It's a double date day!!

The sun was starting to rise and the snow was falling just perfectly onto the faces of my precious little girls... All they had sticking out of their hutches was their heads calling for me to feed them. There is just something about the way calves and cows look in the snow. It is one, if not the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. 

The girls heading back to the barn after being milked.
Aren't they so pretty in the snow?

I was looking forward to yesterday because my boyfriend and I were going on a double date with my Grandparents! Can you guess where we were going? The Keystone Farm Show!! It's a farm show for FARMERS :)

...Doesn't sound much like a date I know I know!...

But before we could set sail we had to milk and do morning the chores and it took much longer than usual with a heifer calving, three calves drinking from bottles and my stubborn heifer calves not wanting to drink.

This snowy weather has the baby girls all sorts of outta whack. They were confused because they never saw snow before. They didn't want to come out of their hutches... I mean heck, I wouldn't want to either knowing how warm they are! They were adorable though, all I could do was just stare and smile in awe. The way they stepped one foot out of the hutch and when they stepped on the snow they quickly brought it back in the hutch. They did this a couple more times before they realized the snow wasn't going to bite them anymore then a little chill. 

One of my calves, "Star" who is about 2 weeks old, she was not wanting to eat yesterday morning. She wouldn't come out of her hutch either. I was coaching her along and calling to her... "Come here Star. Come on baby!" and she eventually came out but wouldn't drink. This calf drinks from a nipple bucket, which is a normal bucket that has a calf bottle nipple on the side of if. Some calves are slower learners than others and some are just really picky. But with it being this cold out I make sure that no matter how long it takes the calves to drink they drink all of their milk. Their milk provides them with the proper amount of nutrients and protein to create more energy which converts into heat during the winter. 

I had to help her drink along with another. It was so cold; the wind and snow hitting the only bare skin showing, my face. And when you wear glasses the snow sticks to them and makes it hard to see... I think I need to invest in some wipers!

This is Star and her nipple bucket. If I wasn't holding my
hand under her chin she would not drink for some reason.

But knowing that their bellies are full with warm and delicious milk makes the longer hours in the snow all worth it. And having a beautiful and healthy heifer calf born yesterday morning as well topped the morning off to our adventurous double date day! Coming in from the cold into our warm milk house my glasses fogged up and my grandpa said you need some defrosters on those things! So it looks like I'll be investing in some one of a kind glasses for the winter!

So all chores are done and babies tucked away in their hutches, our bellies are full and we are bundle up to set sail for our double date to the Farm Show!!!! This Farm Show is a vendors show that exhibits over 600 Agricultural businesses from, calf care, feed, cow comfort, animal housing, crop insurance (That's right insurance for our crops. Many farmers rely on their crops to feed their animals or sell for a living. If mother nature decides to make the seasons tough on the crops damaging the yields, then we could be helped by an insurance company). Pretty neat I thought because I thought their was only insurance on cars and houses and health.. but there's insurance on EVERYTHING!

Just a sneak peak of all the pamphlets and information I got yesterday!
Reading material for days!!

We went into the first building of 8 and you wouldn't even believe how long it took us to get through that building. It took us about 3.5 hours! We cannot take my grandfather any where with out him knowing someone and talking and if he does't know them before he starts talking he'll make sure they know one another by the time they are finished. He's a man who's involved in everything... Farm bureau, farmer's forum, conservation district, milk co-op board, Ag business council and much more! So yeah he's bound to know someone! And you know that saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? Well someone in our little date group of four was just as bad... Yeah just as bad!! I'm not sure if I should admit it but it was me. I must have inherited his talking genes because I couldn't walk by a booth either with out knowing someone or meeting someone new... it made the trip very enjoyable though!

My goal yesterday was to hit up as many calf nutrition and care booths as possible to gather information on different products that I could potentially use to provide my girls with the best nutrients and probiotics possible for a healthy life. I talked to many nutritionists, vets, and calf specialists about their products and lets just say I have a lot of studying to do now! 

We spent about five hours at the show and had to cut it short because we had to make it back in time to milk and feed calves! We don't get to go on many dates as farmer's but when we do get away from the farm and spend time with our better halves; whether it's dinner or a movie or most of the time related to work... yup it's a date!! My dates usually consist of spending alone time with my boyfriend as we ultrasound cows, breed cows, and do other farm work together, The time spent together is cherished, it may not be the typical date but it's the perfect date in our books!

