There are a couple of new changes on our farm. The ventilation is one, two fans on the east side of the barn have been installed to draw fresh air across the barn. All the cows are also sporting shiny coats. Usually this time of year, our coats appear course and dull. But our farmers have been feeding us quality minerals. The benefits are astonishing with glowing coats and content cows being the most visible evidence. Of course by feeding me minerals, that will make the milk from me more nutritious too! Have you noticed shinier hair since eating yogurt made with my milk?

Steven continues to work on the house restoration project as time permits. The north side of the house is finally complete. In the evening you can find my farm family kicking back and enjoying the comfort of the room. Julie is so happy that they finally have a broom closet to hide cleaning supplies. Sometimes it’s the little things that bring us joy. 

In preparation for the upcoming garden season, Julie started growing her seedlings. Containers of young seeds germinate on the south side of the house in the warmth of the sun. She planted some inside in mid-March but more will follow in May. Julie’s garden measures 3/4 of an acre. That’s BIG! My farm family still has plenty to eat though. Down in the basement the walls and storage bins are filled with canned vegetables and stored fruits and vegetables. There are plenty of apples, carrots, squash, jars of tomatoes and other garden delights. What a feeling to know the food you eat was grown with the caring touch of your hands.

Steven and Julie’s children continue to thrive in their own adventures. Naomi is all settled in El Salvador with the Peace Corps, Phoebe continues to blossom in her nursing program, and Zeth travels to New York City every few weeks to provide New Yorkers with Vermont specialties such as Maple syrup, maple candies, kimchi (Korean style fermented vegetables), sauerkraut, pepper sauces and salsas to name a few. Zena is now hooked on Ultimate Frisbee and will be traveling to North Carolina to participate in a competition. She also has set high goals for herself; she plans on hiking all of New England’s top mountain peaks. You go Zena!

Luv
I have a new nickname, they call me the wanderer. Every once in a while the clip that connects me to the stall gets stuck open making it easy for me to escape and wander around the barn. I like to check out the barn, visit with friends and sneak a few mouthfuls of hay. Usually I’m back in my stall before anyone has figured out I was loose. I’ve been caught a few times when that happens, I walk sheepishly back to my stall.

This year’s maple sugaring season was a bust. The fluctuating temperatures (from freezing to almost 75 degrees) were not ideal for sugaring. By Early April, my farmers had only produced half of their crop. Looking back at last years sugaring records, we had similar weather conditions the first week of April. Then the season turned around. They went from producing grade C quality syrup to Fancy and doubled their crop. There’s still hope!

Steven keeps diligent records each sugaring season. Every evening he writes a journal entry about the weather conditions, flow rate, tree condition, wild life damage, maple syrup quality and anything else that might occur during the sugaring season. Steven can look back over the years and see how each season varied or was similar. Sometimes my farmers can’t remember the details from year to year, so it is always helpful to have it written on paper.

The horses, on the other hand, seem to have a great memory. After a years hiatus from picking up sap pails in the maple grove, our horses seem to anticipate each stop based on last years bucket placement. At the beginning of the season, they have to be shown the new routine. But Julie and Steve only have to show them once and then they’ve got it.

The horses pull a sled called a Travis Sled. It is a low framed sled with two sets of runners; one in front and one behind. The front runners allow the sled to pivot easily in tight corners. This comes in handy if the horses have to make a 90 degree turn.

My farmers also have wagons that they can use with the horses. They have a wood wagon to haul wood, a sap wagon they use when there isn’t enough snow for the sled and a forecart. A forecart allows the horses to pull farming equipment that is usually pulled behind a tractor in the field.

On the milking front, I am cruising along. Cows have four milking quarters, but I am only milking from three of my milking quarters. Losing one quarter hasn’t affected my milk production at all.

Priscilla
Around my neck chain hangs a tag with #1 engraved on it. Years ago, the milk tester assigned me that number. It used to be required that each cow wear a visible ID tag or number, so my farmer complied with the rule. It isn’t required anymore, but a few of us still wear the tags. It is helpful on the rare occasion (maybe once a year) that my farmers have someone milk for them. This way the person milking knows the cow is in the right spot if the neck tag matches the card above her stall.

