2021 Planting Is Complete

 It's been done for a few weeks. We breathe a sigh of relief. Planting season is always a lesson in stress management and optimism. A time to hope the weather cooperates and the machinery keeps all of its parts working. It's a time when a farmer remains optimistic that no matter when planting is complete, that those tiny seeds will germinate and grow into the feed that we need to nourish our cattle. It's a time to place total faith in God that the rain will come at the right time, and the sun will provide the warmth needed to make our crops grow.

This Spring made for a dry, dusty planting season. Even TV host, Mike Rowe, would consider this a "dirty job". I had the easy job. I was in charge of bringing the seed to the field when the planter was running on empty. You see, some of our cropland is five or more miles from our farm, so before John leaves to begin planting, he loads several bags of the seed corn into our van, and when my phone rings, I tear over to the field. 

I pop open the back hatch, Farmer John backs up to the van with the planter, opens the seed hoppers, rips open a bag, dumps it in the planter, closes the covers, and he's off and running again. All this in short order so he can get right back to planting.

Just as all of the seeds were nearly in the soil, the rain came. And I mean it came! But a week later, when the mud was nearly manageable, it was time to finish putting those little gold nuggets in the ground. 

Now all that's left is to stand back, watch it grow, and be optimistic that it's a great crop. Oh, and one more thing, pray.

Waiting But Not Resting

A half inch of rain was just enough to keep Farmer John from Spring planting yesterday and again today. We are not complaining about this delay however, since the moisture is necessary as our area of Minnesota is still in a moderate drought.

When the weather is right it will be business as usual and John, and nearly every farmer, will be back in the tractor seat. Chances are John will be back at planting tomorrow right after church.

Our barley, peas, and oats have already been planted and now we move on to the corn. Last Spring I shared with you about how Farmer John was Waiting To Get His Hands Dirty. You can read about Johns anticipation and the dollars and cents that go into planting our corn crop each year. 

So what happens when we can't plant today?

There are still calves to feed,

 

 and cows to feed,

 

and pens to clean...

 

 and cows to milk,

so that we can continue to provide you with milk for tomorrow mornings cereal.

Fun Farm Fact:

It takes less than 48 hours for milk to get from the farm to your grocery store.

Isn't that amazing?

This And That Thursday - 15

A little bit of this and a little bit of that- here's what we've been up to.

Seven inches of snow today and lots of wind.

Uff-da! We were blessed with more extreme winter weather again this week. Monday and Tuesday brought -50 degree wind chills and no school across most of our state. This meant Sara and I had two more days of vacation from our teaching positions. It also meant a day off for Michael since the local television studio he works at is also located at our high school. Since we were all home, that gave Farmer John more helpers with the daily chores. Extreme weather, or not, the chores still need to be done. Take a peek at Baby, It's Cold Outside to learn about what we do to keep our animals safe and comfortable in our "winter wonderland".  

One of my favorite paintings by Minnesota's own Bonnie Mohr hangs in our kitchen.

Did you know...One cow produces 144 servings of milk per day to provide 48 people with three daily servings of milk? Way to go girls! 

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This And That Thursday -14

A little bit of this and a little bit of that- here's what we've been up to. 

Sara's butterhead, (on right)

Perhaps it's the bitterly cold weather today (-36 degree wind chill right now) or the fact that daughter Sara's friend just sent her this link, 20 Facts About the Minnesota State Fair That Might Shock You but I'm thinking about the Minnesota State Fair today. Check out shocking fact number 8, and while you're there how about numbers 4 and 7? Way to go Minnesota Dairy Farmers!

Some of my cow library.

Another warm weather story...I have been contacted by our local library to be a guest reader and presenter in June! Yes, June! Those librarians are pretty organized and are already preparing the summer schedule. Since June is Dairy Month, I'll be featured. Does anyone have a favorite farm/cow/dairy book to recommend?

DairyMom's 2012

Great  news- I have again been invited to serve as a mentor at the Midwest Dairy Dairy Moms Social Media workshop next month. This workshop is where I got my start in blogging back in 2012. Kansas City here I come!

More great news- My mom returned to her home this week! After 3 months in the hospital and transitional care she, and all of our family, are VERY HAPPY!

This And That Thursday (ok...Friday)

News Years Resolution:
1. Prepare blog posts 2 days before the publish date.

Revised New Years Resolution
1. Prepare blog posts  2  1 day before the publish date.

Re-Revised New Years Resolution
1. Prepare blog posts  2   1  right before I hit the "publish" button.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that- here's what we've been up to. 

   

Sara, on the right, ready for calf feeding.

As we near the end of the second week of January, I am reminded that we dairy farmers are a pretty strong bunch of son-of-a-guns! With the recent -40 to -60 degree wind chills we have been experiencing here in Minnesota, we still took on the task of taking good care of our herd so that you, and us, can continue to enjoy milk on our cereal each morning. Needless to say, we are excited about the 32 degrees forecast for today. So for the next few days anyway, it's time to peel off a layer of winter clothing and get back outside.

Did you know...

