H Is For History

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z throughout June Dairy Month.

So come on in...the barn doors are open!

  H Is For History

My dad was a farmer all his life, so as my mom and I continue to sort through his belongings since he passed away, it is no surprise that we often find articles relating to farming. One of our recent finds is this handbook for young dairymen, dated 1952.

 It covers a lot of useful information about raising healthy calves, preparing cattle for the county fair, and producing high quality milk. But just like everything from days gone by, things change and improve.

The average dairy herd in 1952 was seven cows. Grandpa Roy started Bremer Farms in 1952 with three cows. The current United States average herd size is 130 cows, which is what we now milk. Thank goodness we no longer use this method of feeding our cows hay. 

 Farmer John remembers when milk was stored in these cans, and kept cool in a water bath until it was picked up by the truck to be taken to the milk processing plant. Bremer Farms still has the water cooling tank inside the building we now use as our tool shed. Click this link to learn how we now cool our milk.

 But not everything has changed over the years. This quote from the introduction of the Young Dairymen Handbook is still very true today. It's this deep desire that keeps us motivated to be the best dairy farmers we can be!

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Enter today for a chance to win The Dairy Good Cookbook. Good luck!

You may also want to read my previous years posts for June Dairy Month...
H Is For Holstein