Four Seasons of Comfy Cows

By Jackie of Winners Drink Milk

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stops the postal service from doing their job--add Sundays, federal holidays, and looming apocalypses to the list and then it would apply to dairy farmers, too!

Dairy farming happens in all weather and all climates, from snowy Wisconsin to sunny California. Here in Indiana (the if-you-don't-like-the-weather-wait-5-minutes state), our dairy farmers are gearing up to see to their cows' comfort as winter changes to spring.

March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb, they say, so farmers have to be prepared to change strategies quickly to keep cows warm when it's cold (like today) and cool when it's hot.

Cold winters may make you and me bundle up in mittens, scarves and coats, but even fairly cold temperatures aren't that much of a problem for an adult dairy cow. If she's in a draft-free barn, with clean, dry bedding, and a group of friends, she's pretty toasty.

 Cows generate a lot of body heat, so an enclosed barn  or even a pasture lean-to with a group of cows in it will be a lot warmer than the howling blizzard outside. Cows also have a big, powerful stomach and are constantly digesting their food. Ever notice that you feel warmer after a bite to eat? Cows do too, only they eat pretty much all the time, so their stomach is like a personal space heater.

 

The cold does pose a big challenge to baby calves, though. These youngsters don't have a layer of fat to protect them and since they are only drinking milk and not eating solid food, their stomach doesn't warm them up that much. 

In the winter, calves are bedded down with a lot of clean straw so they can snuggle down in and stay warm. Calves are either housed in groups in a draft-free barn so they can huddle together or have their own personal area so they are completely protected from any wind or draft. 

In very cold climates, calves even wear little coats, similar to a horse's blanket or a Paris-Hilton-style dog sweater, to stay extra warm! 

The warmer months may be a little easier on the calves, but that's when the mama cows need a lot of attention. By the time you would be comfortable standing outside in a T-shirt, it's already "hot" to a cow--she's using energy cooling herself down. 

The picture at the top shows a barn opened up for the summer time, with fans to circulate air. Farmers install fans and even misters to keep cows cool, and always have a supply of fresh water available so cows can take a refreshing drink. So whether March brings snowstorms, sunshine or anything in between, Indiana dairy farmers are prepared to keep their cows comfortable.

What Dairy Farmers Want You to Know About Dairy Farming

By Kimmi Devaney of American Dairy Association of Indiana, Inc.

 “Few other occupations require the passion and commitment that dairy farming does.  Time management and dedicated best management practices are essential for a sound and efficient operation. Managing an operation with enough scale to allow for individual time away for family members is critical for personal family involvement. However, a dairy quickly becomes a family venture as it allows for family members of all ages to be involved at a level that their age and development provides. It's easy to see why dairy farms are nearly all family farms because of the close ties they bring to families.” –Dave Forgey, Logansport, Indiana

“Dairy farmers work hard to make sure the animals are well taken care of and as a result produce nutritious dairy products for consumers.  We also strive to send a safe product to the consumer.  We love our animals!  Without them we would not be where we are today.  They give us a reason to get up every day and make sure they are healthy, fed right, and properly managed, so we can keep being a part of such a wonderful industry!” –Abbie Herr, Kendallville, Indiana

“I want the general public to realize the commitment we as dairy farmers have made to produce a safe, quality product in a responsible manner.” –Kerry Estes, Fountaintown, Indiana

“I want people to think about how hard the farmers work to make milk - and to remember that what your family drinks is the same yummy product that I am feeding to my children. I want them to come and visit to see how the cows have it better than me most days!” –Susan Troyer, Goshen, Indiana

“Nearly every activity that we do on the dairy is centered around one common goal:  To make the cows lives a little more comfortable.  We help to achieve this level of comfort in many ways, by providing:  a fresh balanced diet of hay, corn, vitamins and minerals every single day, fresh clean water to drink, a meticulously groomed bed of sand to sleep on, big fans to keep air fresh and cool, and a water sprinkler shower on hot days.” –Nathan Kuehnert, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Meet a Farmer: Nathan Kuehnert

Nathan Kuehnert

Dairy Farmer

Fort Wayne, Indiana

How did you become a farmer?:   Dairy farming is what I grew up doing with family, so I guess you could say “it’s in my blood”.  My brother and I started showing cows through 4-H at a very young age and really learned how to “care” for the cows.  I worked on the farm through all my years in school, and while being away at college I realized how much I missed being at home doing what I loved.

How does your family ensure your cows stay comfortable?:  Nearly every activity that we do on the dairy is centered around one common goal:  To make the cows' lives a little more comfortable.  We have always believed that “a happy, healthy, comfortable cow is a profitable cow”.  We help to achieve this level of comfort in many ways by providing:  a fresh balanced diet of hay, corn, vitamins and minerals every single day, fresh clean water to drink, a meticulously groomed bed of sand to sleep on, big fans to keep air fresh and cool, and a water sprinkler shower on hot days. 

If you weren’t a dairy farmer, what would you do?:  That’s a very interesting question that I honestly think about at times, especially after a full seven day, 100 hour work week.  I believe that I would have become a doctor.  I feel that a doctor would have been a great career fit for me because I love to work under pressure and I really enjoy taking care of our cows that don’t feel well and getting them back to good health.

