A Dairy Good Summer

As the weather warms, and summer is fast approaching, it is time for me to say "see you later" to my other job...working as a Title One Instructional Assistant at one of our local elementary schools. Each day I am blessed to help some of the most incredible students with their reading and math skills. As I wave good-bye to some wonderful students and their teachers, I step back into my other job at our dairy farm. 

Here are some farewell greetings from a few of my students...

"Have fun milking the cows?" Sure will!

"I love you more than cows do."

Can you tell they know I live on a dairy farm?

I always loved finding a prize in my cereal box. So sweet!

Saying good-bye is difficult for all of us.

What a lucky person I am to have two careers that I love. So for now I say "see you later" to my students, it's time for this lucky lady to be a full-time farmer, so until next fall...

I couldn't have said it better myself!

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!

Purple Cows?

Happy First Day of Summer! Have you ever seen a purple cow? Every day our family gets the pleasure of seeing black and white Holstein cows, but when we  take a snack break, especially on a hot Summer day, we often see purple! Sara and Michael brought this recipe home from kindergarten 20+ years ago. Our children had Ms. Wintermeyer as their teacher and she introduced them to purple cows. 

Purple Cow
1 cup milk

1 scoop vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
1/2 cup grape juice
Mix together until smooth.

A Purple Cow is a yummy and healthy treat. It provides some of your daily dairy which gives you 13 essential nutrients. Hey, what does "essential nutrients" mean, anyway? Essential nutrients mean dietary substances required for healthy body functioning. They must come from our diet because the human body can't manufacture them in sufficient quantities to meet our daily needs. Dairy provides calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins D and A and B12, Riboflavin, and Niacin. Whew! And I bet you just thought dairy was all about calcium. To learn of the importance of these "9 essential nutrients" go to Midwest Dairy.
Happy purple Summer!

When Cows Fly

I love to read; anything and everything, but my favorite books to share are about cows and farming.

"Help Wanted. Full-Time Cow. Experience Desirable. Apply In Person."

These lines are from one of my favorite childrens book, The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down by Paul Brett Johnson. It tells the story of Gertrude, the flying cow, who reins in her ability to fly in order to keep her job as a milk cow.

When I'm not farming, my other job is teaching reading and math at our local elementary school to students that need a little extra help. I love this opportunity, but I also love Summer vacation as much as the students do. My hope is that the kids don't vacation from reading. Parents please read to them, read with them, and let them see you reading. It is time well spent.

Now back to Gertrude. I have never seen our cows fly. I'd like to believe that if they could fly, they would still choose to live on our farm and provide us with the refreshing, delicious, beverage they are known for.

Milk, cookies, and a good book. Ah, summer.