Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Goin' Visiting!

Last weekend, we got to go on a little trip to the south and to the east to visit some good friends. It was a great time with some good laughs and learning more about where they live and plan on returning for another visit hopefully sooner rather than later but they understand how farming goes.

I was especially excited to go visit Kodie's dairy farm. I met Kodie through my husband because they took many college classes together and then since this world is so "small" she was marrying the son of my father's good childhood friend, who also had a dairy at one time. Funny how you all get connected together at some point! 

Kodie had the chance to visit our farm twice before I got to go hers and she told me her barn was set up very different than mine, boy, she was right! I love when I get to experience seeing how other dairies work. It is exciting and I always love getting tips on how to improve my dairy. 

Here are a few differences
-she milks twice as many cows as me
-she does not have weigh jars
-she has more milking units than me, but the same number of cows in a group
-she has a parallel like me but her cows slide into set position unlike my free moving ladies 
-her cows are on pasture year round vs my cows have a little outside pen but have a barn to go into whenever they want 
-her calves are in individual huts vs mine which have pens inside the barn and usually two to a pen 
-she wakes up and milks way earlier than me! 
-her cows exit out of the side they were milked on (two exit doors) vs my one exit door both sides exit out of (we can change it to be a two door exit) 

Here are a few similarities:
-we both feed in the barn
-we have high line milk lines 
-we use the same supply guy, Phil
-we both feed, silage to our cows and hay (but we feed Alfalfa too and she does not) 
-both barns are well aged and have seen many cows (Kodies was built in 1972 and ours in 1980)
-we both work for our dads 
-most of all, we love our ladies!! 

Those are just a few things, each dairy farm is unique in their own way. It is so thrilling to me to see other dairies and yes I am one of those that when I go on vacation and if I can go see a dairy farm I will stop if we can! Hubs and I just last year in January went to Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, IN. A very large dairy (which is an under statement) has interactive tours and is great to take kids too for a hands on learning and experience, check them out! 

Another goal of mine would be to visit a dairy in every state! So if you are another dairy farmer in some other state than Kansas (or even a KS farmer) I would love to be able to come visit your dairy! Luckily dairy judging practices on our way to contests have gave me a chance to see many dairies in other states. I would also love to visit an organic dairy farm and learn how your process works verse how mine does and really understand an "organic" perspective. 

If you would like to follow Kodie's blog, www.thosemccollumgirls.blogspot.com 

 Here is to good friends and dairy farmers! 

The Milkmaid

1 comment:

  1. I am sure that Duane has told you how it was in the "old days" at the dairy in Oklahoma.
    Rozanne

    ReplyDelete