This And That Thursday- 2

Photo from Google image search.

This week we are making corn silage. Corn silage is made by chopping the entire corn plant into small pieces using a machine called a forage harvester, which is pulled by a tractor. A wagon with tall sides is pulled behind the forage harvester to catch the chopped corn. The wagons are then taken to the bunker (see The Life Cycle Of a Silo) where they are unloaded and the silage is packed tightly using a tractor. Silage must be firmly packed to minimize the oxygen content, or it will spoil. After packing, the pile is covered with plastic sheeting to help it ferment and also for protection from the weather. We will chop about 40 acres of corn to make the silage needed to feed our dairy cows.

We had visitors this week. Cooper brought his daddy Paul to see the farm. It was Cooper's first visit to a farm. I don't know if he was more excited about seeing a farm, or wearing his big-boy boots for the first time.

Tonight I attended the Minneapolis Public Schools Farm to School Community BBQ. I was invited by Midwest Dairy to share my story about life on a dairy farm. I'll share more about the BBQ next week. Here's a little teaser...

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung,

the grass has riz,

I wonder where the flowers is?

I remember reciting this as a little girl, anxiously waiting for the warm weather of Spring. As I age, I still anxiously await the warmer weather, and never as eagerly as this year. As I write this post, it is a chilly 19 degrees with a 20 mph wind. I don't know about you, but that does not scream "First Day of Spring" to me!

As we enjoy our Winter weather a bit longer than usual on our Minnesota dairy farm, we are still keeping our animals warm and comfortable, despite the near-zero temperature. And we keep ourselves warm and comfortable by bundling up to do our outdoor chores. But I'd be lying if I said we aren't looking ahead to Spring.  

We are preparing for Spring on the farm in many ways. Farmer John has had the seed ordered for several months now, and it will soon be delivered. We plant corn, oats and alfalfa each year. Most of our crops are used to feed our animals, with some corn left-over to sell. Machinery for planting is being  looked at to make sure it is ready to hit the fields when the soil (and the weather) are ready for the next crop. This is also a good time to finish up any odd jobs around the farm. Whether it be re-organizing the repair shop, cleaning a shed, or giving the milking barn an extra helping of elbow-grease, we do whatever we can before the busy, long days of planting season are here. 

So the grass may not have riz and I still wonder where the flowers is, but I'm confident Spring will arrive...someday. 

Giving Thanks

  

I am thankful for my family; for my husband that loves my quirks, and my children that accept that I may embarrass  them once in a while. I am thankful for my friends, who put up with my crabby days as well as my silly days. I am thankful for my comfortable home, messy bathrooms and all. I am thankful for our farm and our animals, even when machinery needs repairing and a cow needs help giving birth in the middle of the night. Thank you God for my many Barnyard Blessings.

 

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

This Thanksgiving wooden plaque, which I love, is available at etsy.com 

(Patti's Primitives Tomorrow's Treasures)

Wishing all of you a peaceful, blessed Thanksgiving.

The Real Deal

As a child, I spent a lot of time at my friend Kay's house. Her family had a metal insulated box by their back door that collected their fresh milk delivery. How great was that? Since I was a farm kid, we did not have such a delivery service. We did however get Schwans products delivered to our door. "The ice cream man is here!" my mom called. That was back in the 1960's. 

Fast forward to 2012. Jeremy, our Schwans driver, came last week with his delivery truck filled with delicious products, including ice cream. He and I got into a big discussion about real whipped cream vs non-dairy topping, and I am happy to announce that Schwan products proudly wear the REAL® Seal.

The Real Seal is a great tool in the fight against imitation dairy products. Only products made in America with real dairy ingredients are eligible to use it on their packaging. The REAL® Seal logo on dairy products serves as a promise to consumers and food producers that its contents have undergone a rigorous certification process. 

Jeremy delivers the REAL goods!

Shopping at home, or at the grocery store, I always look for the REAL® Seal. I demand good tasting, good quality dairy foods. Don't you?

PS- Schwans was started by a Minnesota dairy farmer!

Only God Can Make a Tree

                          TREES

by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

THINK that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree. 