Lastly, I recently read in the December 2013 Food Network magazine that this winter Milwaukee, Wisconsin officials plan to fight icy roads with cheese. The Department of Public Works will mix rock salt with brine left over from cheese making. The new recipe stems from concern over the long term damage rock salt has on the roads and the environment. Ahhh...the power of cheese! Has anyone heard how this new formula is working? Wisconsinites speak up, please!

Is one of your New Years Resolutions to eat healthier? 

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Pass The Popcorn, Please!

If you read my previous post, Cold Enough For You? you know that we are in the middle of a deep freeze. Local schools are cancelled for a second day due to the freezing temperatures and the bone-chilling winds. Here on the farm we are still diligently working hard to keep our animals (and ourselves) comfortable in this crazy weather.

Last night as we were finishing our nightly milking, Snookie decided minus 24 degrees was the perfect temperature for delivering her calf. Actually, I don't think she had much of a choice in the ETA (estimated time of arrival)! Delivery went smoothly, and her beautiful red Holstein heifer (girl) calf is doing great! 

Steam rises from Snookie's baby girl with the below 0 temperatures. She is only 5 minutes old in this photo, and after a rub down with warm towels, she was eager to stand up.

 

When we are finished with our chores, and have checked on our animals one last time to make sure they are safe and comfortable in these frigid temperatures, I think tonight is a perfect time to sit back, relax, put my feet up, (yep, new cow slippers, thanks to Sara)...and watch a movie. Pass the popcorn please!

Three- Cheese Popcorn

Toss 16 cups hot popcorn with 2 cups shredded cheddar, 1 cup grated parmesan and 1/2 cup grated pecorino; spread on baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheddar melts, 3 minutes. Season with salt, if desired. 

Thanks to Food Network Magazine for this recipe.

Cold Enough For You?

"Cold enough for you?" said one Minnesotan to another. 

I've lived in Minnesota all my life, (other than my four years of college down south, in Iowa) so I have heard this cold-enough question more times than I care to remember. Yes, some folks, especially those that live in warmer climates, can't image why anyone would chose to live in our bitter cold. We love Minnesota, and its weather just makes life a bit more interesting.

All Minnesota schools closed for cold weather Monday, Jan. 6

One of our interesting days is this upcoming Monday, Jan.6 when Governor Dayton already asserted his authority and declared no school due to the wind chill dipping (crashing) to -40 to -60 degrees. This means that students are jumping for joy, parents are scratching their heads thinking, "hey, didn't we just get our kids back to school?" and Sara and I and our fellow teachers will not be teaching that day. 

Farmers, however, are preparing for the Arctic blast. Some of our chores are slightly different during the winter months. You can read more about these cold weather preparations here. Our job continues each day no matter what the weather, so we are doing whatever we can to make these cold days comfortable for our cattle and for us farmers too! Today we are giving each pen a thorough cleaning, so less needs to be done when the weather turns bitter. Each cattle barn is getting an additional stock pile of feed, hay and bedding to speed up the chore process on the fast-approaching nasty-cold days. 

But no matter what the thermometer reads, you can bet our first priority is the care and comfort of our animals. Even if it means we need to toss off the blankets we have been huddled under on the sofa, bundle up in our cold weather gear, check the herd one last time before heading to bed, to start all over again at day break tomorrow. Ahhh, Minnesota, gotta love it!

 

This And That Thursday - 10

A little bit of this and a little bit of that- here's what we've been up to. 

Minnesota weather seemed more like Santa's homeland, the North Pole, this week. We barely saw temperatures above 0 degrees. Our water pipes that carry the water from our plate cooler to our water tanks for the cows, felt the cold too. You can read about this process at Every Day Is Earth Day. Farmer John was greeted several mornings by frozen pipes that needed convincing to make the water flow.  

I would bet that most mom's can relate to this when preparing for company....doing a few extra jobs that have been "put on the back burner" for quite some time, seem to get done. Most people work best with a deadline and our farm is no exception. We are preparing for our visit from Minnesota Viking Toby Gerhart this coming week. I truly believe that our farm is always well kept and clean, but when entertaining a celebrity, and hosting news media, we look at everything with a very critical eye. Wish us luck as we finish our preparations. We may not have the biggest or newest farm, but you can bet that we have huge pride and passion for dairy farming!

Lastly, I am thrilled that the announcement was made this week that the popular Fuel Up To Play 60 program is sticking around for another five years after the National Dairy Council and National Football League renewed their partnership of the nation’s largest in-school wellness program. Thanks to our Minnesota Vikings for their involvement. Read about their involvement at a playground.

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Farmer John's Best Birthday Gift

Today is a great day!

If you have been following my blog you know that our Minnesota Spring and Summer weather has not been what we were hoping for. Our cold, wet Spring weather brought us a late start to our planting season. Our Spring weather also required us to purchase hay for our cattle, since we could not bale hay as early as usual. Our Summer weather started out very rainy and now has transitioned into hot and dry, to the point that our irrigation had to be started to give our crops their much needed drink of water.