Both my daughter and I came into heat at the same time. Julie was so excited to have a mother/daughter team pregnant at the same time. Unfortunately, my daughter didn’t become pregnant. I’m due on September 18, 2007

Every day we have an exercise period to stretch our legs. My farmers use this time to check for heat activity and to clean the barn. My farmers watch our behavior very carefully and note on a special chart when we start to cycle. Time is critical because there is only an 8 hour window of opportunity for us to conceive. My farmers have to call a special technician for breeding, Julie and Steve will call him as soon as they think one of us is in heat. If they don’t call right away, we could pass our heat cycle before the breeder arrives. If that happens then we have to wait for the next heat cycle to be bred and a cow’s estrous cycle is 28 days, that’s a long time to wait.

Hershey
In early February, I was still drinking milk from a large 2 quart milk bottle and wearing a special calf blanket to keep me warm on really chilly days. I was starting to eat a little organic hay, minerals, cornmeal and corn silage. Then I got sick!

One morning Hannah came out to the barn to check on me and she could see I didn’t feel very well. When she touched my ears, they were ice cold. Plus, I had very loose manure or scours as Hannah and Matt call it. All I wanted to do was to curl up and sleep.

Organic farmers use medicines like herbs. Guy fed me garlic to help bring down my fever, dry, granulated clay to boost my minerals and electrolytes to help with the scours. After a few treatments I was back to myself, jumping and running around. Once I was better, Guy worked on weaning me and on March 19th I received milk for the last time. Now I eat grain and hay with the rest of the herd.

Did you know dairy cows have horns? On either side of my poll (the poll is the high square piece above my forehead) I had little horn buds. If left, they would have grown into horns. A cow with horns can be dangerous to other cows and their farmers. Therefore, when I was two weeks old, our vet gently removed my horn buds after numbing the area with Novocain. I also received an ear tag with the number 546 for record identification; it’s sort of like having your ear pierced. Every cow on our farm has their horns removed and their ear tagged.

Do you know where Oregon is? Hannah and Matt mentioned something about their father, Guy, traveling there for an important meeting. Guy was selected to participate in a national conference to design a friendly website for farmers transitioning to organic and for consumers, a site to answer everyone’s questions. Cooperative extension agents from across the country were asked to prepare questions and answers. Guy’s role was to make sure they kept their questions and answers “real” and easy to understand. He was gone a total of 4 days. This was the first time he had ever been away from the farm or his family! Maybe this little bit of travel will inspire Guy to take a vacation with the entire family in the near future- assuming he can get lots of help to run the farm while he’s away.

Spiffy
If you were to take a walk way back to the end of our property, you’d find the Rock River flowing through our land. The river begins in Franklin Vermont, meanders between two Canadian towns and then loops back down into Highgate. Eventually the swift moving water empties into Lake Champlain. Over the years, people have become concerned over the increased levels of algae in the lake. Initial water testing indicates phosphorous as a major source.

The Rock River is a swift moving river with steep banks. The soil surrounding the area has a high percentage of clay. Clay is one of three components that make up soil. The other two are silt and sand. Soil enters the river, either by erosion or runoff. The current separates the soil particles, clay and silt particles stay in the water while the sand settles onto the bottom of the river. Researchers have shown that phosphorous molecules enter the river by clinging on to the clay particles and are carried by the current to their final destination in Lake Champlain. 

Where does phosphorous originate? It’s hard to say because there are many farms and towns along the edge of the river. It may be runoff from farming operations where phosphates are applied. It could be from people using phosphates for cleaning and their septic systems leaching into the water. Several conservation agencies are trying to determine the exact source and each agency has their own theory but more information needs to be gathered. To help with the research, many conservation agencies are collaborating to find the potential cause. Once that has been determined, they will outline a plan and proposed it to the surrounding communities.

Water is a precious commodity. Here on our farm we are very aware of the environmental impact we have on the land and practice the best conservation methods available to us. In fact, every year when our farm gets re-certified, the organic inspector studies our farm plan to make sure we’re doing what we can to prevent pollution.

I have grown. The last time Matt checked, I weighed 670 pounds. Every day Matt visits me and soon he will start training me for the 4-H show season, this summer. I can’t wait!

Libby
I’ve been busy thinking of names for my future calf, that is if it’s a heifer. How does Bambi sound for a name? I am pretty sure I am bred but I will have to wait until the vet comes for our next clinic or herd check up.

