So I have to eat crow and admit that I actually enjoyed and learned a great deal from the experience I had at the "factory farm". Rumors I heard about these behemoths of the agricultural era abound, but exist more as urban legends (oh, the irony here!). One such rumor floating around is that these giants produce an inordinate amount of environmental pollutants that poison our water supplies. The truth: this farm, anyway, produces its own electricity and even sells electricity back to the power companies by recycling methane gas from manure. Also, the manure is also dried and recycled as bedding and fertilizer components that actually save money for the farmers and keep our air smelling sweet--no nasty liquid manure air pollution as with older methods employed when larger farms spread the slurry on their fields on warm, breezy days. Can anyone say "cleaner air"?
So, this corporate farm respects the environment and is economically viable. I also learn that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that is done here for and to the animals here is documented, aiding in a safer food supply for the consumer. Contrast this with the smaller farms, with much less regulation, which can fly under the USDA radar more easily. I have much more to learn, and even though you'll probably not find me squatting at the flank of a cow anytime soon, I will be able to at least breathe the fresher country air, drink my milk with abandon, and sleep better at night knowing that some things in the world are better because of technology. Thanks to Kim, the ag nutritionist who took time from her very important work to share her passion and expertise to help us all understand better what it means to be a farmer in today's world. It was a great field day--got milk? Thank a farmer!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Factory Farm Field Day
Field trip today with our home school co-op at the largest dairy farm I've ever been to. Now, you have to realize that we live smack in the middle of dairy farm country, surrounded by the old order Amish with their primitive horse-drawn buggies, to the Mennonites, a few centuries more modern than the Amish, all the way up to the 21st century state-of-the-art factory farm: THE farm of the future.
I have to say that I have somewhat of a prejudice of these oversized megafarms, mainly because we are former owner/operators of a comparatively midget-sized family dairy farm, which now has been downsized to a one cow/one calf hobby farm. Laughable to even call ours a farm, and I don't even want to mention that fact to the owner of this megalopolis just 12 miles from our acreage, or he'd likely laugh us off his place. But even though I have a small-farm preference, I go with an open mind and grateful for the chance to see the wave of the future in dairy farm technology.
After a short zigzaggy drive through muddy, slushy, potholey, sloppy excuses for roads, we survive the trek to arrive at a sparkling monument of a barn that makes me sit up and take notice--hmmmmm, are they making some money here, or what? Not what I'm used to with our experience in farming, where the money coming in goes out even faster...well, I think to myself, the bank is their best friend, no doubt. Okay, my judgement may not be fair, so I try to make myself be open to something new. We're greeted by Kim, our tour guide and the nutritionist who the farm has hired to manage the rations for this 2500 some head of cattle owned by this "factory farm".
Kim, beaming with joy at all the people who have come to learn from her expertise in all things bovine, greets us with pairs of plastic booties to put on over our shoes. I think to myself, "I should have these for folks that come over this time of year, with all the mud and junk...", then I realize my own family'd never fall for that, so I file it away in my mind under "useless information". Kim takes us all through a heated part of the "barn", into an unheated open area where all the cows and calves are neatly penned off into their own specialized areas. First to our right are the newborn baby calves, still wet from birth and lying comfortably in clean straw--awww, so cute and innocent looking. To our left is a huge open area with all kinds of holsteins, who are as curious to see what we're doing as we are of them.
My daughter is of course familiar with cows, since we live surrounded by them, so I concentrate on watching my city-slicker friends' kids reactions to the animals. The kids seem to really enjoy watching the cows from a comfortable distance, and it's funny when I hear some of them saying how bad it smells. Boy, I was thinking it smelled pretty good considering how many cows were in one big confined area, but I guess I'm just used to the smell. As some farmer friends of mine like to say, "Smells like money to me!", although I know better than that. If money smelled like that, everyone would be a farmer...hmmmm.... (to be continued)
I have to say that I have somewhat of a prejudice of these oversized megafarms, mainly because we are former owner/operators of a comparatively midget-sized family dairy farm, which now has been downsized to a one cow/one calf hobby farm. Laughable to even call ours a farm, and I don't even want to mention that fact to the owner of this megalopolis just 12 miles from our acreage, or he'd likely laugh us off his place. But even though I have a small-farm preference, I go with an open mind and grateful for the chance to see the wave of the future in dairy farm technology.
