Shrinking the Herd.

16 more days and dairy life as we have known it will change. The milk truck from Foremost will pick up their last load of milk from us on May 15. We are nervous about the loss of income, excited about the potential for increased income (as more customers are coming directly to the farm,) worried we will have too much milk, worried we won't have enough milk, etc...etc...

Mostly, we are optimistic. Except for the pessimistic moments. Hey ! You don't have to be a Gemini to have constant internal conflicts (Yes Jay, Allana, and too many others in our family, I speaketh to you) We solid Taurus folk are subject to roller coaster emotions as well.

One action we are taking is the decreasing of our milk herd by about 50%. To meet the milk needs of ourselves, our customers (current and future) as well as the needs of our rapidly expanding swine community, we predict we can do well with a herd of 10. For me , the downsizing of our herd  was just a matter of walking out in the field and taking a few pics, but for Keith...its a much bigger deal. These cows are a huge part of his daily life. Oh sure, I spent time with them when they were calves, feeding them their bottles, bedding their little yurts (that's Yiddish for House) and when they first left the comfort and security of their little poly hutches, we would write and make the occasional phone call but as time went by the calls were less and less. It happens to the best of friends.

They grew up, got bred, had babies and then got milked, and therefore bonded to Keith. He is the one who cared for them every cold icy morning and every searing hot summer night. They are far more than just cows with ear tags to him and selling them will not be easy.  Which is why we are focusing on the family farm websites and word of mouth to get them into good homes.

All have been born and raised on our Certified Organic farm.  All have been fed only hay and pasture (laced with a little organic molasses) since April 2009. So no grain in these cows for over a year. They are gentle and easy to milk and very used to daily human contact. They have never been given any hormones.  I have only posted four of our eight  cows currently looking for new homes. So if you or someone you know is looking for a great family milk cow or addition to your family farm or you want more pictures or you'd just like to see our cows up close and personal, please give us a call at 815-635-3414 or email us at opies99@gmail.com. We'd love to show you our special girls