favorites, but that’s certainly not to say that a cow or calf without a name is not a favorite. Number 1099 is due to calve next week. When she was 2 days old she tried to take me (as in ran at me with the intention of trampling me). It was adorable, and she’s been one of my favorites ever since. She never got a name, though.

All of the Kuckelcows have names, and we’ve continued to give their daughters names. However, I call HD 100 (the first Kuckelcalf born here, named Zorba) “100″. We actually have two number 27s. One was born here, and one was purchased. They go by “27″ and “big 27″. “Big 27 is a purchased Kuckelcow, so she also has a name. It’s Unicorn, but I had to look that up. Although all 38 Kuckelcows came with names, I only know four or five off the top of my head, and we only regularly refer to three by their names.

This post really does have a point, and I’m finally getting to it. I think the people who ask me about the cows names think that a name gives the cows identity and personality. Really, though, what makes a name? Does it have to be a word? Can’t it be a number? When we refer to “1099″ an individual animal comes to mind the same way that a different animal comes to mind when we refer to “Sparky”. If we refer to “Buttercup” I think something like “that’s 1068 – right?”

I think the question people are really asking is: “Do you know your cows?” And to that, the answer is yes, absolutely yes. We know them, and we care about them a great deal.

End of an Era

Sometimes change occurs in unexpected ways. And sometimes, unexpected circumstances are the only way to change.

Despite knowing that it was not ideal for our cows’ diet, we had been feeding grain during milking. This wasn’t done with ill-will toward the cows. On the contrary, the cows were rather partial to this twice-daily treat.

Several years ago, David quit feeding in the barn, and the disgruntled cows simply refused to come in to be milked. He gave in and resumed feeding. We made some improvements to this feeding last winter, but all the pertinent research shows that it is best to feed dairy cows a TMR (total mixed ration), in which all the components of their ration are blended together.

Several months ago, a few of our feeders quit working. By the beginning of December, one whole side was basically useless. Inconsistency can cause problems, and each cow might eat a little different ration day-to-day depending on the milking order. In addition, the cows were very difficult to run in on the side without working feeders.

Finally, we quit using the feeders altogether. The cows were pretty ticked at first, but over a few weeks they adjusted, and things started going more smoothly. Now with a more consistent diet, and a true TMR, they’ve picked up on milk a little. It has been decided – the feeders won’t be fixed! We are officially done feeding in the barn!

This is extremely exciting for two reasons. First, fixing the feeders was an unfinished task that had been hanging over our heads for a month, and second, we’re doing the best thing for our cows, even if it wasn’t what they thought they wanted. I suspect this is how parents feel when they get their kids to eat their veggies.

Starting Fresh

Those familiar with beef herds are used to hearing about calving seasons, but many dairies, including ours, prefer to keep a consistent number of cows milking and try to calve year-round. A very hot end to summer 2011 meant not very many cows got bred, though, so this spring we actually went two months without a calf. Also, we do limit calving in the worst heat of July or August because calving in the heat is hard on both the cows and calves. It has been a little interesting watching our numbers swing as we continued to dry off cows without adding back equivalent numbers of fresh cows. At the moment, we’re milking fewer than 70 cows, but all that is about to change.

Monday morning number 476, Willow (a Kuckelcow), had a heifer calf out of the bull Shamrock. She was due to calve on September 8^th . Calving early is very common, and there is no cause for concern. It wouldn’t really even have been a surprise except there are 7 other cows or heifers actually due before September 8^th. In addition to those 8, there are 13 more animals due in September. In fact, the craziness doesn’t stop this month – we expect 17 calves in October and 13 calves in November – that’s 51 total fresh cows in three months. For a herd our size, that’s a bunch.

I explained dry-off a few weeks ago, but what happens when a cow or heifer has her calf (or “freshens”)? After the cow has cleaned off her calf, we take the calf to keep it safe and healthy. After the next milking shift, we milk the cow separately to collect it’s colostrum. Colostrum is thicker than milk and contains a lot of good stuff meant specifically for her calf. We feed the calf it’s mother’s colostrum for it’s first two feedings. Because the cows are treated before dry-off we milk them 6 times before testing their milk for antibiotics. If the test clears, we “turn them out” with the rest of the milk herd. If for some reason the milk tests positive for antibiotics, we would continue to dump her milk until the antibiotic cleared. I don’t recall this ever being an issue with a fresh cow, but we never return a cow to the herd without testing her.

Heifers are a little bit different. Our heifers, now 1^st lactation cows, are not treated prior to calving, so we only milk them 4 times before turning them out with the rest of the herd. We do this to make sure they’ve stopped giving colostrum and started giving milk and to help them adjust to milking. It’s a big change, and keeping them separate enables us to give extra attention to keeping them calm and comfortable as they adjust to their new daily routine.