~The Barn Window

Nothing like a nice "cold sweat"

BBBBRRRRRR!!!!! The wind today was B-it-ter!

Rewind to 10 years ago... same time of of year and same weather... gusty and cold! Just picture me, a 13 year old who complained about the cold, sitting in front of the wood stove, eating grilled cheese and tomato soup (perfect winter time food!), snuggled up in pajama fleece pants and a blankie. .. oh yeah don't forget the hot chocolate and marshmallows. I would not go out side to play unless there was lots of snow... but probably not even then.

Now fast forward 10 years to present day, TODAY...

I was excited to go outside to take on today's task.... cleaning calf hutches, bedding down calf pens and Calf-tel hutches, and moving around heifer calves. I knew that these next few days are going to be rough weather for the calves. Us farmers take pride in the way our calves look, we care about how warm they are staying and how healthy they are because our care towards them today reflects on their health, performance, longevity,  and strength in the future when it becomes breeding time and then time for them to produce milk for the community.

**** Calf-tel is the brand of hutches we use :)

So first, I took on the challenge of emptying an old metal wheel barrow that had been sitting out in the rain for the past couple months and had a flat tire... Did I mention it was still full and had a flat tire?! I bet you can only imagine how heavy and hard that was to push through a very, I mean very saturated ground. Oh my... I'm sure I gained about 5 pounds in muscle just trying to pushing that wheel barrow just to empty that first load.... that's not even counting the 25 other loads I had. Yes, I have a skid steer but the rain made the ground too soft the tires just spun and tore the grass up so that didn't long last. At least I got my workout in! We can always find a positive...

This calf hutch is so warm!!!
 Even I would take a nap in it!
Clean, fresh and warm straw for my babies!!

Usually we don't clean out the hutches every time we move a calf out, we do however let the previous bedding dry in the sun and add fresh thick bedding on top and it's good as new :) But, this winter I am doing everything I can to fight the winter bugs and that means cleaning out the bedding pack of three hutches that I took calves out of today. (I'll do the other seven hutches when those calves are old enough to move to the heifer barn... our calves are in hutch and drinking milk until about two months of age or a month and 3/4 ' s and eating grain on the daily).

Though it was freezing and brutally windy this girl broke out into, what I like to call a "COLD SWEAT!" My boyfriend never understands what I mean when I say that.

He's always like, "Toots, how can you have a cold sweat? If your sweating then you're hot, not cold!"

Welp, I gotta tell ya... a cold sweat happens quite often when your busting your booty outside in the cold! Pitch forking heavy packed bedding and pushing a heavy wheel barrow with pretty much no tire, if that doesn't make you break a sweat I don't know what will!!

And let me tell you a guilty pleasure of mine!!... I love "cold sweats"!!! Actually I just like to sweat in general (when I'm working that is) it makes me feel like I'm making some progress and actually working hard which happens often and I most certainly did today.

Even walking the calves on a halter made me break out into a "cold sweat"! The calves aren't used to something around their head/face let alone a rope halter and they aren't quite sure how to react to it. Some tend to play dead and fall over, some just go backwards, others plant their feet and won't move at all and my favorite... they run, kick and have fun with this strange thing on them! The halter doesn't hurt them it is like a collar and leash for a dog but the calf ' s halter goes around the nose and behind the ears of the calf rather than around its neck.

I had a blast today teaching six calves to get used to the rope halter. Some were a success and others not so much, some took me for a ride and some took a spill in the grass... no worries they didn't get hurt they got back up shook off and started running around the yard as they pulled me behind, kicking and jumping everywhere!! That's a happy and healthy calf right there, if I do say so myself!

 

This is a video of my Heifer calf, Butch. She is an example of a calf that 

takes you for a ride and runs and kicks... She loves it!!! She was a very 

stocky beefy like calf when she was born and "butch" came to mind 

when I named her. It's straight from the heart no worries!!! 

                                

 And this tiny thing is "Tink," she is one who hates the feeling of the 

halter she acts like it's throwing her all over the place... or she's drunk!!

 There's slack in the rope but yet she acts like this... she's a cutie. 

                                 

And here's "Ginger"!! Stubborn and hard headed calf she is!

 She wanted to plant her feet and walk backwards the whole time.

 She found the saturated hill though and took a little ride. Isn't she adorable though?!

~The Barn Window

Not the New Year's Resolution your thinking!

