Visitors

There were many yesterday. (Most of these photos were taken at the full extent of every bit of digital and optical zoom I could come up with so they aren't the greatest.)

One visitor left while I was running for the camera. He or she was right up at the edge of the lawn. I saw large, fuzzy ears between the branches of a clump of box elders. I was doing the dishes....and looking out the window over the sink. The ears twitched back and forth in a display of great alertness. At first I thought I was seeing a very short deer.

However then the critter moved out into the open, its thick, puffy tail so heavy with fur that it looked like an effort to hold it up out of the snow.

A red fox with the plushest fur I have ever seen, hunting in broad daylight. He kept looking up the little box elders and sniffing the bark. Wonder what he was finding there.

Burning Food

Read what California dairy blogger, Dino Giacomazzi, says about ethanol

Weather Signs

This often leads to

This

Back when I was working at my first dairy farm job my boss taught me many weather signs. One that has held true in almost every instance is that if snow clings to the branches and wires either wind or rain is close behind. That sure was the case yesterday and despite how grueling the wind was I am glad that it wasn't rain. Hate to think what that would have done to all the thousands of snow-covered roofs in the region.

Do you know any other interesting weather prognostications?

Wednesday

Out before stardark to check on the heifers. We put the last two springers into the cow barn late last night. You never know if they will get into trouble in new stalls so...

Crispy cold. Officially winter, because I finally gave in and got out my brother's old red college scarf. It is a favorite of mine....how I envied his "cool" when he wore it back in the day...so I only wear it when it is just too cold to go without it. Couple times a winter...I want to make it last. It is only around zeroish this morning, but the wind makes it feel plumb glacial.

Scarf did its job so it wasn't too bad walking over. They were both fine, lying properly positioned in the stalls and calm. We will have to watch them real closely for a while though.

Yesterday every twig, branch and wire was all hung with thick snow, a harbinger of either wind or rain...and we got wind. Boy, did it ever howl. It was so loud that when the men came in to sit down for a while late in the afternoon they couldn't hear the TV over it. It was sucking snow off the heifer barn making a cloud so thick you could barely see the barn through it. Hope it is calmer today. Stay warm!

We are Awake Now

Magnum

You have probably read of all the barn collapses all over the Northeast. There have been hundreds of them, many cattle, calves and chickens have been killed, horses trapped and at least a couple of people have lost most of their machinery....all kinds of horrible stuff going on.

There has just been a tremendous amount of snow and then late last week it rained and sleeted on top of it, causing many buildings to fail. It is so sad for all the families that have suffered these losses.

So far we have been fortunate. Most of our roofs are very high, but they are steel and steep, both good. The guys have shoveled off the lower ones already to keep them safe.

However, last night we were milking when a tremendous, thunderous, long, rolling boom shook the barn. The cows panicked and scrambled for footing. We ran around like chickens chasing corn kernels.

Up to the mow, out to the barnyard. Round and round we hurried, looking for what was happening. There was nothing to see though. All was well. It was just tons and tons of snow sliding off the newer part of the barn. No harm done.

All through milking it kept doing that, as one roof after another let off bits of their encumberment. It was not boring.

And I am ready for that to be over with I can tell you. Oddly, after the first couple of cascades the cows paid no attention.

Back in the day when we still had horses they loved to stand and soak up the sun along the dark wall of the old heifer barn. Every now and then in the winter though they would throw up their heads and bolt, seemingly at nothing. We knew then that in a few seconds the snow would slip loose from the roof and come crashing down where they had been standing. Must be they heard it begin to come loose and knew enough to run. Of course Magnum was aways in the bunch and he was a real smart old guy.

Blank

And cold, but hopeful. Yeah, that about says it.

Sunday Stills....Emotions

This was a hard one. To find photos to evoke emotion in the observer. I am not sure that I managed, but here they are.

For more Sunday Stills.....

Updates on Milk Spill Control

This guy has much more sense than some folks I could mention

Here are a couple more articles on the amazing efforts of the EPA to equate dairy products with lubricants and fuels. (Butter as an environmental hazard)

Milk as fertilizer (thanks Nita)

Some news from last summer on the regs.

We Have Met the Enemy

.....and I hafta admit....he is kinda pretty.

