dairy and tales: Yeah ,it is good to be a cow today .....

dairy and tales: Yeah ,it is good to be a cow today .....: It is only 10 am and the thermometer outside shows that the temperature is  already 84F ! The perfect day to be out on the beach and c...

Yeah ,it is good to be a cow today .....

It is only 10 am and the thermometer outside shows that the temperature is  already 84F !

The perfect day to be out on the beach and cool of in the cold water. That is exactly what our cows are doing.

Well not on the beach but in the free stall filled up with nice beach sand.

The fans kick on automatic when the temperature in the barn reaches 75 F so they where already running early this morning.

Cow don't like hot weather because they don't sweat. The only way for them to loose body heat is by breathing faster, like a dog .

So we put a lot of fans in the barns and a sprinkle system. When they cows are in the holding pen or  eating at the feed bunk the backs are sprayed with nice cold water.

On a hot day like today you see a lot of cows laying down in the sand chewing their cut or standing at the feed bunk, eating and waiting for the sprinkler system to kick back on again. It sprays for a few minutes at one side of the barn and then it alternates to the other side.

With all the fans and sprinkles it is nice and cool in the barn. Our kids always make fun of the fact that the cows had " air-conditioning "in the barn before we had it in the house.

Yeah, it is good to be a cow today .....

dairy and tales: June is dairy month . So if you need an excuse to ...

dairy and tales: June is dairy month .
So if you need an excuse to ...: June is dairy month . So if you need an excuse to go to town to get an ice cream, use it. I took my family sunday evening to town. The loca...

June is dairy month .
So if you need an excuse to go to town to get an ice cream, use it. I took my family sunday evening to town. The local ice cream parlor served up a nice cone in a homemade waffle and we sat outside enjoying the nice summer evening.
 June is also the month of getting the first cutting of hay and haylage done.The local crop farmer who grows most of our feed, also known as Uncle Ken, got they hay cut, spread out, dry enough to take the chopper to the field to get it chopped. A steady stream of trucks and tractors brought all the good stuff to the farm where it got packed in a big pile (bunker) and covert with plastic and tires to let it ferment for a weeks before feeding it to the cows. Sorry , I forgot to take pictures and will try to make this up with second or third cutting. We also bought some baled hay.
June is also the month before Breakfast on the Farm. We met again this week with this great group of volunteers that are putting in so many hours of dedication to pull of this event for Sanilac County.
So if you have not heard about this event please go to  www.breakfastonthefarm.com or visit the Goma Dairy Farm Facebook pages where more information will be available in the next weeks to come.
And then get in the car that Saturday July 21st  to check out yourself where and how healthy, nutritious milk is being produced and how well modern farms take care of the animals, the people and the environment .

dairy and tales: Proud to be an American

dairy and tales: Proud to be an American: I was going to write about the haylage harvest that started today but all that I wrote so far is just plain boring. So I will wait a few mor...

Proud to be an American

I was going to write about the haylage harvest that started today but all that I wrote so far is just plain boring. So I will wait a few more days to smell the fresh cut alfalfa , to see the trucks pulling in and  out and all the excitement that comes with it, to get my inspiration and will write about it next week. By then we are done with the first cutting I hope. 

So todays blog will be about being proud to be an American 

When we moved to the United States in the late nineties we had a visa that had to be renewed every five years so as soon as we met all the regulations we applied for a permanent residents card or green card. I still don't know why that thing is called a green card because its main color is a yellow/beige and the only green you find on it is a small green stripe on the back of the card. After 5 years of being a permanent resident you can change your citizenship and become an American citizen. Well first you need to send in paperwork and a check . Yep also that costs money. Then in February we had to go to Detroit to be fingerprinted. There we got a book called "Learn  About the United States. Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test" It includes 100 questions with the correct answers and a list of words that you need to be able to read and/or write. In the last few months we had some fun with studying the questions and even more with quizzing our American friends , who a lot of times failed miserably to give the right answers.

I challenge you to go to the website yourself and see how you do on the test !

( www.uscis.goc/citizenshiptest)

It also got the dialogue started how cool it was that we are doing this , or, depending on who we where talking with, not always understanding why you would want to give up your Dutch citizenship. 

For me it just feels like the right thing to do. If  I think and talk  about "home" I think and talk about our home in Marlette Mi , where we live, with the kids , and yes the dog . I think about all those acquaintances  that became best friends over the years and family that became family true the hart and not by blood. Being an American Citizen , I hope it shows people even more that I came here for the long haul, and that I therefore care for my farm; the animals and the people , the environment and the community.This is where I raised my children and where I hope they will settle themselves.

The Netherlands is the place of the past, to reminisce about, good memories , the United States is the place for the future and years to come.

Last week we went to Detroit again to meet with an Federal Agent to take the test, read and write . Thank the Lord we all passed!

So this monday morning we had to be at the Federal Court Building to take the Oath, get the certificate of Naturalization out of the hand of Judge Sean Cox , say the Pledge of Allegiance  , and take a picture to prove we did it! 

Having all of this said the real test will be during the world soccer games, or the Winter Olympics. Who will I root for, the USA soccer team or the Dutch speed-skater? It is a good thing both events are not coming up soon, that gives me time to figure it all out. 

dairy and tales: kids say the earnest things !

dairy and tales: kids say the earnest things !: Last week on Wednesday and Thursday morning we had again the 8th graders touring the farm for career day.  Because it is for career day we t...