This time of year is filled with lots of what?.... RESOLUTIONS!! and guess what approximately only 10% of them last all year. So who's in it with me to increase that statistic because I think we should prove it wrong!! 

Normally I won;t make one because I know I am not a part of that 10%!

So let's take a second to think of all the New Year's Resolutions that people make... Are you thinking?! Good... So what did you come up with? I bet you can't guess mine!! And if you do just pat yourself on the back for me :)

I would bet anything that you instantly thought of, "To loose weight and workout". 
Because that would be my first guess for anyone who would ask me if I knew what theirs was. Though it wouldn't hurt me to shed a few pounds, that's not mine!

Hhhmmm what else?

Quit smoking... nope don't smoke
Make money... nah, I mean I could use a little extra but it doesn't create happiness in my books.
Get a better job... heck nooo!! I LOVE my job. I don't even consider it a job that's how much I love it.
Take a trip... Yeah I'd love to visit New Zealand but that's not happening this year so I checked that off the list

Alright I'll stop listing resolutions and just tell ya mine!

Are you ready for it?!

!!!!!GO TO CHURCH MORE OFTEN!!!!!

What a perfect resolution I thought... I mean I have gone to church in the past but it seemed like only in spurts. Go for a couple weeks take a couple months off and then repeat but I want to defeat my goal and do this for myself and become closer to God. 

My grandparents never miss church, unless they are sick, and I idolize that!! They are just the cutest. Sorry I have to share a little dialoge story with you that happened this am between them. (Thank goodness they aren't from the technology age!)

Setting the scene.. We are sitting at the table eating our cereal.

Mommom, "OOOHHH, Harry!! It's communion at church today."
Poppop, "No Beth that's next week."
M, "No it's today!!!!!!"

(When my Grandmother talks she yells, that's why I have a lot of !!!!)
P, "Oh well I guess your right. I get to wear my suite today!"
M, "Oh how I love that bread they give us, but I wish it wasn't such a small piece."
P, "I just wished they'd give the juice with the bread, it makes my mouth so dry."
M, "Oh well"
M, "How much you want to bet they will have us sing 'Three Kings'!!!!"
P, "Yeah there's no doubt!"

Guess what?! We didn't sing 'Three Kings'!! Oh they were too cute you had to be there!

So like I mentioned Communion was today... the first Sunday after New Year's how perfect was that? It was a great service, though we fist bumped, blew kisses, winked, and waved to one another instead of greeting each other with a handshake!! That darn flu bug is all around our area and this was our way of saying "Hi" this morning, It was fairly entertaining because no one knew what the other was going to do!

It may be a Sunday but some farmers (farmers with animals (: ) still have to farm! Well I still have to milk twice a day, 5am and 3:30pm. Just because it's Sunday doesn't mean the cows are off for the day and not milking today so they can attend church too.

I'll let you in on a little something... Most of us farmers no matter the type, follow the Sunday is a Day of Rest rule. It's not really a rule just a way we are all brought about. It's a day for church. to praise God, a day to spend with family, a day to just relax and give back. In this farmhouse we tend to watch a lot of American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Law and Order, and oh yeah every time available for the News, that pretty much ummed up a LAZY day. My church is very small and I am about 99.72% that everyone in our church is or was a farmer. You won't see tractors in the fields (yeah after this down pour last night I would hope not they would be making some big ole ruts!) today!

So, every Sunday unless I'm sick I will be attending church! But don't forget before church, us Dairy Farmers aren't sleeping in we still have to milk the ladies. We milk about 60 cows right now, I feed milk to about 15 heifer calves and 2 bull calves under the age on two months, feed grain and hay to about 27 heifers ranging between the ages of 3 months and 15 months. feed silage to about 15 bred heifers and 8 Dry Cows. (There's that word again, Dry Cow, do you remember what that is... oh I hope so... or I should just delete my blog!!!)

So a heifer is a female cow that has not yet had a calf.
A bred heifer is a pregnant heifer.

Hey those two words may be foreign to you and that is okay!! I know about 8 years ago I would have made a funny face while reading that and I would be scratching my head as I tried to understand! I get it!!

So what's your New Year's Resolution?!?

~The Barn Window

Sleeping in... what's that??

