That's what it's all about ...

Kris said that now with the feeder working, the milk production is back up. That's really our gauge of how our cattle are dealing with changes. Every day when the milk truck comes, we see how many pounds of milk they've taken out of our tank. It also gives us all the components, meaning it tells us how much fat was in the milk, how much protein, and how much other solids. They take these readings at the lab and email them to us. The history is online, so we can compare from day to day.

The amount of milk the cows give changes based on many factors. When less of them could eat at one time, the milk production went down. When the weather changes, it takes them a little while to get adjusted, and the milk production goes down for awhile. When we make feed changes, it can go up. Sometimes it goes up or down and then we have to figure out the reason.

Our milk has higher butterfat content than whole milk. It tastes like candy. When you put it on cereal, it coats it like cream. Have you heard the term 'lace' used to describe the foam left in a glass after a beer has been drained? Our milk leaves really heavy lace. Like the kind of lace you might wear outside in the winter.

So, the more milk they give, the more money we make. The fattier it is, the more money we make. Reason being? Milk is mostly water. Dairy products - butter, ice cream, cheese - are made out of the solids. The higher the solids, the more manufactured products that can come out of the milk.

So with the feeder back on track, so are the numbers. Slather that butter, scoop that ice cream, and pile on the cheese. It's winter, it's cold, and we all need to be a little more solid to keep warm.