Cute calves

Calves!

Along with the construction, a wiring issue that made the power go out, working out a water tank problem, looking for a heifer raising facility, and the regular everyday events - the cows still continue to have calves.  (Hooray!)

Two days ago we filled in our last spots in the barn with heifers.  After this we sell the calves to other farms to raise. 

But my dad and Kris found it hard to sell this nice heifer born yesterday ...

So big!  So healthy!  So pretty! 

So we kept her.

The boys like calves, too. 

Yesterday I watched Kris push up the feed in the new barn.  The tool is very simple:

A board on a frame.

It works to ensure that the cows can eat all of their feed.  When they eat it, they push it forward, just in the act of eating it.   To make sure they can reach all of it, farmers push the feed toward them.

Right side pushed up, left side not:

 

 

Coming up:

 

All done:

 

 

All farms do this, in various fashions, whether it's with a tool, a broom, or occasionally your feet, if you're right there. 

I took a picture of my dad, Kris and the boys while we were in the barn.  I said something about 'all the guys.'  My dad said, "Yes, you're outnumbered around here."  I gestured to the rest of the barn, chock full of heifers (all girls) and said, "Not here!"

It's a super busy month - Kris is doing a million different things, the team is working hard - but there's a light at the end of the tunnel!  It'll all be finished up someday soon.  With the guys and the girls.

From the inside

The cows are in the barn, and the pile is covered for another cutting.  It seems like fall outside because it's cool now.  It almost seems like things are slowing down.  Still, there are 50 cows that are still going to have calves this season.

There's still construction work going on at the barn - fences, cement, a walkway ... but getting the lagoon and the barn and the cutting finished really was satisfying.  So far, August is great!   

Full barn

The barn is full!

As of yesterday, the barn is fit for cattle.  The cows filed into the other side easily and happily.  They're cooler and giving more milk. 

I tried to take pictures of it, but it was difficult - it's been raining on and off all day yesterday and today.  As a result, it was really sloppy getting back there with three boys in tow.  I went back later when it was drier, but they were all still getting milked.  So just an empty barn greeted me again.

So now that the barn's full and the lagoon is getting filled - it really feels like we can exhale.  AHHHH.  It's nice to have them done.

So now Kris and the team are sitting around doing nothing.  Just kidding!  They're trying to chop the alfalfa for the third time this season.  Unfortunately, it keeps raining.  It's best to do it when it's dry out, but this endless rain keeps messing up the chopping plans. 

No complaining here.  At least the cows are dry.

Lagoon in use!

Last night I was out with a friend and called Kris to see if he was going to be able to come.

 

He said he couldn't, because they were about to scrape manure into the lagoon FOR THE FIRST TIME! 

 

I said, "Hooray!  Take pictures!"

 

Later he said as he was taking the pictures, he was thinking about how most people wouldn't want to take, see, or hear about these pictures.

 

But when you have a dairy farm, manure is part of the business.  Especially when you've had a giant hole dug in which to store it.

 

So now we can scrape the manure from the barns (twice a day, every day) into the manure lagoon.  We'll pump it out and use it to fertilize our fields. 

 

We use a skid steer with an attachment on the front.  It's a half a tractor tire attached to a frame.  We can use the tire to scrape out all the - mostly liquid - manure.

 

Enjoy our photos ... these aren't the normal ones you get in your Facebook feed.

 

 

Family, 4-H, farm

This past week the irrigation broke, but the company was able to fix it in just a few days!  Kris is currently working on a different issue with the irrigation right now - at 10:00 p.m.  I'm sure he'd rather be doing this: 

 

 

Yep, that's my sister Tracy and her family - plus my kids - checking out the freestall mattresses for themselves in the unfinished half of the barn.  (We have more visitors, yay!)  They all agreed that they were very comfortable.  They all had dirty shirts when they stood up.

 

We also checked this out: 

 

 

 

The lagoon is almost ready for manure to be poured into it.  The cement around it is done too.  Tracy said she was so tempted to run down the incline into the bottom because she'd never have the chance to do it again.  She resisted. 

We went to the 4-H Fair today.  It was wonderful - we all got to see animals we rarely see.  Even though we live on a dairy we don't see pigs, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, goats ... I even held a tarantula.  (Even though all of my self-preservation instincts were telling me it was a bad idea.)

When we were seeing the sheep, Tracy pointed out something else ...

This sheep and I have the same hair.  Color, style, and cut. 

Isn't it great having a sister around to question whether or not you're part sheep?

Family fun on the farm

My brother, sister and their families - plus other family members - have been visiting!  So there's a lot of this:

 

This:

 

And this:

...while Kris and the team are doing all the regular work.  The builders are still building, the cement pourers are still pouring, and it rained a half of an inch - so the crops are still growing.  Kris has been stopping in during his meal breaks to see all the little kids and family members. 

So it's as busy as ever around here - maybe just a little cuter than normal.

All mooved in (I can't help it)

They're in! 

They went in the barn to eat their supplemental feed and lie down in the shade after the morning milking.  We went to see them enjoying themselves. 

It was great!  What a perfect, super-hot day for them to get a new place to hang out.

Checking out the new digs

Eating some brunch