The other day I produced 7.14 gallons of milk in one day. Can you drink that much milk? On the farm, we often talk about milk yield in pounds rather than gallons. If 1 gallon equals 8.4 pounds, how many pounds of milk did I produce? If you guessed 60 pounds, then you’re correct!

To help keep my milk production strong, this time of year while we’re not on pasture, I eat 5 lbs of grain, 10 lbs of the best silage on the farm and 20 lbs of excellent hay. Having top quality forage is essential to producing high quality organic milk. The better the quality, the less supplements or grain Guy has to purchase which means his family will have more money.

Winter has finally come to a close in Vermont. Guy spent most of the winter and early spring feeding cows, milking and chopping bedding. And when he wasn’t taking care of us cows, we could see him out the barn window, shoveling snow. When heavy snow accumulates on the buildings, Guy has to climb up onto the roof and shovel the snow off to prevent the roof from collapsing. Being right on the Canadian border, we get a LOT of snow!

It looks like we might not get onto pasture as early as last year. Seventy- five acres of fenced in pasture land await us. Once the ground dries out we’ll spend all day eating grass, except twice a day  when we have to come into the barn for milking. I can’t wait to taste the lush green pastures again and hang out with my herdmates in the sun.

One of my favorite spring plants to eat is dandelions. When Matt feeds me the soft fluffy dandelions, they get stuck on my tongue. I think he feeds them to me just to watch the funny faces I make trying to get them unstuck, but I certainly don’t mind. They’re yummy! Matt always makes the effort to give me a little more attention than the others.

Viper
Happy Birthday to me! On March 9th, I turned one. Instead of a birthday cake, Hannah brought me an extra handful of organic carrots, apples and aloe pellets to celebrate my big day. Then she topped it off by scratching my favorite spot, the center of my forehead.

In February I was moved to the heifer barn. I now share my pen with a flashy heifer named Spiffy and a spotted heifer name Cookie Dough. We were put together because we’re similar in size. When Hannah saw me with the other heifers, it made her wonder how much I weigh. So she got out the weight tape, a weight tape is just like a tape measurer but each mark corresponds with a calculated weight. A formula is used to make the tape measurer that calculates the ratio between width of the cow and the weight. Using a weight tape is much easier than trying to get a cow on a scale. Can you imagine how big the scale would have to be? To weight me, Hannah wrapped the weight tape around my barrel (belly) just behind my shoulders. I measured 700 lbs, not bad for a yearling. I bet you wouldn’t want me to accidentally step on your toes!

Spring has been busy for Hannah and Matt. They’ve had lots to do with their 4-H club. Their club visited the Leader Evaporator Company in Swanton, Vermont. They are the leading producer of equipment and supplies for making maple syrup. After visiting Leader Evaporator Company they toured 4 different maple syrup operations to compare their methods of gathering maple sap and turning it into sweet, tasting maple syrup. Matt and Hannah were so excited by what they saw they caught the maple fever and started collecting sap from few maple trees on the farm. Before they could begin, they had to research the different supplies they would need to tap trees. Grandpa Choiniere was a great source of information because he used to tap maple trees a long time ago.

The 4-H also took a field trip to the Miner Institute located in the Champlain Valley in Chazy, New York. The institute is an educational research farm focusing on problems confronting the dairy and equine industry. Check them out at http://www.whminer.com/.

One highlight of their visit was in the cow barn. They met a cow who had a saucer size plug in her side. When they asked their tour guide about the strange contraption, he explained that researchers had surgically placed the plug on the rumen (the rumen is one of four compartments in a cows stomach) side of her stomach. This provides researchers with a window into the rumen where they could extract fluids for important experiments. He said the cow didn’t even know it was there. Isn’t that amazing?

On the weekends I would see my whole farm family snowshoeing across the back field of the farm. Hannah told me they would pack a picnic lunch and when their stomachs started to rumble for food, she and Matt would build a fire to cook their lunch. She said her dad had showed them how to safely build and start a fire as a survival skill.

I wonder what they’ll do once the snow leaves the farm. You’ll have to check back and find out in my summer update.

Peewee
Remember Valentines Day? I don’t know about where you live but up here in Vermont we saw 30”of snow fall that day. Thirty inches in one day! Unbelievable! Our neighbor did a terrific job plowing our driveway. By the time the last snow flake landed on the ground, the snow banks were so high our driveway was shaped like a tunnel. Fortunately for us, the milk truck had just picked up our milk earlier in the day, before the storm hit. If he hadn’t, I don’t know what my farmers would have done with the extra milk! Milk has to be picked up every other day. If the milk truck can not come, we have to pour the milk down the drain. When that happens, it’s okay to cry over spilled milk.