After a short zigzaggy drive through muddy, slushy, potholey, sloppy excuses for roads, we survive the trek to arrive at a sparkling monument of a barn that makes me sit up and take notice--hmmmmm, are they making some money here, or what? Not what I'm used to with our experience in farming, where the money coming in goes out even faster...well, I think to myself, the bank is their best friend, no doubt. Okay, my judgement may not be fair, so I try to make myself be open to something new. We're greeted by Kim, our tour guide and the nutritionist who the farm has hired to manage the rations for this 2500 some head of cattle owned by this "factory farm".
Kim, beaming with joy at all the people who have come to learn from her expertise in all things bovine, greets us with pairs of plastic booties to put on over our shoes. I think to myself, "I should have these for folks that come over this time of year, with all the mud and junk...", then I realize my own family'd never fall for that, so I file it away in my mind under "useless information". Kim takes us all through a heated part of the "barn", into an unheated open area where all the cows and calves are neatly penned off into their own specialized areas. First to our right are the newborn baby calves, still wet from birth and lying comfortably in clean straw--awww, so cute and innocent looking. To our left is a huge open area with all kinds of holsteins, who are as curious to see what we're doing as we are of them.
My daughter is of course familiar with cows, since we live surrounded by them, so I concentrate on watching my city-slicker friends' kids reactions to the animals. The kids seem to really enjoy watching the cows from a comfortable distance, and it's funny when I hear some of them saying how bad it smells. Boy, I was thinking it smelled pretty good considering how many cows were in one big confined area, but I guess I'm just used to the smell. As some farmer friends of mine like to say, "Smells like money to me!", although I know better than that. If money smelled like that, everyone would be a farmer...hmmmm.... (to be continued)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Great Balls Of...Lightning!
This is actually part two of the sugar snow blog, but since I was too tired to write more before, here goes.
Ahhh, a wonderful warm reprieve today complete with actual sunshine--I know, it's almost too much to comprehend after the oppressive low pressure blanket of yucky overcast gloom lately. I don't think I'm the only one giddy with the spring "tease" again that we're having. Today as I venture out on slushy roads, I find that everyone, it seems, is coming out of the woodwork. We all smile at each other knowingly, as if we're co-survivors of yet another freak-of-nature incident, but thankful that it's over, and it could have been so much worse. Only two days out from the Great Balls of Lightning...
I say "great" because A) I'm a science/nature geek, and 2) I'm easily amused by simple things. I mean, Bill Nye is one of my heroes, sort of, and if I would have known him personally in high school, who knows how my destiny would have been forever altered...Anyway, Bill himself would tell you that there actually is such a thing as ball lightning, which is what I saw during this blizzard. Apparently, this is a form of lightning that occurs when electrically charged particles fall to the ground, roll until they reach a solid object, then discharge with an explosive, but relatively non-dangerous flash of light. My own dear grandmother told me long ago of such lightning rolling through her house through one window and out the other, and I have witnessed it myself maybe once before, but never in a snowstorm. Yep, card-carrying science nerd here...
I had to go to my ancient encyclopedias (circa 1960's)--I know, geek again!--and verify that what I really witnessed was a scientifically valid event and not just a subliminal suggestion previously placed in my mind from my precious late grandmother. Yes, and in the 1960's, though not fully understood, it was even documented with (black-and-white) photos. Good enough for me! Anybody else out there in the blogosphere witness ball lightning? I'm considering forming a "meeting of the minds", a summit, of we privileged few who have witnessed the elusive wonder called (unimaginatively, I think, anyway) ball lightning, perhaps to give it a more sensationalistic name fitting such a wonder of the cosmos. Okay, now you're thinking this is a dork gone to seed, for sure! All right, settle down, everyone...it's probably not going to happen in my lifetime, but mark my words, someone will come along some day and give it a REALLY cool scientific name, not dumb old ball lightning.
So, now that you've been convinced that it really does exist (it does, HONEST!), I wonder how many folks reading this will actually go do a little research on their own? I hope so! God has made the simple things to confound the wise, and I'm convinced He actually delights in giving us even simple things like Great Balls Of Lightning to make us wonder what else in His creation we have yet to discover. Never stop being curious, but along the way, don't forget to stop and thank the One who made it all possible.
