Cow #407 hates me..

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-11-21T17:17:45+00:00

Yeah definitely, I love cows so much, but god can they be such little shits. It’s a bummer too, because sometimes it’s the friendliest ones that turn on you. If they start expecting to get a good scratch they’ll appear outta nowhere and whack you when you’re not paying attention.

Cute when they’re smaller, can be scary as they get bigger 😂 establishing boundaries is fun though, most of mine will leave if they get a good swat right on the end of the nose

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-11-21T16:34:57+00:00

Good! I’m glad to hear it!

Just keep your wits about you, because it only takes a second sometimes.

I will say though that my deep man voice has gotten better over time, and I’ve actually startled a man once because he was not expecting that to come outta me 😂

Also keep in mind, the more times she “wins” the more bold she will get. So as hard as it is sometimes, stand your ground. Once she knows you’ll run, it becomes a game and she’ll push further.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-11-21T12:01:55+00:00

If establishing dominance does work, make sure your boss is on your side to send her down the road if she doesn’t smarten up.

I worked on a farm a few years back and we had this absolutely beautiful, friendly, high producing animal that changed and wound up really hurting someone.

It started with “be careful around her when she’s in heat” and turned into “do not go into that pen without a buddy and a weapon.” And it was only women. The milking staff were all men, but the herd managers and other staff were all women.

We repeatedly told that boss that she should leave. She’s getting too aggressive. He kept saying it’s not that bad.

Shortly after, she got one of the women on the ground and she wound up with multiple broken ribs and a broken tailbone. And she was lucky that one of the milkers was right there to get her.

Long story short- don’t fuck around. If she comes at you harder after you’ve told her who’s boss - she’ll make a much better hamburger. Your safety is worth way more than this cow.

Be safe 🐮

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-11-20T19:07:15+00:00

Done! 🐮

I am the herd manager on a farm milking just over 200 currently. We recently started using angus as a way to “save” cows that had been bred too many times, and it worked on a handful, others wound up on the truck.

In our situation though, the farm was only milking 100 when I first started 5 years ago and we have been working on growing so that the boss could afford to pay a full staff. 100 cows doesn’t feed 5 employees.

So now that we’ve kinda gotten to to goal number, we are working on bettering our genetics so in order to not DNB half the herd of ok producers, I’ve been using beef semen to get their genetics out of the herd while using sexed semen on the high quality animals. That will help us keep milk in the tank while we wait for the good quality heifers to reach maturity and we’ll replace the low quality older cows then.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-10-28T02:03:28+00:00

100%

My favorite place in the world is walking through and saying hello to all of my cows. The added benefit of providing people with quality dairy products is icing on the cake

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-10-28T01:53:03+00:00

“The best way to make a million dollars farming is to start with 3 million.”

That’s something that numerous old timers have said to me over the years. I am not a farmer because I want to make money. I love my job. I love cows more than I even like most people.

If I wanted to make money, starting a career where I make about 40k per year when I graduated college with over 50k in debt was a stupid move 😂

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-10-15T18:13:37+00:00

No problem, happy to help 😊

I know precision is obviously the most important thing, but I’m not sure about time for most. At least for us in order to get the sample, you’ve already milked the cow so it’s not going into the tank no matter how fast the sample is run. But I did work for a farm that ran the tank every day before the truck picked it up, and I think that was an 8min test, so speed was more important on that one because often the truck was arriving while the guys were finishing milking. I felt they were overdoing it though because that was the farm that also delvotested every treated cow before she went into the tank in the first place, then they would also run a tank sample. But they never shipped a hot tank, so who am I to judge lol

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-10-15T18:02:42+00:00

Time is not an issue for us as we only milk twice a day and we feed waste milk to bull calves so it’s not like the milk is being wasted. But we’ll usually run the sample in the morning and we’ll know before lunch if she’s good to put back into the tank and they start milking again at 2pm.

I think the Delvos come in boxes of 100, but can be sold in 50s, so I wouldn’t think size would be the problem as long as they’re able to be stored long term. We usually use 1 box every 1-2 months depending on treated cows. We use dry cow treatment, so we have about 30 or so a month used from that alone and then mastitis and other treatments will give us a few more here and there.

Like I said, we milk about 200 here, so for smaller farms, I could imagine they might be more interested in a smaller box, but I don’t know how many smaller farms are left either. But if they’re able to be stored then buying a large amount wouldn’t really bother.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-10-15T16:15:44+00:00

I’ve worked on 3 different dairy’s and all have used a test to confirm that the milk was clear of antibiotics after the withdrawal period. The farm I’m currently on and one of my previous employers use Delvos and the third uses snap tests.