As we approach grazing season, we are getting low on feed. My farmer Linda was hoping we’d be out on pasture by April. Lucky for us, our hay broker has some quality hay available. All Linda has to do is dial the phone and he’ll be here with more hay in four days.

Late winter to early spring is the idea time for farmers to plan the type of crops they’ll plant for the coming season. They’ll sit down with last years records, pour over seed catalogs they receive in the mail, visit with crop experts to determine what minerals they’ll need for their field and hope for an early planting season. Paul is one of the crop experts; he sits down with farmers to plan their cropping season. Using the information from last year’s field reports and soil tests he will calculate the nutrient needs for the field and where to apply them. This year Paul will work with 31 farmers on their nutrient management plan.

Linda plays an active role in the Farm to School mentor program developed by Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA). During the months of January thru June, 1st grade classes at Enosburg, St. Albans and Eden receive a letter from my farmer. Linda writes to the class about all the happening on the farm, which cows have calved, what the cows have been up to or how the heifers acted when they were let out into the training yard. Her last letter ends by inviting the classes to the farm for a field trip and to participate in fun activities like making butter or ice cream. Yum!

Vega
Next month, my first calf will be born. My due date is June 4th.   To stay fit, my farmers have devised an exercise program. On the weekends when Clair’s around, she helps direct my group to the outside exercise yard as weather permits. We jog down the alley way and out the back door to the yard. It‘s nice to have an extra set of hands around, especially if we
decided to get a little frisky.

All around the edge of our exercise yard were high banks of snow that had been pushed up against the outside barn wall. Being the curious heifer I am, I decided to find out what it was like to walk on top of snow. Each step I took made a soft, crunch sound as my hooves sank into the snow.

Walking near the barn I notice I was above the barn windows and I could look down into the barn. What a strange perspective to look into the eyes of my fellow herd mates from the outside. I took one more step for a closer look and all four legs disappeared into the snow bank. There I was, stuck in the snow up to my belly.

Quickly assessing the situation, I began pulling and tugging to free my legs. In a matter of minutes I was able to pull myself free and I raced to the far side of the exercise yard, I don’t think I’ll try that again.

Clair’s high school days are winding down. In June she will graduate. Linda and Paul marvel at how time has passed so quickly. This fall she’ll be packing her bags and heading off to Vermont Technical College. Congratulations Clair, from the whole barn crew!

Reubens Avena
I’ve been moved to the dry cow area! In the middle of February, Linda and Doug placed a halter (a halter is like a leash for cows) over my head and lead me to my new location. I wasn’t too excited about this, but after some coaching and pushing, my farmers were able to lead me through the cow barn and into the dry cow area.

The dry cow area houses all the heifers and cows that are 2-4 months from having their calves. Like most cows, I am a social creature of habit and don’t like change and I was unsure about my new situation and new herd mates when I arrived, so I challenged the first cow I met. Head against head, we pushed back and forth neither of us willing to give an inch in our scuffle. Finally we called it a draw and I turned my attention to investigate the rest of my new home. After I located the feed bunk and had a few bites to eat, I settled into my new home for a few months. I’m due May 8th.
    
There is music everywhere on our farm! Each day, new songs fill the warm spring air as birds return back to the farm. In early March, I heard the cries of the Red Wing Black Bird. Perched high in the maple tree, calling out its song, “oak-a-lee”(hear their song at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/REWBLA/). The males were the first to arrive to our farm to stake out their territory. When they first arrived, their shoulders or epaulets didn’t boast the brilliant red color you’re used to seeing in flight. But within a few weeks their color changed to impress the females as they arrived.

The birds must have been as confused by the season as we were. A few days after they arrived, the weather turned. The temperature plummeted to 20 degrees as wet, cold snowflakes fell from the sky.

The Red Wing Black birds aren’t the only ones making music. Both Myrilla and Olin- my farm family’s children- played in their spring concert. I heard Olin was amazing on the Alto Sax. He blasted out 2 improvised solos during the jazz band performance. Myrilla also plays the alto sax; she performed 2 solos and played in a trio during her spring recital. She played each song with feeling and confidence. After listening to them practice on the farm, I wish I could have heard them play in their concert!

