Rebellious Wubbzy, suppressor of the dull routine!

Wow Wow Wubbzy Wubbzy Wubbzy Wow Wow has been one of the main focuses of this blog so far, mainly because of his movie star like status! Wubbzy is kind of a rebel, and doesn’t think rules apply to him. He’s just a BA that’s why!

As mentioned before, Wubbzy isn’t very big, especially considering his age. His small size has really in a way empowered him to be a rebel. Yesterday I found him just wandering around the dairy. We don’t allow cows to wander aimlessly around the dairy for basic safety reasons. For example, they could wander out onto the road and be hit by a car. That would not be good.

But Wubbzy makes his own rules! Wubbzy is so small; he simply walks under gates, or slips through the man holes in the fence that are made for people. Wubbzy’s main goal to wandering is usually finding better food.

Wubbzy keeps things interesting on the dairy. Even though he’s a rebel and doesn’t follow the rules, Wubbzy’s rebellious nature definitely keeps things exciting, and keeps us from falling into dull routines. The following is a picture of Wubbzy wandering around the dairy.

(Random Fact: It rained and it’s the end of June, that never happens in California. See in the picture it looks like winter)

Filed under: Dairy, Dairy Pets, Dairy, Rebel, Wow Wow Wubbzy

Getting Ready for the Local County Fair!

Getting ready for the local county fair is always fun, but a lot of work goes into getting the cows and calves ready for the fair. The county fair gives the local community an excellent opportunity to meet local dairy families, and learn more about dairy farms. It’s actually very exciting to help teach people about cows so don’t hesitate to ask questions when you visit!

Fair preparation can be pretty intense. This year we brought 14 cows, calves, and bulls to the fair. Before going to the show, we spent about a whole week getting ready.

All the cows and calves before they can go must get a haircut. Its summertime so they don’t mind losing their extra hair. But it does take awhile to shave each one. The only drawback about shaving is probably getting itchy, you get hair all over.

Shaving the cows and calves is really like sculpting, because the way they are shaved ultimately affects how they will look on show day. The judge who judges the contests is very particular on how they look. It’s like a beauty contest, and the best looking one wins. So really when your shaving, you are trying to hide flaws, and highlight their good qualities.

Every day the cows and calves get to take showers to get clean. Washing the cows and calves makes them shine and look amazing.

There are also many other tricks to make them look perfect. Some are scrubbing toenails, poofing their tail hair, brushing their hair, and cleaning wax and dirt out of their ears. I don’t think many people understand how much work actually goes into getting the cows and calves ready for the fair. But if you do a good job getting the cows and calves ready, it definitely increases their chances on winning the show.

Wow Wow Wubbzy, Wubbzy Wubbzy Wow Wow got his first haircut the other day. I think he enjoyed it actually. I think my sisters had a blast getting him ready. I actually felt sorry for him, all those girls giving him a makeover. Wubbzy wasn’t the only the only one though… Wubbzy’s friend Mavis also suffered the same fate and got an extreme makeover as well. The following picture is Wubbzy (Left) and Mavis (Right). 

Wubbzy exploring the camera

Wubbzy after getting shaved, he was exhausted!!

Filed under: County Fair, Dairy, Calves, County Fair, Cows, Haircut, Wow Wow Wubbzy

Calves Moove in with Friends

After about 4 weeks of age, the baby calves are moved from the individual pens to larger group pens. Around this age they are strong enough to be on their own. They are usually pretty excited about moving in with friends.

At this point, the calves are no longer allowed milk due to their changing digestive system. The stomach of the calf actually changes to where it cannot digest milk efficiently. I may write this later to explain what actually happens. The digestive system of the calves transitions from a milk diet, to a forage based diet around this age. So the calves are no longer given milk (they sometimes disapprove of this very vocally), but they get to eat some high quality hay and grain instead. The calves at this point are basically expanding their horizons food wise. 

The reason the calves were in individual pens their first few weeks was to help them develop their immune systems so they can become strong enough to fight off disease. The pens help create a warm dry environment without the danger of spreading disease.

But by 4 weeks of age, the calves have grown significantly, and are strong enough to be with a group of friends. We just moved the next group of calves the other day out of the calf pens and into the group pen. They were pretty happy, and were making a lot of noise.

I captured this humorous video while i was out there!

