Dairy Farmer For A Day

 Even though we have a great employee, there is always a family member on duty during morning and evening milking. So what happens when it's the employee's night off and only daughter Sara is available to milk? 

You hope you have a great, ready-for-an-adventure, co-worker like Kailey. She and Sara are Language Arts teachers at our local Middle School. When Sara mentioned that brother Michael had to work at his TV job, and Mom and Dad were attending a funeral, Kailey offered her help.

 Now keep in mind, Kailey has never helped on a farm, but she was eager to learn and help us out in a pinch! She was pretty excited to feed our calves, and the calves always like seeing a new face in the barn!

Next it was on to milking. Those of us that milk cows every day never think about the fact that cows weigh about 1,500 pounds, but I'm sure to most first-time farmhands it can be quite intimidating! But Kailey donned her purple milking gloves, grabbed the pre-milking dip for the cows udders, and was ready for step one.

Milking is complete but there is always clean-up. This city girl dug right in!

Calf feeding, cow milking, and clean up - what more is there to do? Kailey's first day as a dairy farmer was complete. Not quite -

Kailey had never been to Fleet Farm...until now!

Kailey's (with Sara) inaugural visit to  Fleet Farm

We always enjoy sharing what we do on our farm, and this first-time farmhand got a close-up view. Kailey got the opportunity to see what we get to see and do every day. It's a great way to learn where and how your food goes from our farm to your table. I believe we taught this teacher a thing or two!

Thanks for your help Kailey. When are you available again?

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."