With all the new lambs born recently we’re feeding the richest hay in the mow. The more coarse hay is fed first. As winter progresses the hay supply is dwindling. The highest quality hay is held back until the end of winter. It’s reserved for cows, who are nursing calves, and ewes nursing lambs. Keith brought down a bale and showed me a flake that was still bright, soft, and green. It was a blend of orchard grass, alfalfa, and clover. The heart shaped leaves of green clover, topped with brown flower heads, looked as if they’d been pressed in a book. This was third cutting hay. It smelled sweet and the stems and leaves were still tender. The plants weren’t tall, not on the last cutting of the season, but the pliant green blades were perfectly cured. Soft palatable hay, after a couple months of eating dryer hay, is a reward for livestock eager for spring grass.
“ A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew” Herb Caen
NAMED COWS GIVE MORE MILK
Chloe
Lulu
Clairece one of our Jersey cows
Alice
LONDON: Two students at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have won a veterinary medicine prize for showing that giving dairy cows names and calling them by their correct name increased milk production yield by an average of 258 liters per year. The researchers said the cows are very responsive to friendly milkers with a positive attitude. We are pleased to introduce you to our four dairy cows; Chloe, Lulu, Alice and Clairece.
Chloe is a Jersey-Angus cross. Lulu is a Holstein, and Alice and Clairece are registered Jersey’s. They provide milk for our family and all of the pigs at Forest Hill Farm.
Scientists at The Harvard School of Public Health have concluded that people who consume full fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter are 60 percent less likely to develop diabetes. People who consume full fat dairy products have high levels of trans-palmitoleic acid which helps regulate insulin and reduces internal inflammation Another diabetes risk factor) The study authors estimate that consuming three to five servings of dairy may deliver the benefit, more research is needed to determine the most effective amount. perhaps the scientists could also include grass fed dairy products in their study. The benefits would likely grow exponentially.
With all the new lambs born recently we’re feeding the richest hay in the mow. The more coarse hay is fed first. As winter progresses the hay supply is dwindling. The highest quality hay is held back until the end of winter. It’s reserved for cows, who are nursing calves, and ewes nursing lambs. Keith brought down a bale and showed me a flake that was still bright, soft, and green. It was a blend of orchard grass, alfalfa, and clover. The heart shaped leaves of green clover, topped with brown flower heads, looked as if they’d been pressed in a book. This was third cutting hay. It smelled sweet and the stems and leaves were still tender. The plants weren’t tall, not on the last cutting of the season, but the pliant green blades were perfectly cured. Soft palatable hay, after a couple months of eating dryer hay, is a reward for livestock eager for spring grass.