Pumpkin Growers Smarter than EPA

Equal in the eyes of the EPA

(Which, I am sure comes as no surprise to you.)

Many of the folks who grow giant pumpkins fertilize them with milk. I often bring milk that can't be sold, such as milk from a cow that just had a calf, over to the garden to feed to my assorted squashes. There are those who poo-poo the idea, but it works for me and some pumpkin producers swear by it.

And there have been numerous milk spills in this dairy-rich region, when milk tankers were involved in traffic mishaps.

You wanna know something amazing? No harm was done. Milk is pretty innocuous stuff.

And staggeringly enough, you can actually drink milk (gasp).

However, the EPA in its infinite wisdom figures that milk fits right in with motor oil and diesel fuel in the pollution department.

Yeah, really.

I can gulp down a fresh, foaming, ice-cold glass of milk with some homemade applesauce cookies, and, after much enjoying the experience, live and thrive.

Yet it appears that the EPA thinks milk is the equivalent of some nice, tasty, 10W-30.

Read about in this excellent column by Thomas Sowell.

I have to thank Cathy for the heads up about this issue. Not long ago we were led to believe that the whole milk-as-toxic-waste issue had died a natural death. Alas it appears that legislation by regulation by activist appointee is alive and well and totally devoid of commonsense as usual.

Color it Cold

Sun on Snow

Driving Excellence

My cousin's book, Driving Excellence, just came out.

Check this out! Can't wait to read it!

Phil Says

An early spring. Thanks Phil!

**** And unfortunately Phil is probably full of......errrr......alfalfa!

Better Days are Coming

Yeah, it is storming...again... For the most part for the past few weeks we have just caught the edges of the big storms that have pummeled the region. However it looks like this one is going to wallop us. Got up to hard, sleety stuff that nicely fits the old adage, "Snow like meal, snow a great deal." You can barely see that it is snowing, but you sure can hear it. I am sending Alan off to school early, as the Blue Bomber is having power issues and I imagine the roads are going to be a mess.

It is still pretty dark, but I hear cardinals chipping and chinking at the feeder, another indication that we have some real weather on the way. They are usually quite a bit later coming in....like about three hours. And the feeders are almost empty even though I filled them late yesterday afternoon.

We have to get out and get done what we can before it gets any worse. We feed from Ag bags, so the snow is an issue...The boss will be clearing driveways as it is tanker day too. Probably won't be much of a fun day for anybody.

So, let us think of spring.

In a few weeks the first crocuses will stick their pointy little purple and yellow noses out through the ice under the kitchen window. In a few weeks the first red-winged blackbirds will echo water whistle songs from the trees at the edge of the old horse pasture. Grackles will plunge stiletto beaks into the pile of lingering seed hulls under the feeder, rapacious raiders that they are. It is the only time all year that I am glad to see them. With them will come all the little not too far migrants, the birds you might see in winter or then again might not. Assorted sparrows mostly.

In a few weeks the bark on the willow trees will turn to greeny-gold and they will stand out like beacons in the woods across the river. Poplars will become pewter candlesticks and gleam gently in their groups. Maples will put on pink spring buds and show themselves among the inky evergreens as well.

The chickadees will change their songs to the spring version and the breathy whistles of the titmice will commence.

In between time, sometime, the maple syrup run will start. usually along about the time that you might see snow rollers and blue ice on the ledges by the sugar bush. Here's hoping for a good run this year, with lots of fine, sweet sap for boiling.

Am I ready for all that? You betcha. Alas those few weeks are usually very, very long ones. Winter trudges along on the slowest snow shoes in creation, flinging weather in every direction. I can't say that I like it much.

I have heard many times from many folks that if I don't like winter I shouldn't live in the Great Northeast. Unfortunately this is where I was born and raised and I lack the initiative or adventuresome spirit to move. (Although it is darned tempting sometimes.)

Thus until green time arrives I will whine and complain and post pictures from the archives of the good stuff...and visit all those great bloggers from the warm places in the world to revel in their beaches and waves and sunshine.

Stay warm!

While Activists Panic About Cow Medicines Here

Mkay, I know it's a fly, but it's the best I can do

Drug and heavy metal contamination is sneaking into much of the food we eat via imported honey from the world's biggest producer, China.

