Reason #121 Why I love my milk cow

You know how when you are sick the absolute worst thing you can do is google your symptoms? It’s the same way with farming. Look up something you might think is wrong with your animal, look up how to do something and you end up with a million different opinions, a million new stressors, and a half fear your cow is going to die from a tiny scrape on her side. It is the rabbit hole of farming hypochondria.

Cora, if you don’t know already, is my beloved milk cow. We bought her last year during the first start of COVID with little knowledge of the milking process. I have beef cows. I do not milk my beef cows…that is what calves are for. So there was a bit of a learning curve, but Cora was a dream to learn on. In a lot of ways, she taught us what she needed. We made mistakes along the way, but nothing that couldn’t be handled.

But as of yesterday, we have entered a new stage of not knowing with our milk cow. Each year, a milk cow calves in order to continue to produce milk and while the calving process is nothing new to me, the process of milking immediately after calving is. When we bought Cora, her calf had already been sold to someone else, so this is the part of the journey where we embark on calf sharing. Calf sharing is when you milk once a day and leave the calf on the cow to drink the rest of the milk. Most dairy animals have their calves separated at birth and bottle fed, so that we, humans, can have the mother’s milk. Cora has plenty of milk for us, her baby, and probably a few more calves, so calf sharing has always been our ultimate goal.

So newbie me, begins doing some research on the Internet. I learn that mama cows can be more difficult to milk after calving because they want their milk for their baby. I learn that mama cows that were sweet and patient before can become aggressive because they are protective of their baby. I learn that you can do this, you can do that, you shouldn’t do this, you should definitely do that. You should absolutely start the milking routine before the calf is born because it will be easier to get mama into a milking routine. “Oh crap,” I think as I read this the day Brynndle is born, “that is really really smart and I totally did not do that.”

So first milking time arrives and I’m a bit nervous. Cora did not show aggression towards us through the birthing process and seems to be fine with us touching, moving, and working with Brynndle, so I wasn’t too worried about aggression. However, how am I going to get her to come to the milk barn? We are both two months out of practice! What if she doesn’t like being in the barn without her baby? If I bring the baby into the barn, will the baby just get into everything (absolutely) and disrupt everything (most definitely)?

I walk out to the barn. I open the door. I call Cora’s name. She appears by the door.

She walks in the door.

She stands at her milking station.

She impatiently waits for her grain.

She stands still while we milk.

She waits while we finish cleaning her up.

She walks back outside.

She moos at Brynndle who was outside exploring quietly the whole time.

She coaxes Brynndle to nurse.

They trot off together into the pasture to graze.

Yeah, mama knows what to do.

Spring is Here

It is easy to feel joy when the first day of spring comes, especially one like today.  We are on the cusp of the season of new life.  That is easy to see as I walk around the farm.  Everything is new and in infant baby stages.  I paid attention to the three new baby calves running around their paddock with their mothers slowly helicoptering after them.  I noticed the yellow crocuses that are in full bloom in my backyard, the purple ones in my front yard, and the new green shoots that always announce the arrival of daffodils, tulips and hyacinths.  Today, I listened carefully to the bird songs, the gentle warble of the red winged blackbird, the honk of the geese couples in our stream buffer, and the trill of bluebirds beginning their mating dance.  It is hard not to be mesmerized by nature when it shows signs of warmer days to come.

Beyond my walk around the farm, I decided to celebrate the first day of spring with my own giving back to the wildlife around me.  I started a baby tree section of my garden.  I have hickory tree seeds, wild berry bush seeds, acorns, and pussy willow shoots that were given to me, so today, I planted these seeds marking each spot with a painted rock, so I don’t pull out the baby seedlings when they begin to grow.  We will see if they grow or are eaten by hungry birds.  I am a lackadaisical gardener, but as often is the case, nature is far better at that work than I am and I am okay leaving some responsibility up to her.

As the weather gets warmer, it is hard not to hold my breath as I anticipate watching our grass grow.  It is a funny concept, considering the saying “to watch grass grow” usually means something tedious.  There is baby grass spreading throughout our pastures and I can only watch in excitement as it slowly gains height.  When you are a grass fed beef farmer and you see the enjoyment your cattle get out of grazing grass instead of eating corn or hay, it is hard to wait for the grass to be tall enough to graze.  Put the cattle on grass too early and the grass growth for the year will be stunted, so I must patiently wait. 

The cattle are already acting differently with the change to spring.  They are spunkier, kicking up their heels and watching me like they know grass will come soon.  They have started to shed their thick winter coats which leaves them looking somewhat patchy and comical, but I know that with time their coats will be the sleek and shiny black or red of summertime.  The three youngest calves, born in the last three weeks, are instigators.  They run and jump and play when they aren’t sleeping in the sun.  This excites their mamas who join in before realizing that they are not as spry as they once were.

They know, with the change of temperature, with the angle of the sun, with the smell of the wet earth beneath them that better days are right around the corner.

How did you celebrate the first day of spring?  I hope you had some time to bask in the beautiful sunshine today.