2011-04-26 12.54.40

2011-04-26 12.54.40, a photo by hull dairy on Flickr.

Dry cows in the dirt lot behind our house in the lovely spring weather we are having. This post is a test on uploading pics a new way but hope you enjoy anyway.

Quality Animal Care

There are thousands of farmers that spend countless hours providing quality care for the animals they are raising. It can be a very stressful way of life often putting the animals needs before our own.  It is sad when a someone doesn't care for their animals properly but even worse when activists groups use it to promote a lifestyle they have embraced and feel that all others should do the same.  
Here are some links to blogs of people that care for animals for a living:


Heather Koehler talks about the difference between pets and livestock


Around the Farm Blog


Ray Prock discuss these issues and also has compiled a list of other farmers doing the same


Ray-Lin Dairy


Emily Zweber shows how they care for the calves on their farm in a video 


Zweber Family Farm

Some dairy cow terminology

• A young female before she has had a calf of her own is called a heifer. They usually calve for the first time around two years old. They are considered cows after they reach three years old.  
• A young female that has had only one calf is occasionally called a first-calf heifer. 
• A springer is a cow or heifer close to calving
• We also call them close ups and start feeding them a grain mix similar to what they will get when they calve to help them through the transition

Answers To Name The Parts of This Dairy Cow

Wordless Wednesday

Radiation in Milk

There have been some stories over the weekend about radiation in milk sampled from dairy farms on the west coast. It is important to know that:

"According to the EPA’s statement, milk, water and other select products were tested for radiation. These very low amounts were anticipated, and will likely continue to appear over the next few days of testing. Federal and state government officials, and medical experts from around the country continue to underscore that minuscule levels of radiation detected do not pose a health concern to the U.S. food system, including U.S. dairy products." 

We are exposed to radiation everywhere in our lives and after reading more about it I am more concerned with radiation from electronics than I am about radiation in our food.

Check out "The Wife of a Dairyman" blog here for her insight on this information and a lot of other excellent posts on being a dairy farmer.