There is finally a decent layer of snow on the ground. Everyone here has adjusted to winter routine for the most part. Starting your car up 5 minutes before you leave to go somewhere..... and leaving to go somewhere with a little cushion time just in case the roads are bad. Loading the wood stove frequently so that it doesn't get too cold inside. Wearing enough layers to keep warm.
Winter also means extra precautions at work. Before milking we always check the temperature. Is it above 32? Below 20? Zero? A negative temperature........????? Each degree makes a big difference, believe it or not.
In cold weather it's very important to make sure you switch all the gates... and close doors, or open the right ones. We've had huge nasty problems in the winter time from little mistakes that cost a fortune. Cows can get frostbite which sometimes ruins their teats (which = no milk) or lowers milk production. Doors, when left open even a crack, can cause pipes to freeze. Heaters have to running at all times. You can't use regular teat dip below a certain temperature...10 degrees F. I believe (They make a special teat dip for cold temperatures). Once the temperature drops below zero everything seems to freeze up and brake down. The work load increases. Shoveling, scraping, thawing, fixing, ... taking extra care at everything you do is imperative.
The cattle are indoors all night usually so the freestall's have to be cleaned every day.
Right now we are milking about 103 cows. It takes about 2 hours to milk cows when I'm moving along at a clipping pace. Quite often it takes me 2 hours and 30 minutes though.
We're supposed to get up to 130 pretty soon which will be great as far as making money goes.
More cows = more milk = more money = less stress.
Right now I'm milking cows once a day, 6 days a week. I've been seriously considering milking 9 times a week. That would relieve my older brother Jed of the 3 mornings that he milks on. That way he can do other farm work. There's always more work on the farm. Trying to get on top of it all is a never ending battle.
A lot like trying to run a household.
My brother, Isaac, will probably be getting a license soon. Once he can drive himself around he'll probably get a job. Once he gets a job he my want to milk less... and that's probably when I will start milking more.
That's a lot of probably's, I know... but that's just how it works on the farm. ;)
1 comment:
Wow! So much goes into getting those cows in good shape for milking! As a promoter of bag balm, I suggest you use bag balm on those frozen teats! :)
The cold weather sure can be quite taxing! It must be a lot to milk so many times during the week! Keep on it Miss Mary El! What other farm stuff does Jed have to keep up with? Do you think Channing will be able to help with the milking by the time Isaac gets a job? Is Patrick feeding the calves?
I love to hear your postings! It's so fun to hear what's going on in your world. :)
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