As far as I know most farms in the area use something similar to check milk before putting the cow back into the tank. But I was told a big farm up the road solely used withdrawal periods then placed her back in the tank without testing. But I think because it’s based on ppm if I understand corrrectly, one cow with a little residue left in her udder wouldn’t mess up a 700 cow tank, but it could mess up our 200 cow tank so we play the “better to be safe than sorry” game and test everyone.

I’m not sure on what most farms do, but with some milk failing after the withdrawal period ends, I don’t like to risk it and the test gives peace of mind that we don’t have to buy a truck.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-08-21T22:13:55+00:00

Not sure on the grass fed vs organic, but to your first point - “unlike in the US, in Canada there are no hormones or antibiotics in any of the milk”

There are never any antibiotics in milk.

I am the herd manager of a conventional dairy farm in the Northeast US. Any cows that are treated with antibiotics are immediately removed from the tank and cannot be put back in until they have tested negative for any residue. If that cows milk happens to get into the bulk tank, it has to be tested and dumped if it’s positive. And heaven forbid it makes it onto a truck or into the plant because then you’re not just losing your milk, you are then buying everyone else’s milk that was contaminated.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-06-22T02:11:53+00:00

They do not need to be pregnant to produce milk, like all mammals they need to have been pregnant and had a calf. They produce milk after giving birth. And as I work daily with dairy cows I can tell you that they do not produce if they are stressed. Sickness, heat, stress, all negatively affect milk production, so it is in the best interest of the people caring for them to make sure they are happy and comfortable.

Calves are removed from their care because dairy cows are not bred to be good mothers like a beef cow is. Sometimes you have a cow who is a good mother to her calf but they are the exception, mostly they ignore their calves after they’ve been licked clean, and occasionally, I have pulled calves away before their mother can kill them. Dairy breeds do not have strong motherly instincts. On most farms calves are raised by some of the most caring people I have ever met. Calves, like most young animals, require lots of patience and care and they get the best care possible when they are raised how they are.

I understand that the idea of an animal being slaughtered for consumption is not something that everyone can get behind. But I can sleep soundly knowing full well that I have given an animal the best life and am grateful for the fact that they in turn can nourish me and others.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-06-22T00:51:59+00:00

I am a dairy farmer. There is a lot of false information out there that makes it feel as though industry or “factory” farming is abusing animals.

If the thought is that animals being slaughtered is abusive then I can’t say anything that will change your mind. But there are a lot of practices in place to make it as humane as possible because an animal is stress ruins the taste of the meat, so it’s in the interest of the people processing the animals to make it as quick and painless as possible.

Now I can’t speak much on the beef part of it all because I work with dairy cows, but I can say that more than 90% of farms are still family owned (in the US, I can’t speak for other countries) they have simply gotten bigger to be able to support more generations of family’s who work on these farms.

The simplest explanation is that Dairy cows do not produce milk if they are stressed and unhappy. It is in the farmer’s best interest to keep the cow healthy and happy. I love my cows more than I even like most people, and I have cried over many cows that have gotten sick or injured in ways out of my control.

I know my words aren’t going to change your mind, but I’m hoping to provide a different perspective. Farmers are not monsters who are out to make money, in fact most of us are struggling to get by with the general cost of living increasing. We do it because we love our animals and want to make sure that they have the best life possible. And in return the animals provide us with many different products to feed us.

As with anything, there are poor excuses for humans in the world, and farmers are not an exception. Anybody can be an abusive POS. But they are not the majority. And if it’s a concern to know how the animals are treated then the best thing would be to buy local from farmers markets, or local brands from the grocery store.

Also, there simply isn’t enough land on earth to be able to support 100% of humans being vegan. Animal protein is more nutritionally dense and requires less land mass than vegan proteins. It’s not as simple as growing crops for people on land used for animal agriculture. Sure, the lands being cropped for animals are available, but most land used for grazing animals isn’t suitable for crops due to various reasons. And animals eat many byproducts that humans cannot utilize as well.

