Leisure Time for the Dairy Cows

On sunny days, our dairy cows enjoy grazing and lounging out in the pasture in between milking times. Here are a few photos I took yesterday of some of our dairy cows relaxing in one of the pastures.

These photos are taken from the pasture on the hill behind the birthing/calf barn.

We have 200 milking cows at this time and this is just a portion of one 'string' (there are three strings total.)

The cows are SO curious.  At one point, I had 30 of them running towards me to check me out.  Okay, I admit it.... it kind of freaked me out!  What a big chicken I am!  But there was just something about 30, 2000 pound animals running towards me that just didn't feel quite right.  I asked Dominic about it and he told me if I would have let them come all the way up to me, they probably would have just licked me, but I didn't give them the chance.......maybe next time.

Dairy is one of the most regulated and inspected industries in agriculture. As part of the regulation process, dairy farms are regularly inspected by county health inspectors to ensure clean water and to minimize environmental impacts in years to come.  These inspections can be unannounced, so farmers must always be ready to show an inspector around their farm and be willing to make the environmental improvements suggested by the inspector. State and Federal inspections also occur annually.

Farmers are excellent Stewards of the land.  We know that protecting the land we farm on, not only preserves it for future generations, it also maintains a healthy lifestyle for our families, communities and animals.

Environmental practices on all dairy farms are tightly regulated by both federal and state agencies. While requirements vary from state to state, we, as dairy farmers and all dairy farmers I know strive to consistently meet these standards. In fact, we go above and beyond what is asked of us. We see the benefits every day when we step into their barnyards and reflect on the legacy we'll leave to our children. 
 
Dominic is a 4th generation Dairyman, and as many Dairymen or women,  feels a strong sense of responsibility to preserve our farm and community for future generations.
 
Happy Tuesday! Pin It

A Visit by Water Quality Control ~ And A Night Out With Novato Mom Pals

We have just been paid an annual visit by San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. Members of the Board take a walk around the farm to conduct their routine inspection. Some of the things they check for on a dairy ranch are to make sure all of the berms are in place so rain water does not mix with the manure water. You're probably wondering where we keep the manure water. It is pumped into one of four manure ponds that we have here on the farm. All dairy farms are required to have these in place. Water Quality also checks to make sure all the manure pumps, which are pumps that pump the liquid manure to the ponds, are in good working condition. Pipes are checked for cracks and leaks as well. This photo is one of the liquid manure ponds when it's almost empty. Another item that is inspected is that all dairy cattle are kept in a covered area for the entire winter / rainy season. The cattle are allowed back to their open corrals and on pasture on April 15th of each year, unless it's an especially wet winter then this date is extended. This is just one of many regulations all California dairies must follow. The reason for this regulation is to be able to easily contain all liquid and solid manure mass so it can then be pumped or scraped into the designated manure ponds. What happens to all the liquid and solid manure in the ponds? Well, that's an entire separate production that happens every summer. Stay Tuned! Oh, and we passed inspection without a problem. Last night while the rest of my family was eating the home-made pizza we made, I met some of my Novato mom pals for dinner at Pasta Moto. A fairly new restaurant here in Novato, reasonably priced and delicious. You walk in to a very nice atmosphere, order at the counter and take a seat at a table to wait for your food. Karen and I ordered the Chicken Panini which consisted of chicken, avocado, mozzarella cheese and pesto ~ really good ~ served with a side salad, Kris ordered the Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables and Mandy had already eaten dinner so she ordered dessert ~ Tiramisu. Every dish was delish! < They offer a variety of wines by the glass or you can sample several wines from a Tasting Dispenser located in the center of the dining room floor. It was a fun night! Pin It