We have started our afternoon milkings now- with one. One of our heifers calved about a month a go- one of our few successful artificially inseminated cows. This year we plan to introduce afternoon milking and Cindy is our first, and only, for now as we wait for calves to start dropping (soon!).
The parlour has many hands in the mornings. Our Austrian is still here for another week, and we have now had a young man from England join us, and he will be here for six weeks. A local girl comes a few mornings during the week and will likely do so until the end of summer when she leaves to begin her goal of becoming a veterinarian. My brother's girlfriend, already an experienced milker (but with Holsteins), joins in occasionally, and then there are the regulars.
Hubby now gets up to help with the morning irrigation moves, and has jumped right into the jobs that need to be done outside around the house (priority- watering!).
Our vegetable garden has begun to grow and we've had a team out there pulling weeds.
Mason hasn't been the only addition to the farm this week (he is one week old now, can you believe it?). We welcomed "Emanuel" to the farm, a handsome Italian sired water buffalo bull, born and raised at Ontario Water Buffalo Co. in Stirling. I haven't had too much time with him but I was there when we introduced him to the heifers, and I was impressed! Not only did he look right at home once he got off the truck (so I've been told), but the following day he faced our young spirited herd and as they formed a wall to corner him (acceptance doesn't come naturally), he put his head down and challenged them, as if saying, "like it or not, I'm here to stay". A better experience than the bull introductions that we've had in the past!
Reminds me of poor Max (I think it was Max...) being chased right through the fence out of the field! Glad Emmanuel is fitting right in.
ReplyDelete