Assorted food activists are doing the best they can to ensure that American farmers can't doctor sick cows and other livestock. New York in particular currently has a bill on the table that would take away many of the medicines we use to keep our livestock healthy.

Meanwhile, imported honey is full of contaminants and illegal medications, such as chloramphenicol, which was outlawed decades ago in this country. It is being smuggled and juggled into this country at staggering levels. It is used in all sorts of prepared foods, such as baked goods, and you won't find the country of origin on the label, because it is passed through other countries first..

You have to read this story (even though it is long). I have been writing in recent weeks in the Farm Side about clenbuterol in Chinese pork. That is a real horror story with many Chinese people falling seriously ill from eating the stuff. Here is another story of willful contamination of food, along with a serious threat to our own carefully regulated honey industry. As a big fan of the product I am pretty upset about this.

***HT to Thank a Farmer on Facebook

Good Morning Beautiful

And Happy 23rd Birthday.....we love you!

Sunday Stills....Circles

For more Sunday Stills........

Party Animals

As you might guess we are not. However, Becky will turn 23 on Monday and she wanted some form of celebration. As she has a job now, she and Alan headed out, bought the movie the Sorcerer's Apprentice, and some grinders and calzone from Romano's and we sat down after milking to enjoy.

Actually I had one of the last two Dick Francis books, so I really wasn't watching much, although I certainly was sitting and enjoying. (I don't know how I missed it, but he died last year. Dickiebo had a post about it or I still wouldn't know. He was one of my favorite authors all my life.)

However, as is normal when you have animals, no party goes unpunished. While we were milking, Zobaba, a Whirlhill Kingpin heifer of Alan's, was treading and nervous and holding her tail up. We bedded her up all nice and comfy and left her alone to progress. However, that progress needed to be observed a bit.

Thus in the middle of the movie Becky went over to the barn for that purpose. Feet were showing, but nowhere near enough progress for what the clock was saying, so.....

The men went over and delivered a bouncing baby boy**** to Zo, doctored her up as needed and came back.

Alan had plenty of jokes about "you know you are a farmer when you can't have a party without having a cow........"

Ah, well, they were soon back watching their movie. We stayed up late and felt delightfully decadent for a while. I'm kinda glad this is my morning off.

****Update, upon closer inspection, the bouncing baby boy is a girl.

Birds of January

The geese are simply gone, but I see the robins often. I was kinda glooming and dooming while I was feeding the chickens yesterday, just grumpy about breakdowns and assorted other problems, when suddenly I heard the familiar musical chirping from a box elder at the edge of the yard. A big fat fellow had picked out a promising perch, and although he wasn't singing, he had selected a great spot for spring concerts.....Instant mood improvement.

A song sparrow showed up at the feeder yesterday too.First one I've seen all winter. We do have four or five white-crowned sparrows and some white-throated sparrows, lots of juncos, chickadees, cardinals and such, plus a lonesome Carolina wren that showed up just once. Mallards flying fast and setting up a racket whip by the house every now and then.

The girls Becky works with down at Mickie D's see a bald eagle there most days, fishing the river with the gulls and mergansers.

Alas Mandy's baby didn't make it. She was just too early to survive. We have saved several extremely premature calves over the years, by intensive nursing and careful care. However, this poor little girl was just too, too early. At least Mandy is doing pretty well. Despite caling so early, she did come into milk and she seems to feel quite good. She is a big, wonderful, sweet, old cow and I am grateful for that.

Suzanne Somers and the Food We Eat

Great letter here. Does something that is completely wrong become true just because somebody says it on TV? Hmmmm......

I Can Do This

In the barn til after ten last night helping with a compromised, breech, premature, heifer calf born to Liz's dear old show cow, Mandy. Ate dinner (bowl of ice cream) and went to bed. Back to the barn now because Liz has to get on the road to her other job. No babies due today...I don't think.

A First

Most folks who spend a lot of time working on a dairy farm end up delivering a calf sooner or later. In theory every cow has a calf every year so there are plenty of opportunities.

Yesterday was Becky's day. She went to the barnto feed the calves just a little bit early, as she wanted to watch something on TV last night (for some reason we have been getting out of the barn a bit later than we like).

When she went to the back of the barn, Bailey's daughter, Booth, a Regancrest Chilton daughter, was having her first calf. Beck ran to the house for help and then ran back. Of course the rest of us had to get our boots and coats on.