The weather is not the only frustration we have dealt with lately. Yesterday our pick-up truck decided it wanted new brakes, and, not to be out-done, our loader tractor wanted new brakes too. So, off to two repair shops they go! Our milk-pump that provides the vacuum for our milking machines decided it wanted a little attention too, so a repair man paid it a visit. Oh yes, and one of our hay wagons that is used to transport our large, round hay bales home from the field decided it was time to retire...permanently...beyond repair.

So why is today a great day? Today is Farmer John's birthday! To a hard working dairy farmer like John, the best gift he could receive is a productive day, to do the job he loves.

John birthday gift- A beautiful, sunny day to make hay, a little puddle under the wagon to remind him of the early morning rain, and 3 wagons that didn't break down. Yes, the kids and I bought him gifts also, but I know Farmer John well enough to know that even if we didn't purchase gifts, he would be happy with what God blessed him with today.

You may also enjoy-

Hey, Where's The Hay?

A Is For Acre

U Is For Unexpected

When Life Throws You Curveballs

This is Target Field, home of our 

Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball team.

 

This is the inside of the stadium. 

 Now imagine everything covered in white, fluffy snow, with baseball fans donning winter coats, boots, hats and mittens anxiously waiting to watch the Minnesota Twins challenge the New York Mets tonight at 7:10 PM.

I'm guessing cold and snow was not what fans were envisioning two years ago when our Twins went from the indoor Metrodome to the outdoor stadium. 

Yep, sometimes life throws you curve balls.

Weather is one of the biggest curve balls in a farmers life. Our latest snow the last two days made everything beautiful, yet frustrating. Last year we were spoiled with an early Spring, and many farmers were in the fields preparing the soil by early March. Typically, we begin Spring field work in mid-April. This year it will be several weeks before we can even think about heading to the fields to begin planting. The snow needs to melt, the ground needs to thaw and dry, and the temperatures need to rise. It's all in God's hands. So as we continue to wait, we dream of God's perfect pitch so we can begin the excitement of Spring planting.

So while we wait...Go Twins!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

When our Minnesota winter weather dips below zero degrees like it has the past few days, and the wind makes it feel even colder, it is time to take serious action. I pull on my warmest hat, coat, and mittens, and I also try to stay indoors as much as possible.

Our animals do much the same as we do in this weather. No, we don't have hats and mittens for our cattle, but we do have cold weather procedures to keep our animals comfortable.

Just like us throwing another blanket on the bed, our animals get additional bedding too. Straw and cornstalks are added daily to the pens as insulation from the cold. Our cows are housed in a freestall barn which allows them to move about freely to eat and drink whenever they like. This barn provides protection from the wind and cold. 

If you read my Farming 101-1 Cow Milking post, you know that after milking each cow, its utter is treated with a sanitizer dip. In winter months we use a powdered dip that is specially formulated for inclement weather, to provide better protection from the cold.

The cows aren't the only ones to get special treatment during this cold snap. This three day old calf is modeling an insulated coat to keep her warm and comfortable. And look at all the fresh bedding she gets!

The final job of the day, no matter what the temperature, is to walk through the barns to make sure everyone is tucked in for the evening. We take the comfort and safety of our animals very seriously.

The Way To a Farmers Heart

Perhaps you have heard the saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". That is especially true when the man is a farmer and it is 15 degrees below zero with a minus 42 degrees windchill. As Farmer John and Son Michael were finishing the morning milking, I was preparing a hot breakfast of All-In-One Pancakes to keep their inner furnace warm and toasty on such a bitter cold morning.

All-In-One Pancakes

1 cup flour 

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces sour cream

1 cup cottage cheese

4 eggs, well beaten

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Add sour cream, cottage cheese and eggs. Stir into flour mixture. Bake on hot griddle. Serve with syrup or sauce.

For more tasty recipes to warm your family's hearts go to Dairy Makes Sense

Take a Hike, Mike!

Do you remember the weather during the month of June? Here at Bremer Farms we had eight days of over 90 degree heat and we had 20 days with rainfall. June was a somewhat crazy  month where the weather was concerned, but that is not where crazy ends. Bremer Farms spent the month of June preparing for celebrity status as we filmed "Take a Hike, Mike!" for our local cable TV station. Filming with the heat and the raindrops proved challenging, but fun.

Our son, Michael is in the third season of his show, "Take a Hike, Mike!" where he visits a local business, learns about it, and lends a helping hand. His goal is to educate the community on little-known businesses. So what better way to promote agriculture and dairy farming than to have Michael lend a helping hand at Bremer Farms. But don't let his lack of knowledge fool you. Actually, Michael farms every day besides working full time at Hastings Community TV, so he did a little "pretending" when John was teaching him about farming for this episode. And don't let the jokes fool you either. We take farming and caring for our land and animals very seriously, but who says we can't have a good laugh along the way?

Click here to view the video  Take a Hike, Mike! Bremer Farms Video 

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Bremer Farms! Autograph? Sure, I'd be happy to sign one for you!

Find Michael on facebook by searching "take a hike mike" to see some of his other adventures. 

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.

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!