Name: Apple Species: Bovine Gender: Cow Breed: Jersey Of all the crazy ideas I’ve had, Apple may be one of the craziest and best! In September 2023, I decided we needed a milk cow for our family. We were already milking 4 goats, so I thought, “How much more work could a cow be?” We were going to hand milk her. That lasted all of two days! We quickly ordered teat cups that would fit her and also attach to our goat milker….
Got Milk? If you were alive in the 90s, then that two-word phrase probably triggers you to remember your favorite celebrities with painted on milk mustaches. While lately I’ve heard of people claiming that campaign was pure propaganda (I mean, its an ad, so yeah…), milk really is a nutritional powerhouse. Few foods are as versatile and nourishing as milk. Whether from the grocery store or local farm, milk is a delightful and delicious addition to any healthy diet. More…
Name: Walter Species: Bovine Gender: Bull Breed: Registered Miniature Hereford Walter wants you to know he’s kind of a big deal. People know him. When I decided to swap my mini cow herd from commercial cattle to registered, Walter was my first purchase. I was so excited to find a bull fairly close to home – he was in south Missouri. I was also pumped that they had started working with him on a halter. Y’all know I tend to treat everything like…
It started with a trip to an exotic livestock auction, as many good stories do. My mother and I have enjoyed many trips to Jim Scott’s Alternative Livestock Auction over the years. Dad and Colt never knew what we might come home with. We’ve brought home angora goats – what’s a few more goats, but with better hair? And a few alpacas – that we promptly sold on the next trip. We’ve discussed the need for a camel – they…
Thanksgiving is upon us, and when we give thanks for the food on our dinner table, maybe we should include thanks for the for farmers and ranchers that raised and grew our food.
When it comes to calving season, twins are an unusual occurrence, but not necessarily rare. It’s estimated that anywhere between 1-2% of beef cattle pregnancies will result in a twin birth. That number tends to be slightly higher in dairy cattle. While 1-2% may seem like a small number, in large herds, this means the likelihood of having a set of twins any given year is decent. The potential good and the likely bad In theory, a cow providing you…
Meet the Menagerie In what we call our “front pasture” you can find a wide variety of livestock. That’s where our Miniature Hereford cattle graze, along with Loretta the dairy cow, and a few heifers that aren’t old enough to go with the bull in the big herd. Also frolicking through that pasture are the goats and Dottie, my horse who gets very dramatic on the days she doesn’t get turned out with her friends. The question we commonly hear…
I wish I knew all the miles these chinks have ridden. My dad found them for me at a flea market, so I’ll never know their whole story…so let me share a story of their life with. These chinks kept me warm and protected through the two summers I spent working at Waunita Hot Springs Ranch in Colorado during my college years. Through early morning round ups… Through random snow storms in June… Through getting lost on trails I should…
Name: Nellie Species: Canine Breed: Australian Shephard Whoa, Nellie! This girl is the one we call the million-dollar dog… but let’s start from the beginning. Our dogs are really now a “yours, mine, and ours” situation. Superman is mine, Nellie is Colton’s and Denims is ours. I even wrote a post about how our dogs are definitely like our kids. Colton didn’t have a dog of his own when we started dating again in 2013. He kept telling me he…
September is Arkansas Rice Month, and instead of me spouting off fun facts for you that you could easily find on Google, I invited Jenna Martin – actual Arkansas rice farmer – to share her insight about rice farming! Some of you may remember Jenna from her feature on Female Farmer Friday. I also have been dying for an excuse to share Jenna’s photography on the blog. The way she captures farm life is amazing. I plan to build a…