A: a day workin' on a dairy!
You all know by now, that I am nuts about animals and all things farmy. Well some very thoughtful friends of mine arranged a sweet birthday gift for me. I got to spend time working on a 5000 cow dairy (babysitting included). Sweet deal, huh? Here are some things I learned:
1. Haylage (the fermented hay fed to the cows) smells yummy...but probably just to me.
2. This dairy has an average of 25 baby calves born each day - how sweet!
3. You don't want to know what the purpose is for a plastic glove that spans the entire length of your arm.
4. As large as this dairy is, these cows are pretty pampered!
We lived in Wisconsin for awhile and it's neat to compare both diary worlds (old-school vs. progressive). In Wisconsin it's very picturesque with tie-stall barns, silos, and small herds. The cows are part of the family. Here where we live now, dairies are huge in comparison. Cows are known by their number, not name. Still, anyone would appreciate how well the cows are cared for and the type of management required to make the dairy run healthy and efficiently.
My favorite part of the day was spending time at the maternity pens. Here are some of the brand new calves. 
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