By the time she got back, what had just been a pair of front feet had become a head and shoulders. The head was flopped down under the body of the baby in a very awkward position. She turned it back up and helped guide what ended up being a nice little shorty heifer on her journey into the world.

It took Booth a while to warm up to the whole idea of motherhood and she spent the first few minutes of baby's life gobbling haylage and ignoring her. However, just as I went to get some grain to sprinkle on the little one (sometimes that will get them to licking their baby), something clicked and she began to slurp the calf with her big old tongue like there was a sale and she was first in line.

I can't say enough about milking shorthorn bulls for calving ease on Holstein heifers. Other than the head being turned under the calf on the floor behind the cow, which could happen at any birth, this heifer had the calf as easily as calving ever goes. And the calf was standing up and walking around the barn within ten minutes. We have tried Jerseys, Angus and Hereford and always had one problem or another. Of course you have difficult births with every breed, but we do like the shorthorns best.

I'm in the Corner of Your Jukebox

Another pic of that sky Saturday...I took quite a few

Hibernating........

Or I wish I was. What could be worse than going in the barn on a twenty-something below morning and finding a flood? (Gracie's water bowl AGAIN. It has been rebuilt from the inside out several times...what the heck is wrong with it?)

Frozen water pipes in the milk house....broken in at least four places. Water spraying everywhere, into delicate electronic controls, all over the floor creating an ice floe....What a mess! Frozen stable cleaners too.

What could be worse than all that? Frozen water pipes on just about every farm in the region so we are still waiting for the fix-it guys, who are working crazy overtime fixin' it all. They were on the way here when somebody's vacuum pump succumbed to the cold and that, rightly, had priority. We slogged all day....just getting the most basic of chores done. Kinda, sorta done at least. Ate supper at ten last night.

And as soon as the boss gets up and Liz gets here we will get back at it.

On the bright side it is supposed to get to thirty today...above that is....

Delta Smelt and Dairy

This is many, many times larger than a delta smelt, but IS a minnow, a fall fish

Prominent California dairy blogger, Dino Giacomazzi is doing a solid month of posts on his dairy blog, emphasizing answers to questions from readers.

He was kind enough to answer my question about the economic impact of government water regulations in his state on his dairy business. These environmental rulings are turning some of the most productive land in the nation into a dust bowl in the name of a tiny fish, which wouldn't even provide a snack for the fish above. I have no doubt that even if you aren't aware of it, you feel the impact of this situation every time you buy fresh produce at the grocery store.

Read his excellent answer here. And if you have a question for Dino, he is ready and waiting to answer yours too.

Sunday Stills...the Color Green

Not much green outdoors in this neck of the woods. Or at least not this time of year. Lots inside though in my personal jungle. That sky thing is untouched. The sky really looked like that. We were busy unloading hay and shavings when I looked up and saw the little cloud full of red, yellow and green from high ice crystals. It was lovely and I scurried for the camera before getting back to work

For more Sunday Stills......

We Are Protected

With lots of salt on the door sill. Although it isn't sea salt, but just plain old table salt. When I went to let Nick out this morning, the back door was frozen shut. Picture a border collie who really has to GO...but the door won't budge. It wasn't pretty. I thought that snow had blown up on the porch, as it was a windy, wild one last night. However, ice had built up on the wooden sill and sealed the screen door solid.

I beat and kicked it until the dog could shoot out as if fired from a cannon and got out the salt.

Guess I am as ready as I am going to be for another freezing day of things breaking and men cranking around like their butts were on fire. Tractors that won't start. Chains on the skid steer breaking. Flat tires and broken bearings on the feed cart......Ah, I just love winter.

However, I discovered an odd thing yesterday. For years, at least once a year, I have washed nasty black film off the three 4'X8' living room windows. I love those windows for watching wildlife, birds, the river, the sky...it is like living on the edge of the outdoors.

However, washing them is an absolutely miserable job involving either a ladder or cloths tied to a broom and moving lots of plants and furniture. They were looking pretty grim yesterday and we are trying to clean up a bit for prospective company, so I thought to undertake the Stygian task. For some reason I thought to try to removing the gunk with a dry towel rather than liquid cleaner etc. And voila! They sparkled. (or at least they sparkled enough to suit me). Happy dance and all. Having them clean makes the whole room look better.