Saturday mornings for most people are exciting because we get to sleep in just a tad bit... or if your like my mom a few hours is a tad bit! I know your reading this mom... you deserve to sleep in, love you :)

But not for me... I wake up every morning, whether it be below zero, snowing, raining or what ever mother nature decides to bring that morning, at 5am. Luckily for our farm 5am isn't all that early to start milking but about six months ago I was that person who slept in until about 9am every morning if I didn't have to wake up for anything and I am still adjusting to 5am! When I was in college I did however have a part time job milking cow and I was the lucky one milking on Tuesday or Friday mornings at 2:30am let's just say I pulled many all nighters when I had to milk!

Usually, I will take a cat nap for about 30 minutes sometimes an hour, after breakfast but not this morning and I was so looking forward to a nap too because my lack of patience and excitement of my new blog got the best of me last night and I didn't go to bed until about midnight! oh well you can sleep when your dead, right? 

One of our Dry Cows was missing during feeding time this morning and come to find out that she was hiding under the barn because she just calved, even though she wasn't due for another couple weeks! Oh before I keep rambling on a Dry Cow is a cow who usually stops milking 2 months prior to calving so she can conserve energy, relax and build up a nutrient and antibody packed Colostrum. That's a strange word isn't it? I had no idea what that meant until I went to college and sat in Animal Science 101, BEST CLASS EVER!!! Colostrum is the absolute first milk the mother (of any mammal) produces and is filled with essential antibodies and nutrients to get newborns started off on the right track. 

So like I said, my cat nap didn't happen this morning because a cow had just calved. I always get way overly excited when calves arrive... I want to know the gender, their markings so I can come up with a name, how spunky they are, and determine just how recent they were brought to the farm and most importantly I want to make sure that this new baby gets the best jump start possible. If that doesn't scream I care then I don't know what does :)

At the breakfast table I can look to my left and see right out into our Dry Cow pasture, which is perfect so I can see what is going on. 

And this morning I said to my grandfather... "I'm not sure if that's a rock or a new addition." 

Grandpa, "Then go get the binoculars and check it out."

I go get the binoculars and look through them but I always have the worst luck getting them to work, I always see double.. not sure if its because I have four eyes (glasses) or if the binoculars are just smarter than me!

Me, "I see two calves! Oh my twins again!! Just kidding I can't get these things to focus, you try."

Grandpa, "Yup that's a calf alright! hhhmmm I knew someone was looking a little bagged up but I didn't think she was that close. I guess we will have to go out later and bring them in."

So, when I usually go up to my room after breakfast, I shut my curtains so it's dark, set my alarm so I don't sleep until supper time, and turn on that heated blanket... Man that sounds so nice right about now! but today Right after breakfast I put back on my three sweatshirts, bibs, and winter hat and got my neonatal protocol items such as a new calf blanket, a shot of vitamin B, and a First Defense bolus. 

The white thing with the blue pill is the First Defense Bolus. (The white thing is called a pill gun and you gently put that into the calf's mouth and push in the little handle and the pill gets pushed out and lays on the back of the calf's tongue causing him to swallow the medicine) he calf jacket is maroon and the shot is his Vitamin B :)

Tried not to break an ankle as I walked through the frozen pasture. If you have never been in a cow pasture in the winter time it is challenging to walk through to say the least. The cows seemed not to mind it but if I'm not looking at the ground when I step I would most likely be face first in no time. That actually happens quite often in the summer time near the swampy parts of the field where the swamp tries eating my boots!! Grandpa always gets a laugh!

Back to this calf that was just born... I gave him a shot of Vitamin B which helps with appetite, the First Defense Bolus which is a calf pill that will help fight off bad bugs and help prevent certain sicknesses, just makes the calf's immune systems stronger faster. Just like when we are babies and need some boosters to help us, calves need more because their mothers placenta is so thick that it is almost impossible for the mother to transfer antibodies and white blood cells to the calf via the umbilical cord so that's why colostrum and calf protocols are essential for any neonatal calf!!

Since I was already outside this am I decided to put the calf blankets on all my calves that are on milk. I have about 15 calves on milk for our size dairy that's an awful lot but you won't hear me complain... I LOVE IT!! Yesterday, I bought calf jackets and I am super excited about them! It may not seem too exciting to some because I know if you asked me 10 years ago even 6 years ago I would not care nor would I know why they needed them, it's an animal.

 I care about my calves so much and I know how important their health and comfort is to our farm in the present and future that I keep their hutches packed with straw for a warm bedding and this am I gave them a late Christmas present which was a calf jacket! I think they look rather spiffy and I believe they like them already because they were running in and out of their hutches and kicking their legs to the side right after I put the jackets on. Too Cute!! Shoulda took a video but I was lost in the moment :)

New Calf Jackets on all my girls!!