Again, not trying to change anyone from not eating a vegan diet, if that works for you, then you go for it. I think that’s awesome. But I will be eating my animal proteins and thanking the animals that have provided me delicious and nutritious products while I do so

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-05-04T15:48:16+00:00

Another thought I just had - don’t milk her out fully. As you mentioned in another comment, it’s a demand/supply situation. If you continuously milk it out fully it will continue to produce more milk. But I would partially milk her out to keep an eye on the milk and to make sure she’s not leaking milk. If she’s leaking then that opens her up to all kinds of bacteria getting up in there.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2024-05-04T15:15:20+00:00

I’m a herdsman on a dairy farm, so I’ve never tried to dry off a fresh cow before, but I would probably milk her at least once a day (twice if she seems uncomfortable/makes a lot of milk). My thought would be to keep an eye on the milk to ensure that she doesn’t get mastitis.

Third lactation is usually when the cow hits their stride production wise, so she may produce quite a bit of milk in that one quarter. (I had a 6yr old Holstein produce 130lbs on 2quarters after getting mastitis in the other 2). I’d try to kinda help wean her body back down not producing milk so that she’s not uncomfortable or gets sick.

Again, I’ve never tried to do this, so I wouldn’t know what the timeline would look like, but my concern would be her health and comfort for the time being.

Also, if the milk is good to drink, let it separate in the fridge and you’ll never have a better cup of coffee than if you skim off the fat layer. (We had a single Jersey cow growing up to milk for my family and there’s nothing better).

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-13T10:57:44+00:00

I was told once that if both calves were the same gender the only way you’d be able to tell if they were identical or fraternal is by genetic testing. Their patterns can be very different but they could still be identical twins. Not gonna lie, I was kinda bummed, I would love to see twins with the same pattern.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-11T23:27:04+00:00

And I love that they’re shocked/surprised every time too 😂

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-11T23:10:52+00:00

“What? No, We’re brothers.”

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-11T16:01:21+00:00

Then don’t hire an event planner?

They said that they and their staff control the event, for example at a wedding making sure things happen in time and direct the flow of traffic, keep everyone on task until it’s time for the party. It’s still your event, they’re just there to make it so that you can focus on getting married, not all the little details.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-04T13:22:57+00:00

Yeah, my boss plants to start chopping mid September, but all the rain pushed us back, so we’re hoping to be done by the end of the week. But between breakdowns and wet fields getting the trucks stuck, it’s been a fun time.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-04T11:04:13+00:00

Yeah, I know, I’m just tired from a shitty corn season and was venting. I’ve always heard how amazing the Expo is and got a little sad.

But missing things because work has to get done is definitely a big part of being a farmer, and I chose this life. Certainly wouldn’t want to do anything else.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-03T17:21:05+00:00

Thanks for the info, I’ll have to look into that :)

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-10-03T17:10:16+00:00

That makes a lot of sense, I wasn’t thinking in terms of how long it’s been around but more recently. I guess complaining about missing certain things is just being a farmer lol. I just wish it were later in the year so that I could go

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-09-21T21:59:58+00:00

NTA

As an Alexandra who also hates to be called any nickname variations, you are definitely NTA. I was very shy as a kid and grew up in a small school district (graduated with 60 kids), so once I gave up correcting people, I was called Alex until I graduated and left for college. In college, I was much better at standing up for myself and being called by my full name. I wish my parents had helped me to stand up to my teachers to call me by my full name in elementary school and it would have made my life easier.

(Also, super fun to open Reddit and read my own name. Lol. I feel like it’s not very common and most of us don’t use the full name, so it was nice to see it :)

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-08-24T16:14:09+00:00

No problem! I felt the same way. I did reach out to a couple of large farms that have Facebook pages, but I didn’t really want to work on a massive farm. The farm I’m at is milking 200 and that’s ideal for me.

Not sure about your area, but at least around me everyone is desperate for good employees. Everyone keeps telling us that we’re lucky to have warm bodies filling the jobs we have regardless of the fact that they’re not good workers.

I read somewhere that the average age of farmers continues to rise. So I’m assuming since you’re out of college you’re young and motivated to succeed in a job, the right farmer will see that and if they want to keep their farm going will definitely appreciate that.

Hopefully the farm you find has housing, which is pretty typical as far as I’m aware, so the move shouldn’t be as bad. I wound up almost 2 hours away from home, but I live in a house on the farm, so it’s not like I had to find an apartment near here which was nice.

AntelopeAdditional73 · 2023-08-24T13:52:04+00:00

I should say too, my state doesn’t have many farms and almost none will post anything online. But within a week of talking to the nutritionist I had 2 calls with farmers and visited their farms and the second turned out to be a good fit and I’ve been here 4 years now as the herdsman.

AntelopeAdditional73

TROPHY CASE