How many generations work on your farm?:  My brother and I are the 5^th generation to dairy farm at this location.  We are really proud that there are currently four generations at the farm on a daily basis.  My grandfather, Melvin, is here every day and is our “do anything man”.  He performs daily tasks like driving tractors and repairing equipment, however his favorite job is giving his great-grandchildren a ride on his ATV.  My father, Alan, and my Uncle Stan manage all of the daily functions on the dairy from feeding the cows to harvesting the crops.  My mother, Cindy, wife, Sarah, and sister-in-law, Brittany, feed all of the baby calves every day, which is probably the most important job.  My brother, Andrew, is in charge of the nutrition and ensures that the cows get a balanced diet every single day.  My main duty is helping to keep the cows healthy and happy by providing the proper care and administering the right medications.  I also manage our cattle reproductive program and make the genetic decisions.  We are also very lucky to have a couple of young men who work with us that are like family:  Kyle Walters, Luke Hesterman, and Colton Brown.   

     
What is the best thing about being a farmer?:  It’s pretty cool knowing at the end of each and every day that we have worked to provide the world with “Nature’s most perfect food”: MILK.  There is a lot of pride knowing that everything we do is surrounded around one goal:  to make the cleanest, purest, most high quality milk that we can.  And this is all possible by maintaining a healthy, happy cow.    

What is your personal philosophy on farming?:  We strive to feed the world by being good stewards of the land, excellent caretakers of our cows, and great neighbors in our community. 

Meet the Campbells

Welcome to Campbell Family Farms!

Larry & Judy
Chris, Jennifer, Casey, Emi Lou & Cole

I can’t wait to show you around our farm but we do have just a couple of rules:

1. No Dirty Boots In The Barns – if your boots have been in any other hog barns please don’t wear them in our barns – web translation: kick up your feet and enjoy the tour!
2. No Photography!  Web translation: the pictures here are mine please don’t use them without my permission!

So sit back and have a look around our farm!

We farm 2000 acres of corn and soybeans and have a farrow to finish confinement hog operation where we sell 2000 head of fat hogs a year.  The home farm is a Hoosier Homestead; we are multi-generational farm and are proud to say that our kids will be the 7th generation to farm this same ground if they choose to do so.  I am very proud of this fact in that I also come from a multi-generational farm, my nieces and nephew  will have the opportunity to carry on that farm as well if they choose – so Chris and I both know and understand how special that bond to agriculture is.

This is our primary set of grain bins – it sits on the home farm between our home and my in-laws.  Nearly all the corn we raise is handled thru this facility; our scales to weigh semis, as well as our corn dryer are located here – on an average year apprx. 180 thousand bushels of corn pass thru this facility.   All soybeans that are not sold straight out of the field also pass thru here.  We can store 140,000 bushels of grain (corn or soybeans) here.  The fields we farm are scattered out over Johnson and Shelby County’s and range from 7 acres to 225.

The corn and soybeans we raise are used for a variety of purposes.  We use a portion of our corn in the feed we grind for our hogs, the rest of the corn we sell and haul to National Starch  where it is made into corn starch.  Most of our soybeans are sold and hauled to Bungee in Indianapolis. Bungee has facilities where the soybeans are pressed into bean meal for livestock feed and the oil that was removed is then sold for various end uses such as the vegetable oil we cook with.

 

Here at our house we also have our cattle barn.  Our “cattle operation” is really just a 4-H project run-a-muck!  We started 7 years ago with the oldest starting 4-H with one steer to test the water and see how she liked it – this year all 3 kids will show, we have 5 cows (all bred), 1 heifer, 1 steer and currently looking for next year’s “show string” – a steer for each kid and two heifers – and least we not forget Luke our adopted dairy calf!

 

Down the road, west a half mile is our hog barns, shop and 2 more grain bins!  This is where all our hogs are as well as where we work out of.

The hip roof barn in front was originally a dairy barn, we converted it to house our sows during breeding and this is also where we artificially inseminate and naturally breed all our sows.

We have a well equipped shop where we do most of our own repairs on equipment and all our maintenance.  Next to the shop are 2 more grain bins and our feed grinding center.  We grind all our own feed; we grind about 7 different rations (recipes) depending on the age and size of the pigs.

The hog barns are behind the shop, we have 2 farrowing barns where we farrow (pigs are born)  22 sows every 5 weeks.  We have a 2 room nursery barn, when the piglets are weaned at 25 days, weighing from 12-15 pounds.  Each room in the nursery has 10 pens and we sort them by sex and size to allow even competition.  After 60 days in the nursery they move to one of our 2 finishing rooms, this is where they stay until they are ready for market, approximately 280 pounds – it takes about six months from birth for a hog to reach market weight.  The last room in our hog barns is the gestation room; we have enough room for 72 sows in this room.   After breeding we move the bred sows into this barn from the front barn.  This ensures that each sow get her required amount of feed without competition, this minimizes injury and ensures that she is well cared for.