As we ease into fall, we’re looking forward to fresh faces in the calf huts and fresh udders in the milk barn.

Willow’s new daughter, Alfalfa

A Bunch of Bull

In two weeks time we had 5 bull calves born and zero heifer calves. I don’t know why, but we always seem to have streaks related to calf gender. In fact, it’s a common assertion among dairy farmers that after a streak of one, you’re “due” for a streak of the other.

In this case, our 5 bull calves followed up a string of 6 heifers (w 3 bulls scattered in between). Regardless of the calf’s gender, a fresh cow is always a blessing, but the calf does impact our operation.

We try to raise our heifer calves as herd replacements, but bull calves don’t have much place at a dairy. What do we do with our bulls? Contrary to what some believe, dairy bull calves don’t all get sold for veal.

We prefer to sell them as soon as possible, usually within a week, after they’ve had their mother’s colustrum. They’re almost as cute as the heifers, but they cost money to feed, take up space, and don’t benefit the dairy operation. We do keep one every six months or so to raise and butcher for beef. Yes, we eat them. And the meat is very good.

There are many reasons people buy bull calves. Sometimes when a beef farmer loses a calf, they will try to give the mother a dairy bull in place of her calf. If it will take it, it’s good for the cow, and the farmer has a larger calf to sell with their others after weaning.

Other farmers will buy the calves to feed until they’re bigger and sell them as feeder beef. Dairy bulls aren’t as feed efficient as beef breeds, but they produce good lean meat and generally cost less to buy. Most beef farmers raise the calves to maturity before slaughter like we do.

The other major market for bull calves is 4H. Bucket calves are great projects for young kids to get into livestock showing. Dairy bull calves are a fairly inexpensive option for kids whose families don’t have cattle.

Previously, we would take the calves to a nearby auction on Saturday mornings. The price could vary a lot month to month, usually following expected trends. If someone inquired at the farm we would gladly sell the calf for a price comparable to what we would expect to get at an auction, but we didn’t advertise our calves for sale.

This winter, however, we reached an agreement with a beef farmer to trade our bull calves starting in June for fans that remained in the free stall barn on a dairy he had purchased for its acreage. We simply agreed on a price for both the fans and the calves, and we’re both getting a good deal that benefits our respective operations. His nephew will raise the bull calves and learn about caring for cattle while our cows stay cool with his fans.

We’re happy to be able to make good on our trade agreement, but we won’t be heartbroken if our bull streak gets broken soon! We’re due!

It’s Awefully Dry Around Here

Based on the title, I’m sure you’re expecting a post about the drought we’re currently experiencing. We could use some rain, bad, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.

During the afternoon milking on Saturday we dried off 14 cows of the 90 we milked that night. That’s over 15%. While that is a high percentage of cows, it’s not nearly the same percentage of milk. We also should have some cows coming fresh over the next couple of months to offset those we dried up.

Before I go too far, I should probably explain what dry-off means. I’ll start from the beginning. A dairy cow must have a calf before she can produce milk. After she calves, she will produce for several months without having another calf, but it’s important to get her “bred back” (pregnant) quickly because she won’t keep producing forever. The milking period after a calf is born is called a lactation (the first lactation occurs after she has her first calf, and so on).

The exact possible length of a lactation varies depending on the cow and several other variables. If we get a cow bred back quickly she will generally still be producing well, but at approximately 60 days before she’s due, we dry her off. If the cow has had a long lactation we will sometimes dry her off early because her production will drop on its own. DHIA testing has helped us better determine this.

Because of long lactations and also the effects of the summer heat, a few of the cows dried off this time were done early due to low production. All were within 90 days to calving though. There are exceptions to every rule, but in general it’s best for a cow to not be dry too long because the transition back to milking may be more difficult. It’s important for the cow to have a dry period so her energy can go toward her calf and regenerating her udder for continued production.

Drying a cow off involves giving her a couple of shots and injecting a dry-cow treatment into each quarter of her udder. The shots are vaccines that help keep both her and her calf healthy, and the treatments help prevent mastitis for her upcoming lactation.

After dry treating the cows we mark them as dry and haul them to a pasture where they’ll graze until they’re about 3 weeks from calving. At that point they’re moved to a maternity pasture where we can keep an eye on them and transition them back to the milk herd’s ration.

Probably the most exciting part of this particular dry-off was using our new (to us) truck and trailer to haul cattle for the first time!

Our cows’ sweet new ride!