*****Anybody have any good ideas for what I can use to fill in those bullet holes? They were caulked with some kind of hard stuff like window putty but it is all falling out and the breeze is somewhat less than necessary this time of year.

Frigid Friday

Brrr! As are several others among our favorite bloggers, I am looking for a January thaw. I hate to say it, but I don't think we are going to get one though. We moved animals yesterday making room for Zinnia's Whirlhill Kingpin daughter to have a stall in the milking barn.

She is now in my dear Rosie's stall and Rosie is up next to Boston in a tie stall. Frankly I hated putting her there because Boston's name really should begin with a "B" like it does, but end in "TCH". However, men have their agendas and sometimes their priorities are different than those of women.

Boston likes to claim the water bowl as her personal property and not let the animal next to her use it. This hasn't been too big a problem with big cows tied next to her, but Rose is only a yearling. Of course she is the granddaughter of Bayberry and the great granddaughter of Balsam, two of the biggest, toughest, meanest (to other cows that is) animals that we have, so maybe she will hold her own. If she has trouble the boss is going to drop her down a new water bowl that Boston can't reach. However, she is my very favorite among my animals and probably the best I own. I want her to be okay. I want her to go to the shows this summer maybe.......

Good Essay

On the folks involved in food production even at the largest levels and how they turn out to be just folks.

***I expect you may have noticed that not much original material is getting posted here this week. Sorry we are down one person, we need to get heifers housed indoors for calving, and are doing some serious clean up. Back to normal soon (I hope).

National Cheese Lovers Day

Let's all celebrate! Bring on the cheese.

***Thanks Luv, for the heads up!

****Someday when I don't have to go clean in the barn and move heifers I will post Becky's mac and cheese recipe. We took an old kids' recipe from the ADADC and changed it until it is completely unrecognizable, but really, really good (not that it wasn't good to begin with, but more is always better, especially when you are talking about cheese. And if you don't like boiling the macaroni first this is the recipe for you.)

Food Inflation

Yeah, spring will come and there will be daffodils....just not for a while yet

A top concern in the coming decade. Read number eight.

Interesting that someone finally noticed that we are running out of farmers.

Many Milk Mustaches

See them here........

***HT Dairy Goddess

NY Dairy Plant Closing

Century-old plant to close.

Lightening Up

It seems that wintry weather is causing misery just about everywhere. They say that there is snow in at least some part of 49 of 50 states.

However, there are ways to render it alll more bearable.

So go here to learn the rules for dating.

Or about the cat that was called for jury duty.

Fun in the snow with a calf sled.

Not so funny, but very interesting, a plastic town.

And some very funny British animal voice overs

Young Ag Leaders Conference

The Institute for Rural America is in Kansas City, MO this week, and so is Liz. She flew out Sunday and won't be home until Thursday night. I guess the hotel is nice and the speakers at the conference are really interesting. (Here is a pdf of the schedule.)

She spoke yesterday with a lady involved in the Missouri Prop B battle, who offered her email address so I can talk with her as well. Prop B was touted as an anti-puppy mill initiative. However, according to this lady, a certain individual who runs a large animal rights group, (whose name I won't mention here, as I don't need trolls filling up my comments)*** (but his initials are the same as the first letters of the words "Wall Paper") has promised to apply the bill to farm animals as well. Here is a map of how the vote went down last fall. As you can see it was divided along rural vs urban lines. Country folks, who actually live with and understand animals voted no. Folks in the city voted yes.

Later in the week Liz will be attending the National Farmers Organization convention in the same spot. Last year she attended as a young farmer representative. This year she works for the cooperative. It is amazing the opportunities that a life time in agriculture, a college degree, and her own hard work have opened up for her. When I was her age I was working at someone else's farm just learning to milk cows.

It is also pretty exciting for someone who has never been on a plane to watch their offspring fly off to distant cities to talk with and learn from important ag leaders. I get to some events here in NY and much enjoy them, but this is big doin's to me. Can't wait until she is home though. I am, after all, a mom first, and a farmer second.

And I am jealous of the bird watching. Eagles nesting right in view of the hotel window. Lots of water birds and maybe ospreys as well. They kinda make my gold finches pale by comparison. I hear there is a board walk and she may take her camera out for some pictures.