You Can Call Me Rambo

Last night when walking into our barn to begin our evening milking, I was greeted by my husband John. "Hello, Rambo!" I didn't know if he was referring to my Rambo-like fierce determination to get the milking done, or his observation of the bandana I had tied around my head. (You will notice I am not including a photo.) It turns out it was my new bandana fashion statement.  It was one of my attempts to keep myself cool in the nearly 100 degree heat we Minnesotans have been experiencing the past 14 days.

Bremer farms fierce determination is full speed ahead in this hot weather. No matter what the weather, we strive to keep our animals comfortable, but this long stretch of extreme heat brings on additional challenges. The ideal temperature for cattle is between 59 and 77 degrees, so our cows are not happy with this Summer blockbuster heat.

One of the ways we meet this heat challenge is with our free-stall barn. This barn provides shade for our cows. The tall roof line and the open ends of this building provide for good airflow, and the fans really keep that air moooving. Water is another way to beat the heat. A cow drinks an average of 30 gallons of water a day, even more on the scorchers we have been experiencing. We always insure that our cattle have access to plenty of clean, fresh water. While most jobs have set hours, a dairy farm is open around the clock. The health and well-being of our animals is our top priority, day and night, and especially when it's steamy hot we check our animals around the clock.

Yes, these are steps we take every day to insure the comfort of our cows. We tackle every day with fierce determination, no matter what the thermometer reads, but when it is 95+ degrees we do it in style, bandana style!