Tag Archives: Dairy

Brandon’s “Dairy”

Brandon (13 year old nephew) is really an extraordinary young man.  He has lots of interests and is passionate about each one of them.  He’s always got something going on and when he focus on a project… he gives it his entire attention and 100% effort.  He is tireless when he’s working on something he enjoys… and he enjoys so much… it’s hard to keep up with him.

The kid loves farming of all kinds but he has taken a particular interest in dairy cattle over the last few years.  He has a growing herd of his own that keeps him pretty busy, but before he had that… he had his own “dairy” that he would work on.  Brandon’s “dairy” was a miniature set complete with cattle, barns, farm house and equipment.  He had so many pieces that he set it up on two 8 foot tables in the garage.  It was really a sight to see.  Each piece was so meticuloiusly placed and so perfect that you actually felt as if you were getting an arieal view of a real farm.  I loved looking at the “dairy” when I’d go over.  Sometimes (to tease him) I’d move things around… just to see if he noticed.  One time, I wiped out a whole section and told him that a tornado must have gone through.  It was only a matter of minutes before he’d have everything back in it’s proper place… just like new.

Today, when I walked into the garage… the “dairy” was gone.  Brandon had taken the time to pack everything up to prepare for the move they’ll be making to a new home at the end of the month.  The only thing that was left out was the barn.  And…just like ours, it was empty.  My heart sank.  It was as if Brandon went on the cow kill too.  I had to laugh at myself as I sat there in shock.  Why was I experiencing this reaction over toys?  It seems so silly… but when you stop and recognize the emotion that goes along with the toys (for both Brandon and me) maybe it’s a little easier to understand.

I’ll feel better when Brandon has moved and reassembled his “dairy.”  He has his own building at his new house where he can store all of his stuff and from what I’ve been told, that’s where the “dairy” will go. I can’t wait.  When it’s up and running again, I’ll be sure to follow up with some pictures.

Empty Mangers

The rest of the cows left today.  Well… all but four.  One was sick and the other three were calving.  This place looks and feels like an abandoned ghost town.  So sad.

One of the striking differences already is the empty mangers. These mangers have always been full of fresh feed and there inevitably would be a cow or two (at least) sticking her head through to eat.  No more.  My father in law has already cleaned them out.  No doubt looking for something to do.  The silence is odd too.  It’s not the mooing that I miss.  Most of the time they were very quiet… In fact, if they were mooing it was because they were disturbed for some reason and there was usually something wrong.  The sound that I’m missing is the clinking of the stanchions as the cows would go in and out.  This will take some getting used to.

PF Chang’s

The sales yard picked up half of the cows today.  A horrible day at the dairy.  To make matters worse, Leroy had to be in Sacramento all day for a conference.  Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because witnessing the pick up would have been very difficult.  But I’m sure he would have rather been home.  Being away was worse for him.  I packed a bag before I left home and headed straight to Sacramento after work to meet him and spend the night so he wouldn’t be alone.

I made him take me to one of my favorite restaurants… PF Chang’s.  I absolutely LOVE their lettuce wraps.  This one is located right downtown Sacramento in the middle of the hustle and bustle.  It was fun and the food was delicious.  Just the diversion he needed.

CWT Tags

We applied for and were accepted on the “herd retirement” program through CWT (Cooperatives Working Together.)  I haven’t written much about the changes in the family business we’ve experienced the last few months.   The situation seems so fluid.  I’ve been waiting until I had some real, (hopefully) positive news to report, but so far… nothing.  Today was a sad day.  They came out and tagged all of the cattle for the program.  All milk producing animals were tagged and must be sold for beef within 14 days.  A hard dose of reality.  Forty five (plus) years of breeding, blood, sweat and tears have gone into this business and these cows and now they are all headed for slaughter.  Not the ideal solution we were looking for but a necessary business decision.

Sniffing Cows

Cows really are odd creatures and very entertaining.  As I wondered around the dairy today with my camera in my hand I noticed how curious the cows became when they noticed me.  I don’t do any work on the dairy so they don’t know me like they do the others.  I don’t know if they notice the camera or not, but they were very interested in what I was doing and a little afraid too.  If I was quiet and sat still, they would approach, very cautiously. What struck me the most his how much they were relying on their sense of smell.  They were like dogs.  They strained their necks and sucked in enormous amounts of air trying to catch a scent.  The air they blew out was wet and warm and felt like a summer breeze.