Seasonal Dairying

Since 2009, we have milked our cows seasonally. Calving begins in March. Breeding is in the summer. Milking happens until December. Then we dry up the cows and take the winter off. Then we begin again in March; the cycle repeats itself.

The seasonality of this style of milking is a blessing. Although, I really couldn’t do it any other way. The break in the winter revives me, both mentally and physically. I do though, kiss the ground of the true dairyman. Those that keep up milking every day, twice a day for 40 years straight. You embody a great stability and fortitude I hold at utmost reverence. These people do exist. I know of at least one.

In mid-November, we either have dropped down to once-a-day milking or we are making the transition from twice-a-day to once-a-day. The timing differs every year. Most years, there are cues of when we should lighten our schedule. For example, this year we dropped down to once-a-day milking in early October. Cookie Crumb and Abagail showed signs of fatigue and the grasses hit a low point nutritionally. We backed down to once-a-day, added quality hay in their hay ring in the field and they bounced back to full health in a couple days. This was an obvious choice and it felt good to make.

Seasonal dairying has the additional benefit of matching up the cows highest nutritional requirements with highest quality of forage in the pasture. Naturally, cows make the most amount of milk in early lactation. This early lactation stage requires the most amount and highest quality of feed. For our farm, the springtime/early summer grasses are growing abundantly at early lactation. This is one great benefit to seasonally milking.

The biggest downside to seasonal dairying is not having milk in the winter. This means no milk for sale and no milk for ourselves. This is why most dairies cannot afford to take the winter off.

……………………………

Milk cows are an interesting point of discussion for me. They blur the line between family, business and livelihood. Ultimately I would not be milking cows if it wasn’t a business. But most of the time, this is not how I look at my herd. Most of the time, they are part of the family. I know my cows and they know me. It is a special relationship of mutualism. It exhausts my mind when I step back and think about it a little too deeply. On the contrary, I gain a great stillness when I am with our herd- especially watching them graze a clump of fresh grass or just to be with them as they rest.

Winter allows me to appreciate all of this and gain new perspectives.

I know that my feelings are shared. The cows enjoy the winter rest too.

I can sit, sip my coffee and watch the sunrise over the barn where the cows still lay asleep. Their fuzzy coats are shielding them from the blanket of frost.

I add a little more wood to the woodstove, and ruminate some more.

Fire crackling

Stillness

I’m looking forward to this.