With all those "where were you" posts,I hadn't even paid any attention to the date. I sure know where I was 7 years ago today. I milked those stinking miserable holsteins for the last time that morning and spent most of the rest of the day hauling them to their new home. Haven't missed those useless man killers for even a split second since. MLK Jr's words have run through my head every day,free at last,free at last!
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- Thread starter rrlund
- Start date
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
In the Winter the cow shed was a cozy place - warm and smelling of healthy manure and hay and steaming cow breath and always had flies no matter how cold. The cats liked to hang out there. In the Summer when the weather is warm it's just plain nasty. C'mon you can't really mean that you miss all that can you?
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
I feel the same way about hogs. We had hogs from ever since I can remember to whenever they got down to 8 cents/lb. Haven't missed them a bit except having a home raised pork roast. That was always prety good. Wife says she will move out if I ever get 'em again. Somedays the market looks pretty good.....
fixerupper
Well-known Member
The only thing I miss about not having hogs is the year-round income. It wasn't negative cash flow much because I ran a pretty cheap operation with old facilities. Most of it was pitched and pitched out.
Marilyn grew up milking holsteins, a hundred of them, mornings before school and evenings until 9:00. She doesn't want to have anything to do with them yet and the last time she touched one was 41 years ago. Jim
Marilyn grew up milking holsteins, a hundred of them, mornings before school and evenings until 9:00. She doesn't want to have anything to do with them yet and the last time she touched one was 41 years ago. Jim
The only thing I ever liked about it was walking out in the pasture on warm mornings in May to bring them up. BUT,I've got 75 beef cows now and that's calving season. Going out there on a warm quiet morning with all those new babies and their mamas sure beats the daylights out of bringing cows up to the barn and milking them.
So....no,there's NOTHING I miss about milking. Not even going out in the cold to GET to the warm barn in the dark in the dead of winter.
So....no,there's NOTHING I miss about milking. Not even going out in the cold to GET to the warm barn in the dark in the dead of winter.
We germans prefer, indeed enjoy, at least to the extent that germans allow themselves to enjoy anything, the milking and caring for holsteins. The discipline, necessity for punctuality, orderly rows, listening to oompah music, diesel engines, eating, husky blond women, perfectly adjusted and oiled machinery, engineering, cheese, good beer in large quantities, lawn parties, nude swimming (after chopping holes in the ice), dancing polkas, playing sheepshead, bowling, going to farm auctions, wearing colorful wool clothing, the smells, the sounds. I could go on and on.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
Not me I'll have cows,hogs and goats until I can't go anymore.Getting setup to start milking a couple cows again.When the economy really goes South you fellas will wish you had them back.And if the economy does well I'm still eating better than 95% of the population.
We got out of the dairy business gradually, in the summer of '61, I think. I would have been 12. In those days, dairy cows were bought and sold through the livestock auction (not just culls and springers, like now). Our hauler could only haul 5 at a time, and I think he and dad agreed that we didn't want to "flood the market" anyhow.
So it was my job to milk that summer (Surge bucket milkers with surcingles in a 4 cow parlor). Every week, we culled 5 more. I remember one cow we all agreed would be kept until the end- Ione, a very friendly and gentle cow who milked well. The last milking (and watching them go down the road) was sad, BUT I GOT OVER IT! And have been over it ever since!
It was kind of hard on my dad- he felt like he'd failed, and was in a funk for awhile. But he had saved the farm, and 10 years later, split it up and sold it, and retired at age 53. So he got over it, too.
So it was my job to milk that summer (Surge bucket milkers with surcingles in a 4 cow parlor). Every week, we culled 5 more. I remember one cow we all agreed would be kept until the end- Ione, a very friendly and gentle cow who milked well. The last milking (and watching them go down the road) was sad, BUT I GOT OVER IT! And have been over it ever since!
It was kind of hard on my dad- he felt like he'd failed, and was in a funk for awhile. But he had saved the farm, and 10 years later, split it up and sold it, and retired at age 53. So he got over it, too.
