June day



The cattle are across the field from our house again. 

So if you're driving by, take a look! 

Meanwhile, inside the house ... I noticed at the last dairy communicator meeting that some of the other participants had super-nice nametags.  I asked how to order one, and they were surprised I didn't already have one.  So, in the mail today I got this:

As an added bonus, it's held toegether by magnets!  When I go to meetings I often regret pinning on my nametags because I snag my shirts.  Official-looking nametag, check.  Undamaged clothing, check.  This can only improve my communication skills.

The grass is always greener

The cattle are always excited when they move to a new pasture.  Today I happened to be outside when 180 of them were headed for new ground.  My goodness - the running!  The mooing! 

The heifers at the calf barn saw them coming and got in on the mooing too.  My sons started to moo.  Some neighbor children came over to watch them run.  It was quite the event.

I don't think most people see cattle excited.  We see it all the time.  They run and kick up their heels.  They were galloping to the new pasture - no one was chasing them.  They just really wanted to get there.   

I didn't have my camera when they first started coming, but I ran to get it after the initial rush so you could get an idea.  The last one in the video is running despite her huge udder!



They'll be just as excited when, in three days, they move to the next pasture.  It never gets old - for them or me.

Pasture

Some people like to look out on the ocean. Some people prefer a mountain view. While I think those are beautiful landscapes, I also enjoy mine - cattle grazing in the field! Today we put the cattle out on pasture!

They're standing in knee deep grass, eating to their heart's content.

This also makes less work for Kris, since he doesn't have to feed all of them the chopped up food from the feed pile. (He's still feeding the milk cows a supplemental feed, and feeding the one-year-old calves, and feeding the new baby calves - but still, a little less!)

Have you ever seen cattle go out on pasture? They're always so excited. They frolic. They kick up their heels. They check out the fence line to see how far they can go. They eat and eat. When it's quiet, you can hear them tearing off the plants and chewing. It's not a setting on any sound machine I know of, but it's just as peaceful as hearing waves crash on the sand.