 



1958 - Bremer Farms is in need of trees

In 1958, when my in-laws, Roy and Karen returned from their honeymoon, one of their first accomplishments on the farm they now shared with each other, was to plant trees. Roy suggested getting trees from the woods of the farm where he grew up. Four cedar trees were brought from father Bremer's farm and planted at the newly established Bremer Farms.




Today, after 54 years, lightning struck one of our 30 feet tall cedar trees. The tree went down in an over-night storm. Our electricity also went down. Farmers need to be prepared in all types of emergencies, so we dusted off our alternator (an electric generator for producing alternating current) to begin milking. Milking usually begins at 6:00 each morning, but today it was nearly 11:00. Our motto, "expect the unexpected."

When It Rains, It Pours!

I wish the title of this post was a commentary about the weather, but sadly it is not. Unfortunately, we are in need of rain here in Minnesota, but more about that in a moment. My plan is to post on my blog once or twice a week and as you can see, it has been longer than that, much longer. When it rains, it pours is in reference to the busy, crazy times going on here. In the past 2 weeks I have helped plan and execute a retirement celebration for our Pastor of 31 years, sewed 6 costumes for my son's work and a pirate costume for my daughter, and helped construct a booth and a float for our annual summer festival in town. Whew! All of this on top of the day-to-day duties that continue. I'm not complaining, in fact, I look forward to this kind of additional "busyness." I love working with family and friends to accomplish goals, and we've accomplished a lot in the last 2 week. Now, about the weather...

According to the National Weather Service- Climate Prediction Center, "The drought and heat arrived at a critical time for Midwestern agriculture, especially corn. The combination of heat and dryness has severely reduced the quality and quantity of the corn and soybean crop, with 38 percent of the corn and 30 percent of the soybeans rated as poor or very poor as of July 15 by NASS/USDA. Some states, such as Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana, had  over 70 percent of their corn adversely rated. Unfortunately,drought is expected to develop, persist, or intensify across  these areas, and temperatures are likely to average above normal."  

Although not as desperate, our area is praying for rain too. We have had some, but not enough to provide the moisture we need. Our farm is fortunate to have mostly irrigated land. Granted this watering system is not free like what Mother Nature provides, but it is a welcome back-up plan for this dry, hot weather. 

My prayer is that rain will be provided and we will see relief from the heat so that farmers can continue to FEED THE NATION that we are so proud to do!

PS- I am still sporting the "Rambo" look. See my previous post for an   explanation.

60 Promising Princesses

This is a fun, exciting and nail-biting weekend for 60 young ladies from Minnesota! May 18-20 is the Dairy Princess Promotion Workshop in St. Joseph, MN. It is a weekend devoted to skill-building to share the message of dairy farmers commitment to providing safe, high-quality milk and dairy products, including taking good care of our cows and the land. 

But how are these 60 young women chosen to attend this workshop? Each of them are from a dairy farm family, or they or their parents or guardian are employed by a dairy farm. They are selected as their county's Dairy Princesses, and then move on to the May Event in St. Joseph. This is also where the 12 finalists are selected  for the Minnesota dairy industry's goodwill ambassador, Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Candidates are judged on a written application, a short speech, a professional interview, and a mock media interview.  

After a busy summer of June Dairy Month promotions, parades, and County Fairs, the 12 finalists come together again in August for more judging. Our 59th Princess Kay of the Milky Way is then crowned the night before the Minnesota State Fair. Exhausting? You bet! Worth it? Absolutely!

Our Princess, Sara

 Seven years ago, my daughter Sara was one of the 12 finalists named at the May Promotion Event. I remember sitting at the banquet listening to the clues about the next finalist before her name was revealed.  I thought, wow, she sounds like a well-rounded, busy gal." Ladies and gentlemen, from Dakota County, Sara." Yes, like a good mom I cried, and cried. I always knew she was worthy of representing the Dairy Industry, but now everyone knew.

You can learn the names of this years lucky finalists by going to Princess Kay's Facebook page or on Twitter by using the hashtag #MNPrincessKay. Finalists will also be posted at Midwest Dairy.