730 virgil
Well-known Member
- Location
- IL Wis state line near Monroe Wi
i never minded milking unless the Chicago Bears were playing football it was the cleaning calf pens, grinding feed fixing the @#$%^&8** barn cleaner, and all the other stuff that came with it that got me.
then being in top of hay mow in middle of july packing these dummy bales away. hey i still do that! only i don't make that many bales now
then being in top of hay mow in middle of july packing these dummy bales away. hey i still do that! only i don't make that many bales now
Never remember the milk cows my parents and grandparents had, but have been in beef cattle all my life. Dad sold out once about 20 years ago when someone made an offer he couldn't refuse on our entire herd, and was physically sick after he made the decision. Loaded the herd out on Saturday and Monday he went to the local sales barn and bought 10 heifers and 10 stock cows. Only time we were without cattle was 1 Sunday in my memory. Don't think I'll ever see the day where there isn't cattle on our farm. At least I hope I never see the day.
I was always fortunate that the dairy business was never squarely on my shoulders with our family. We were always productive but were never in that upper 25 percent production category that seems to allow for more help and more frequent updates on equipment. My mother's father got started pretty early on ABS when artificial breeding came out and had a pretty good herd for the 1960's. His health cut his farming career short but it would have been interesting to see him progress with it another 15 years or so and see how that would have impacted our herd.
I know there is more to profit than RHA but I just don't know how the guys do it that are under 25,000 even if they have extremely minimal debt. There just does not seem to be close to enough niche market to go around and organic seems to be one of the first things that takes a heavy hit when the economy tanks. Also, it seems the grazing period is too short for the work involved but there are guys that do it.
I don't know if I would want to do it even if I could have a 30,000 lb RHA with fat and protein at 3.75 or higher each. Never got excited about having more than 100 cows to milk and my back would not be good enough to stoop anymore so that would mean a parlor. I do miss things like putting up corn silage on a nice sunny 70 degree late September day.
I know there is more to profit than RHA but I just don't know how the guys do it that are under 25,000 even if they have extremely minimal debt. There just does not seem to be close to enough niche market to go around and organic seems to be one of the first things that takes a heavy hit when the economy tanks. Also, it seems the grazing period is too short for the work involved but there are guys that do it.
I don't know if I would want to do it even if I could have a 30,000 lb RHA with fat and protein at 3.75 or higher each. Never got excited about having more than 100 cows to milk and my back would not be good enough to stoop anymore so that would mean a parlor. I do miss things like putting up corn silage on a nice sunny 70 degree late September day.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
During the Great Depression my grandfather paid for his farm by milking Guernseys. Prairie Farms paid him $85 week.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
so maybe it's my heritage that makes me interested in many of the above mentioned things! Dad sold his cows in 1999 but I still have cattle here but let the calves milk them!
I understand that it was; generally speaking, migration patterns were due West at the time, so many/most of the early Tennesseans came from North Carolina. We've been able to track our ancestors thru East/Middle and then to West Tennessee. My gg grandpa is listed in the 1830 census of Lauderdale County; been here ever since. We (Tennesseans)......at least the Eastern part of us.........even had our own Free State/Republic for a few years, the
Free Republic of Franklin
Free Republic of Franklin
fixerupper
Well-known Member
The only time I've ever seen dad choke up was after he sold the stock cows. When he came home from the sale barn and started talking about his 'girls' he had to quit for awhile. Jim
Paul from MI
Well-known Member
Dad was a poultry farmer. No way do I miss gathering eggs four times a day, thawing frozen water lines, spending all day Saturday pitching manure, and all the other stuff that goes with livestock. Now field work, that's another story. Smell of freshly plowed ground, just me alone on the tractor, and all of that are v ery fond memories. So much so that I can't get away from them yet.
I got rid of the dairy cows 30 yrs ago cause i had too(diff story),got over it fairly fast,went into beef,i got rid of them too(no money in it)in 96
I got into Bison the same year,Now THAT i should've done 40 yrs ago cause it is the best livestock to be in,and as far as work load goes no other livestock will beat them,and i finally make money and have a life.
You can keep the cows,the pigs and the chickens and all the headaches that come with them.
I got into Bison the same year,Now THAT i should've done 40 yrs ago cause it is the best livestock to be in,and as far as work load goes no other livestock will beat them,and i finally make money and have a life.
You can keep the cows,the pigs and the chickens and all the headaches that come with them.
The Swanndri Guy
Member
Nothing wrong milking cows and 4am starts.Life would be boring if I did't have to do it.My dislike about farming is paperwork , but that applies to any job.TSG.
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