Filed under: Calves, Dairy, Baby Cows, Calves, Cows, Dairy, Dairy Farm

If Cows Could Vote…

If cows voted the world would be a better place.. at least for the family dairy farmer, and dairy aficionados it would be. The Family Farm Estate Tax Relief Act (H.R. 5475) would definitely help out family farms.

Contrary to popular belief that dairy farms are factory farms run by greedy corporations, 99% of family farms in California are family owned and operated. Dairy farms are typically family owned, and the whole family (or most of the family excluding the slothful family members) work on the dairy to help take care of the cows.

One of the downsides to the family business is transferring the business on to the next generation. In some cases, there is little planning for the transfer of the business to the next generation and the next generation gets stuck with a huge estate tax on the operation. In some cases there is no way to survive the tax, and the family business collapses and are forced to exit the industry.

The Family Farm Estate Tax Relief Act would exempt family farms and ranches from the estate tax as long as the estate keeps farming. National Cattleman’s Beef Association President Steve Foglesong  says “Preserving the legacy of American agriculture for future generations should not be political issue; it’s the right thing to do.” Allowing family farms and ranches to be taxed out of business will put our national food security and global competitiveness at serious risk.”

If cows could vote they would definitely vote for this bill. It allows a brighter future for the families dairies that take care of the cows, and secures dairy consumers a high quality nutritious product that they can depend on for years to come!

Read more about this issue at TheDairySite.com in the article titled “Protecting Family Farms And Ranches”

Filed under: Dairy, Dairy Issues, Family Farms, Dairy Farm, Family Dairies, Family Farm Estate Tax Relief Act, Family Owned

Ace Helps Train Red Rose

Summer time means its time for the local county county fair. Every year, we bring a bunch of cows and calves to the local county fair. It gives the local public the opportunity to see cows in person, and we can answer all their dairy questions. But we don’t just go to the fair to relax, its strictly business. At the fair the cows and calves compete in a contest to see who is the best (its really like miss America, but for cows). 

Before the contest, a lot of work goes into getting the animals prepared. They have to learn to walk with the halter. My sisters have spent an exorbitant amount of time teaching the cows and calves how to walk. Sometimes however, our dog Ace wants to help train the calves too. The above picture is Ace at work training Red Rose.

Filed under: Calves, County Fair, Dairy, Calves, County Fair, Dairy

Baby Calf Care on the Dairy

Since we are on the topic of calf care, i figured I’d share more about how the baby calves are treated on our dairy. The above picture i think is a good representation of how much we care for the calves. I can assure you that the above picture is not the angel of death, but one of our employees (he wanted to remain anonymous). He was carrying the baby to its new home. 

Calf care makes up a significant portion of the work on our dairy. We feed them milk and water twice a day, feed them grain, nurse sick ones, and periodically add fresh bedding to keep their houses warm and dry. Separating the babies may seem cruel to some people, but i can assure you, we have the calves best interest at heart. The calves are housed separately to create a warm, dry, healthy environment for the calf, and to ensure that it gets the best possible nutrition during its first weeks of life. Because calves have weak immune systems during their first weeks of life, it is critical that they develop and grow strong and healthy in their individual houses.

Calves that are left with their mother usually do not receive an adequate amount of colostrum. When we house them individually, we can help them get the right amount of colostrum and nutrition. Colostrum is the cows first milk after having her baby, and is rich in nutrients and antibodies to help strengthen the immune system.

The following two pictures show the calves in their pens. The calves after a few days learn how to drink freely from the bucket which is filled with milk two times per day. When there is no milk, we provide them with water so they can keep hydrated. The picture with the pens shows the long line of pens. There are a lot of babies on our dairy! The picture of the pens was taken this winter when it was raining. The pens have roofs that flip down to protect the calves from the rain. After the rain stops, we flip the roofs back up so the calves can soak in the warm California sunshine. California sunshine is definitely one  of the key ingredients to raising healthy happy cows.

 

The environment we provide for them, aims to keep the stress low, the environment clean, and the food nutritious to develop the strongest calves possible. Sick calves develop much more slowly (read about Webbzy), its in our best interest to ensure they grow well!

4 of my sisters feed calves every day, and love taking care of the calves. They spend a lot of time with them giving them all names. I was going though my picture file and couldn’t find many Holstein calves (the black and white ones). It seems like they like the Jerseys the best (the brown ones) because those were the only pictures i could find!

Filed under: Calves, Dairy, Baby Cows, Calf Care, Calves, Colostrum, Comfortable Cows, Cows, Dairy, Happy Cows