Spring fever

I was with some of my city-living friends recently and I mentioned my 'neighbors'.  They laughed and made jokes because my 'neighbors' aren't really that close to my house.

But really, we have the best neighbors - they're also our friends.  I took this picture from our neighbor Ashley's front yard.  Her tree is so beautiful every year, and Ashley and her family love seeing the cattle in the pasture like we do.

Also today our friend and neighbor-down-the-road Sharon posted this on Facebook:

"Friendly Neighbors make for Happy Cows and Exceptionally Cute Calves ---- It's true... just ask me! It's that time of year again. Some of the pregnant moms have been moved right next door! Some of them came up to the fence to say hello, how's the family, etc. Soon I'll be posting pics of cute little calves making their way into the world. LOVE this time of year! Stay tuned."

It's nice that the excitement is all around us!

Today we moved the calves from last year into the pasture for the first time ever in their lives.  I couldn't be there, so my mom took lots of video of them mooing, sprinting, and kicking.  We spent the afternoon watching them, since they're right in my backyard.  They'd tired themselves out and were lying down or butting heads, trying to decide who's boss.

I don't know if you've ever seen cattle do that, but it's just like you see on nature shows with pretty much any animal butting heads.  They just kind of neck-wrestle, then both wander away.  It's hard for me to tell who won.

It'll be a busy day on the farm tomorrow.  We're scouring the calf barn to ready for new calves, hauling manure to the fields, and moving more cattle.

And our neighbors will be around for it all.  Interested?  If you like a real cow moo as an alarm clock, there are a few houses for sale around here.


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Not a normal morning

 

Ah - a picture like so many I've taken. Cattle grazing peacefully in the pasture.

 

Except it's not a pasture and I didn't take the picture. It's our alfalfa field, and there's no fence. These cattle are out!

 

I got a call this morning from a neighbor that the cows were out.  I called Kris and heard tons of mooing.  I said, "Oh, you know.  Never mind." 

 

A few minutes later our neighbor (and friend) Sharon called and told me, "This is what I love about living in the country."  She was so amused to see the cows out running around!  She grabbed her camera and sent me the pictures.

 

Kris and the guys got them in fairly quickly, because they were - surprise! - in a herd.  Here, Sharon captured them turning the corner next to her yard.     

 

 

And some who were running through their yard after they missed the gate home ...

 

 

 

I told some friends tonight that the cows had gotten out this morning and one said, "Well, where would they go?  Don't they just stand around?"  I told them that cows can run really fast - definitely faster than a person. 

Of course someone who hadn't been around cattle wouldn't know that - but let me tell you!  They can RUN!  We have to get them back in with the help of quads and trucks. 

Sharon told me, "I will be smiling and relaying this story all day!" 

No one wants the cows to get out, so it's great when you have understanding neighbors.  And even better when they have their cameras ready to capture the cow-sprinting action!

Out

Kris got a call today from our neighbor. Our cow was out along our road. Apparently, one of our fences had shorted out because ... it was underwater! Yes, that's how much rain we've had.

Our neighbors (who are dairy farmers also) waited for Kris and talked as they herded her through a gate back into the pasture.

It's so nice knowing your neighbors are watching out for you. No farmer would drive by, see a cow out, and just keep on going. What if it caused an accident?! It would be horrible for everyone - the driver, cow, farmer, and person who didn't call!

When my parents were farming a little calf got out, ran into the road, and was hit by a car. Who was driving? Just by chance ... my mom's boss! He and the car weren't hurt, but it did break the calf's leg. My dad had the vet put a cast on it. (I took a picture and used Snagit to write the boss' name on the cast. He liked it.)

That's the only time we've had one hit, thankfully - but that's in part because of our neighbors helping out. And all of our ever-present cell phones. Hooray!

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Want to learn some more farm terms?

Dry cows - Cows that are about to have a calf. They're in the period where you stop milking them before they calve.

Example: "We moved the dry cows to a new pasture today. Since it's so wet, they just trample the long grass and get it all muddy and won't eat it."

Fresh cows - A cow that has just had a calf.

For instance, Kris just told me, "So far 76 heifers have freshened."

(Try to work that into your next conversation! See how many listeners you lose!)