You've Got Mail!

 

Hi Jan! 

I'm a 4th grade student and we are learning about farming in the Midwest.   One of my homework questions is, "If you could interview a farmer, what type of farmer would you interview and what things would you ask them?" I said dairy farmer. Would you mind answering my questions? Thanks so much! 

Miya, 

Woodbury, Minnesota

• How many cows do you milk? We milk about 120 to 130 Holstein (black and white) cows. 

• How do you milk the cows? Our cows are milked each morning and evening. Many years ago farmers milked by hand, but we milk 16 cows at a time using milking machines. Usually 2 or 3 people do the milking. You can learn all the steps by clicking HERE. 

Me in our milking barn.

 

 

• Has a cow ever kicked you, especially when you are milking them? I have never been kicked by a cow, but we do have cows that may kick. Usually cows only kick when they are first learning to be milked or if something frightens them. I've also seen cows kick when flies bother them, but perhaps that's their way of swatting those pesky flies just like when flies bother us!

• Are the cows nice? Our cows are nice because we are nice to them. Since we spend many hours caring, feeding and milking them every day we get to know them very well. Just like people, cows have personalities. Some cows even give us "cow smooches." 

• What do you do with all of the milk you get? Our milk is sold to Land O'Lakes  in Woodbury, Minnesota, the same city where your school is located! Land O'Lakes may package it to be sold as the milk you drink, or it may become butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or many other dairy foods. Do you have a favorite dairy food?

This tanker truck comes to our farm every other day to take the milk to the Land O'Lakes processing plant.

 

What else do you do on the farm when you're not milking cows? Twice each day we feed our animals. We plant and harvest the crops. These crops are the food we feed our cattle. We grow all the feed on our farm. Each day we also clean the animal pens. We want our cows and calves to stay healthy and happy, so we keep their barns very clean! Every day is super busy on a dairy farm, but we also take time to relax and have fun with our family. What do you like to do with your family?

Preparing the soil to plant the next crop.

Thanks for all the great questions, Miya. Let me know if you, your family, or any of your classmates have any other questions. Please visit My Barnyard View again, as I am always sharing our adventures of life on our dairy farm. Enjoy your summer, and best wishes in 5th grade!

Sincerely,
Jan

To learn more about dairy farming and dairy foods visit Dairy Makes Sense.