Here he is... looking all handsome in his new maroon jacket :) Them ears though!!!!
 He needs a name, any suggestions?

My early bull calf definitely received lots of loving this morning... he's lucky I care more about him and his future than my beauty sleep!!

~The Barn Window

Before... looking through The Barn Window

Before I get started with my sole purpose of this blog, The Barn Window, I feel it's necessary to share my background with you. (This will probably be my longest one so bare with me (: )

Don't look through that barn window just yet... you'll understand shortly.

My name is Gabrielle and I am a 23 year old Farmer's Granddaughter. That's right "Granddaughter" not "Daughter". My pops is a plumber in the big ole city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! My parents split when I was 6 but life is great, both sets of parents get along, step-parents are more than I could ever ask for, and my half siblings... well they are almost 12 and 14 so I'm sure you get that picture and my full siblings our bond gets stronger as the years go by.

I was born and raised on the outskirts of Philadelphia and knew slim to nothing about agriculture and where my food came from. I knew mom went to the grocery store once a week and brought home food, so needless to say I didn't know if machines made it all or heck maybe elves or something made all the food behind those doors we weren't allowed though in those bog ole grocery stores. Who knows nor did I even care at the time. I wasn't thankful for the hands who grew my food and I was ignorant about agriculture. I didn't think it pertained to me but I soon came to realization that it pertained to me more than anything else in this world. 

At the age of 13 and with no say on this life changing event, my mother and step-dad sat us three kids down and told us we were moving to the country. Silence for a few moments then the questions started rolling!! They had this look in their face that something wasn't right and that sparkle in the eye from a few tears not from being happy. They told us that our Grandparent's needed all of our support on the farm to help lift them up through this very difficult chapter in their lives. I honestly had know idea what to think or say I was dumbfounded (I didn't know that word then).

My Grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and that was my mother's calling to head back to the farm life after 20 plus years in the city. I was not happy at all about this transition I quit the swim team, I was scared I wouldn't make any friends because I was a city girl showing up to this little school surrounded by nothing but fields. The first couple years were rough but I was old enough to suck it up and help my grandparents on their Dairy Farm. I learned to milk cows, feed calves, I learned what responsibility and a good work ethic was but most importantly that's when I started realizing that those beautiful gentle cows and that hardworking and dedicated farmer I called Poppop they.... THEY were and ARE the reason I was able to have ice cream before bed, milk in my cereal before school and a cheese stick as an after school snack. I had no idea there was that much time, money, sweat, and tears put into just one glass of milk. 

With the move, my grandparent's were able to have my mother and stepfather's support and help from the whole family to guide them through this rough time in their lives. I am very thankful, everyday, to say that she is now cancer free but there's always that fear of it coming back. 

Like I mentioned earlier I am 23, so 10 years has gone by since I became a country girl and so many events have led up to me creating his blog.
Such events include....
My grandfather being my inspiration and role model
Joining the Dairy Princess Court
Becoming The Pennsylvania Dairy Princess
Traveling the states to tour different commodities in AG
Attending Delaware Valley College 
Attending numerous conferences and seminars
Understanding how misconceptions erupt
Knowing and being on both sides of that table
...And much more...

I graduated from college in May of 2014 with a BA in (are you ready for it the tittle is looong!!!) Animal Science specializing in Livestock Sciences and Management and minoring in Dairy Science (whooo don't try saying that in all one breath) and I have grown to love (and when I mean love I mean favorite animal is a cow, I have lots of stuffed cows, cow blankets, cow coffee mugs, pictures, necklaces, earrings, I collect milk bottles and butter churns... OKAY you get the picture) and have so much passion for dairy cows and the industry that in June 2014 I became a full time Dairy Farmer working for my Grandfather as his Herds-woman/manager. And I absolutely love it this was my calling :)

This blog, "The Barn Window", will be about my life on the farm, from my eyes to your ears. I know what the disconnect feels like I was once in many people's shoes and now I know the truth and I want to be able to share it with you. Just thinking about what I just typed gives me goose bumps because that's just how much I care about you all knowing the truth and nothing but! I love educating the community, I love sharing facts and talking about what us farmers do and I really hope you enjoy and and share what you hear and see through THE BARN WINDOW. 

Enjoy and God Bless <3
~The Barn Window