Reserve Milk Before Coming Out to the Farm

Monday, March 13, 2023

Hello friends,

It looks nice outside, but it’s rather chilly. The frogs had begun singing in the little pond by the house, but they are silent now. My daffodils have big buds ready to burst open, but they are on hold. A layer of ice on the stock tank reminds us that you can’t rush the season. My new peach trees and strawberries arrived on cue the day after the nice weather ended. They will probably be planted on Wednesday.

All of our fluid milk sold last week so I didn’t have any extra to make yogurt etc. There may be a bump in production once the grass really starts to grow, but for now we are only getting about 21 gallons per day. That may seem like a lot, but when you consider how many people that these 10 cows are feeding, it’s just barely enough. We are even considering buying another cow and inquired at a reputable Jersey cow breeder in Garnett. Not sure that we’ll pull the trigger though. If we are just patient, there will be plenty by June. We have a bred heifer due in August, and another one in the fall, so if we wait, we will have more of our own cows. As I always say, no self-respecting dairy farmer would sell a good producing dairy cow. The only time they come up for sale is when a farmer is selling out completely and the timing must be perfect. Or you can pay up for a good cow from a reputable breeder. In the meantime, it is important to reserve milk before coming out to the farm! Drop ins may be out of luck....