Ahhh, a wonderful warm reprieve today complete with actual sunshine--I know, it's almost too much to comprehend after the oppressive low pressure blanket of yucky overcast gloom lately. I don't think I'm the only one giddy with the spring "tease" again that we're having. Today as I venture out on slushy roads, I find that everyone, it seems, is coming out of the woodwork. We all smile at each other knowingly, as if we're co-survivors of yet another freak-of-nature incident, but thankful that it's over, and it could have been so much worse. Only two days out from the Great Balls of Lightning...
I say "great" because A) I'm a science/nature geek, and 2) I'm easily amused by simple things. I mean, Bill Nye is one of my heroes, sort of, and if I would have known him personally in high school, who knows how my destiny would have been forever altered...Anyway, Bill himself would tell you that there actually is such a thing as ball lightning, which is what I saw during this blizzard. Apparently, this is a form of lightning that occurs when electrically charged particles fall to the ground, roll until they reach a solid object, then discharge with an explosive, but relatively non-dangerous flash of light. My own dear grandmother told me long ago of such lightning rolling through her house through one window and out the other, and I have witnessed it myself maybe once before, but never in a snowstorm. Yep, card-carrying science nerd here...
I had to go to my ancient encyclopedias (circa 1960's)--I know, geek again!--and verify that what I really witnessed was a scientifically valid event and not just a subliminal suggestion previously placed in my mind from my precious late grandmother. Yes, and in the 1960's, though not fully understood, it was even documented with (black-and-white) photos. Good enough for me! Anybody else out there in the blogosphere witness ball lightning? I'm considering forming a "meeting of the minds", a summit, of we privileged few who have witnessed the elusive wonder called (unimaginatively, I think, anyway) ball lightning, perhaps to give it a more sensationalistic name fitting such a wonder of the cosmos. Okay, now you're thinking this is a dork gone to seed, for sure! All right, settle down, everyone...it's probably not going to happen in my lifetime, but mark my words, someone will come along some day and give it a REALLY cool scientific name, not dumb old ball lightning.
So, now that you've been convinced that it really does exist (it does, HONEST!), I wonder how many folks reading this will actually go do a little research on their own? I hope so! God has made the simple things to confound the wise, and I'm convinced He actually delights in giving us even simple things like Great Balls Of Lightning to make us wonder what else in His creation we have yet to discover. Never stop being curious, but along the way, don't forget to stop and thank the One who made it all possible.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sugar Snow
Here in central Wisconsin, nearing the end of March, is the beginning of maple syrup season, and with it a blizzard with snow lightning. Surprised really by the lightning and thunder, and last night the TV was fried by a direct hit--zzzzzpt! So much for the boring weather channel anyway...don't really need that when you look outside and see the amazing phenomenon of a powerful thunderstorm in a blizzard. Who can doubt the existence of God when you are momentarily blinded by an other-worldly flash so bright that it takes at least a half minute to regain normal vision. With this amazing spring blizzard comes the phenomenon called "sugar snow".
According to several children's literature books, we've come to understand how this snow has been so aptly named, since it's appearance and texture truly resembles very large crystals of SUGAR! Actually, it looks more like actual Swarovsky crystals in large drifts on my screen porch: treasures from heaven, I think to myself and to God. Thank you for this gift! Normally, this type of snow occurs at the same time maple sugar season occurs, another sweet gift from the Creator! Normally, winter is like an unwanted visitor to me, one I hope leaves sooner than it actually does. I know this won't last, and even though the icy sugar snow is almost impossible to drive on, I'll be glad for just one more time to be home-bound and cozy...a sugar-snow day!
