Summer 2022
Well, August is already here! I can say I’ve settled into the summer flow of cheesemaking, mowing, milking, cow herding, and our weekly markets. It’s busy of course, but at the end of the day, everything is okay. Things are mostly where they should be. These long and warm days are more predictable than the spring chaos of the previous season. Summer has it's daily grind, but I mostly enjoy it. If the last 2 years were characterized by experimentation, I can say this year and especially this summer season, is more about figuring out time management, resourcefulness, efficiency and energy conservation.
July and the 1st week of August have been warm but not unbearable. Although, we have unfortunately missed out on most of the thunderstorms this month thus far, but we did have steady rain fall throughout July, which made up for a rather dry June. It rained enough in July to keep the grass growing, which is what we so desperately needed to feed the herd.
Furthermore, I’ve adapted a new milking routine, I milk on average 16 hours apart.(I’ll explain further down.)This is different than all previous years. Since 2009, I’ve generally kept up twice a day milking all the way until mid to late October. That means milking roughly 12 hours a part. I’ve found milking twice a day really is the way to have the most amount of milk. When I drop down to once a day milking in the Fall, milk production doesn’t get cut down in half, but significantly. Since I’m only milking 4 cows this year, I need all the milk I can get for cheesemaking and markets and having a business that makes ends meet. (Before I go any further, It’s important to note that the cows really don’t care if they get milked twice a day or once a day or 16 hours a part. They are the essence of what it means to go with the flow, and that’s why I love them so much.)
The work load of twice a day milking is fine if I’m just selling milk. Milking and managing the herd can be done easily within a day. Although when cheesemaking and markets get thrown into the mix, it’s a whole new game for a family dairy. Although, it can be done. I managed to make it all the way until late October/early November with the full load. In the end, no surprise here: this lifestyle is all about keeping up the endurance and stamina over the years to come.
I must say, my new milking routine really fits well.
It works like this. Yesterday I got up at 3:30 a.m. and milked at 4.a.m. and actually went back to sleep at 5a.m.before waking up 8a.m. for good. (I like to get a full 8 hours of sleep in total. Sometimes that is 5 hours before milking and 2-3 hours after milking.) Yesterday: I got the cows moved and then started the cheddar make for the day. I got the cows back up at the parlor before 9p.m.(that’s 17 hours between milkings) milked them and went to bed not too long after. Today, I milk at 1p.m.(16hours since previous milking) I was able to catchup on some things this morning as well as start to write this journal entry. The cows usually resort to the shade not far from the barn around 11a..m. anyway. Last time I checked that is where they lay. They graze in the night and the cooler parts of the day, and rest mostly during the hot time of day. For me, not needing to milk this evening, frees up so many possibilities. I basically need to only milk and move them once today. I plan on getting some new fencing put up and mow some weeds in the cool part of the evening and hopefully watch the sun set lounging with the herd. I’ll continue with the cycle tomorrow morning. Rise around 3:30 and milk, and either go back to sleep depending on what time I go to bed tonight, or continue with a couple cups of coffee and make the cheese for the day, before our market in the afternoon.
I’ve had a few really nice evenings with the cows on the ‘once-a-day milking days’ over the last couple of weeks. There is something incredibly special about mid summer sunsets, and the nights that follow. Last week, there was one remarkable evening- I sat with the herd as they ate and grazed around, the sun had already set behind the westerly hills over Grassland Mountain. Although the sunset was nothing compared to the dramatic and billowing storm in the East. Lightning was striking so high up in the sky it seemed to leave the clouds and the earth’s ellipse completely. Although dry where I sat in the field, the wind was rustling the trees, which struck a timeless chime in my being. Hard to put a finger on it exactly, but yes, that is what it is: this is what it feels like to be on earth, alive and at ease. It’s the night sky and the stars that glimmer, the summer breezes and sunsets that reminds me of what really matters, and at the same time, how difficult it is to fully appreciate the world that is unfolding before me.