Well there you go – short of a tour of Chris’ office that is our farm!  We love our life and what we do – if you want to read more you can check out my blog and you can also keep up with the farm on Facebook!

5 Ways Farmers Care for their Animals

By Kimmi Devaney of Winners Drink Milk

The dairy industry is near and dear to my heart, so I know firsthand the dedication, passion and commitment to excellence that farmers have when it comes to farming and their animals. After all, it’s their livelihood. Not to mention the right thing to do. I hope many of you had an opportunity to meet a farmer or two as you strolled through the aisles of the barns at the Indiana State Fair. You won’t find better people than farmers. 

Have you ever wondered how farmers care for their animals?

Nutrition. Farmers work with animal nutritionists to formulate diets based on the animals’ nutritional needs. There is no one-size-fits-all ration and it changes depending on age, life stage (stage of lactation, etc.), and other factors. Nutrition is one of the most important factors influencing milk production, so this is an important area.

Medical Care. Veterinarians care for animals much like how doctors care for people. They provide check-ups, vaccinations and treat animals when they are sick.

Animal Comfort. Happy animals are productive animals. California is on to something when they talk about happy cows. Happy, comfortable cows produce more milk. And milk equals money. Therefore, it is very important to provide safe and comfortable living conditions for cows and all animals. On our dairy, we had sprinklers over the feed alleys to cool cows off (and encourage them to eat more feed), large fans in the free stalls to make their naps more comfortable (cows spend a considerable amount of time lying down, so it is important that they are as comfortable as possible!), and fans in the holding pen to cool cows off as they waited their turn to be milked. Some farmers use sand bedding and rubber matting to increase cow comfort. The take away message here: animal comfort is very important and farmers recognize this.

Housing. Dairy cows are generally housed according to age. This makes it easier to provide the best care for each group, as they all have different needs. A second-lactation fresh cow (a cow that just gave birth) has different needs than a growing 10-month-old heifer (female dairy animal who has not had a calf). Dairy farmers separate cows and calves to provide the best individual care for each. Calves receive colostrum (the first milk after a cow calves) as soon as possible to jump start their immune systems, and then receive milk for about two months. In the meantime, they are slowly transitioned off of milk and onto hay and grain (called the weaning process). At the same time, the milk cows are fed high-energy diets to provide for their lactation requirements. Milk production requires a lot of energy!

Employees. Whether farm employees are family members or not, they care for the animals like they are their own. Working toward a common goal—whether that be high milk production, excellent milk quality, etc.—always has a way of bringing people together. Visiting with my favorite cows always made the work day a lot better. And of course, who can be upset when you are surrounded by adorable calves?

Take Home Message: Farmers depend on their animals for their livelihoods and they provide the best care for them as possible.

Keeping the Ladies Cool

By Kimmi Devaney of Winners Drink Milk

Summer is in full swing here in Indiana. For many of you that may mean a trip to the beach to cool off. While cows can’t escape to the beach, dairy farmers ensure they stay as comfortable as possible. Dairy cows are most comfortable when the temperature is between 40 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so how do they stay cool in the hot and humid weather we have been having lately?

Many dairies install large fans in their barns to increase ventilation. At the dairy I worked at, we had sprinklers over the feed lanes to cool cows off and encourage them to eat more feed. Increased feed consumption means higher milk production.

Barn construction is also an important part of cow comfort. When the ridge of the barn is open it allows heat to escape, thus keeping the barn cooler. Cross ventilated barns have also increased in popularity in recent years and are amazing from a cow comfort perspective.  Cross ventilated barns use a row of fans and evaporative pads to cool the air as it moves throughout the barn. It’s like air conditioning for the cows. In addition, some dairy farmers use sand bedding in their barns. So it’s like a day at the beach for the cows every day!

Water consumption may be one of the most important aspects of keeping cows cool. Just like humans, cows can get dehydrated. When this happens, milk production decreases.  Therefore, dairy farmers ensure that cows have access to clean, fresh water 24 hours a day. Cows can drink 40-50 gallons of water or more each day. That’s a bathtub full of water!

Why is it so important to keep cows cool?

Comfortable cows produce more milk, and milk production decreases during hotter weather. This means the farmer has less milk to sell. Not good. Keeping cows cool can help maintain—or at least minimize the milk lost due to high temperatures—milk production during these hot summer months.

Now that you’ve learned about a few of the ways dairy farmers keep their cows cool during the summer, make sure that you stay hydrated and cool—the summer’s not over yet! Milk—regardless of flavor—is the perfect beverage to help you rehydrate. Did you know that milk is 87% water by volume? The combination of protein and carbohydrates in the remaining 13% make milk a nutrition powerhouse. Now there’s a drink you can be proud to serve your family. Got milk?

Warm & Toasty

By Mindy Reef of Indiana Farm Bureau

One a cold day like this one, would you rather a farm kept animals in the kind of barn pictured above or a new modern barn like the animals below?

Our farmers’ livelihood depends on the quality of animals in our care, which is why we put their medical and nutritional needs first. Today’s farm buildings are equipped to provide animals with comfortable, state-of-the-art housing systems that protect against food- and air-borne illnesses- not to mention warm and toasty on days like today.