According to several children's literature books, we've come to understand how this snow has been so aptly named, since it's appearance and texture truly resembles very large crystals of SUGAR! Actually, it looks more like actual Swarovsky crystals in large drifts on my screen porch: treasures from heaven, I think to myself and to God. Thank you for this gift! Normally, this type of snow occurs at the same time maple sugar season occurs, another sweet gift from the Creator! Normally, winter is like an unwanted visitor to me, one I hope leaves sooner than it actually does. I know this won't last, and even though the icy sugar snow is almost impossible to drive on, I'll be glad for just one more time to be home-bound and cozy...a sugar-snow day!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Faithful Friend
I'm looking now at the picture of our family dog, Jed, who is a three-year-old purebred border collie and remembering his puppy days, which have so quickly evaporated like smoke on the cold March wind. This morning as I venture outside, I find what the weather forecasters had predicted. This time they were telling the truth: warm, sunny, chilly wind, but no snow or ice! Finally! Still bracing for the cold I've been dressing for all this long winter, I open the door to spring just peeking around the corner of an old, bold enemy: winter. And this brings me back to Jed, my walking-to-the-mailbox buddy and faithful furry friend.
I find it amusing as I walk out the door with letters in hand en route to the mailbox, that Jed and our three cats automatically run to their feeding spot under the lean-to of our shop. Evidently I have habituated them to think that every time I walk out the door, it's either to feed them or to get in the van to go run errands. I say evidently, because Jed and the cats first go to their food dishes, and when I don't head in that direction, the cats just saunter away, unamused, but Jed goes next to the van or whichever vehicle that he thinks I will be getting into, ready to do his "job" of chasing me down the driveway, turning two or three circles at the end of the driveway, then off to the left or right to chase along our property line faster than the my van will take me.
Of course, he has a 50/50 chance of being right or wrong as to which direction he leads, but he makes up for lost time by doubling back at breakneck speed, then finally dropping back, just for the sport of it all. This time, though, he gets to follow me, instead of one of my kids, to the mailbox, and I can almost hear his little doggy brain saying "I wonder what she's doing, not getting in the van so I can do my chase game, my one main reason to live, and even better than eating doggie kibbles?" At least, that's what I think he's thinking.
I know for a fact that dogs have very simple mind-sets. I learned this from the "Far Side" comic, which I highly admire and am easily amused by. You know, the one where the dog is listening to his master saying "Come here, Ginger. Sit down, Ginger. Roll over, Ginger", or something like that, and the bottom half of the cartoon shows the same benign dog with the same benign master, thinking the dog understands, and what the dog really hears is "Blah, blah, blah, Ginger..."--so ridiculously true! So I've learned that my actions mean more to Jed than words...hmmmm, maybe there's a good lesson in there for all of us? I'd like to think that it's simple enough for my dog to understand, but he is teaching me far more about human nature just by being himself, so maybe he's not so simple-minded after all. God uses the simple things to confound the wise, and so I am thankful for my Faithful Friend.
I find it amusing as I walk out the door with letters in hand en route to the mailbox, that Jed and our three cats automatically run to their feeding spot under the lean-to of our shop. Evidently I have habituated them to think that every time I walk out the door, it's either to feed them or to get in the van to go run errands. I say evidently, because Jed and the cats first go to their food dishes, and when I don't head in that direction, the cats just saunter away, unamused, but Jed goes next to the van or whichever vehicle that he thinks I will be getting into, ready to do his "job" of chasing me down the driveway, turning two or three circles at the end of the driveway, then off to the left or right to chase along our property line faster than the my van will take me.
Of course, he has a 50/50 chance of being right or wrong as to which direction he leads, but he makes up for lost time by doubling back at breakneck speed, then finally dropping back, just for the sport of it all. This time, though, he gets to follow me, instead of one of my kids, to the mailbox, and I can almost hear his little doggy brain saying "I wonder what she's doing, not getting in the van so I can do my chase game, my one main reason to live, and even better than eating doggie kibbles?" At least, that's what I think he's thinking.
I know for a fact that dogs have very simple mind-sets. I learned this from the "Far Side" comic, which I highly admire and am easily amused by. You know, the one where the dog is listening to his master saying "Come here, Ginger. Sit down, Ginger. Roll over, Ginger", or something like that, and the bottom half of the cartoon shows the same benign dog with the same benign master, thinking the dog understands, and what the dog really hears is "Blah, blah, blah, Ginger..."--so ridiculously true! So I've learned that my actions mean more to Jed than words...hmmmm, maybe there's a good lesson in there for all of us? I'd like to think that it's simple enough for my dog to understand, but he is teaching me far more about human nature just by being himself, so maybe he's not so simple-minded after all. God uses the simple things to confound the wise, and so I am thankful for my Faithful Friend.
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