Paramount Florance
Spring is on the way, I’m not to sure what spring is but I have noticed a few changes around the barn. For example, my water doesn’t freeze at night now and the breeze coming in through the window feels warm and carries all kinds of new smells. I’ve also noticed when grooming myself that some of my hair is coming out. Some of the other cows told me it’s shedding. I am loosing my winter coat to get ready for the warm weather. I could use a good bath or brushing to help remove some of this old hair. Maybe next time when the kids are in the barn I can give them a hint.

During the last week of March, Doug flew off to Wisconsin for the cooperative who sells our milk to Stonyfield Farm (CROPP/Organic Valley), for their annual meeting. Doug is the Representative for Maine so he needed to attend. He was gone for four days, but Linda stayed behind to run the farm.

Leaving the farm is a big ordeal for farmers. They need to find reliable helpers who can care for the farm in their absence. It also takes a lot of work to prepare everything before they leave. Doug had to fill the feed bunks for the entire farm before leaving so all Linda had to do was milk the cows twice a day, clean the barn twice a day and care for the young stock twice a day for 4 days. She did have some extra help from two students at Unity College and Olin, Dylan and Myrilla who are always willing to lend a hand. Everything went smoothly until Reeses, a bred heifer, decided to escape!

Linda and Olin were milking and they had just finished their last shift when the neighbor came into the milking parlor and said those dreaded words. “The cows are out!” Sure enough, they bolted outside to survey the situation and realized the extent of their predicament.

There were cows everywhere! Their tails were up, their ears pointed forward and a wild look filled their eyes. Every fence in the barn yard had been torn down! They didn’t know where they should be or shouldn’t be. And way beyond the barn, where the cows are housed, in the pasture were more cows tearing around the field in excitement! What could have sent the cows into such frenzy? Looking out at the cows in the field Linda saw at the head of the pack, it was Reeses!

Quickly thinking, Olin & Linda ushered what cows they could into the barn, then began repairing the fences. Then, I herd a call ring out through the barn “come boss! Come boss, boss, boss.” Low and behold the cows began to come back! Just as Reeses was in reach, a halter (which is like a leash for cows) was thrown over her head and she was promptly lead back to the heifer barn while the remaining cows were guided toward their barn. There is never a dull moment on the farm!

Cempts
The day starts early on our farm. Doug and Linda are in the barn by 4:30 in the morning. First they check to make sure all of us are safe and doing well. Then Linda heads off to set up for milking. First she sets up the milking machines (used to pump the milk for the cows udder); next she sanitizes the tilk line (which carries the milk from the milk machines to the milk tank) and then attaches the pipeline to the milk tank (where all of the milk is stored before it leaves the farm). Before attaching the pipeline, my farmer inserts a special filter to insure the fresh milk stays absolutely pure.

Meanwhile, Doug moves the milking herd from their barn to the holding area. Once the cows are out, he hoes out the stalls, cleans the barn and adds fresh feed to the feed bunk. We like coming back to a clean barn and fresh feed!

Now we’re ready to be milked. It takes almost an hour to milk the entire herd. My farmers slide open the two doors to the milking parlor and twelve anxious cows prance (six per side) into the parlor and quickly fall into line to eat grain from the grain bins.

Before attaching the milk machine onto the udder, each teat must be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. Once the machines are attached, warm milk begins to flow towards the milk tank. It takes 3-5 minutes for a cow to milk “out.” When she’s done, the machines are removed, each teat is cleaned and the she is released from the parlor to walk back to the barn for breakfast.

While we are being milked by Doug, Linda usually feeds the baby calves their milk and cleans and feeds the rest of the young stock in the barn. By the time 7:30 am rolls around my farmers are done with the morning milking and have the rest of the day for other farm choirs, until 3:00 pm when it all starts again. Where are you are 7:30 am? I imagine some of you are just waking up!

Jerick Fling
Did you know cows get manicures too? Twice a year our hooves are trimmed and reshaped by a hoof trimmer that comes to our farm. He arrives at our farm with a portable chute, gates and other tools of the trade.

The hoof trimmer visited our farm in early February. When he arrived, twenty of us were split off from the herd and held in a separate section of the barn. Gates were erected to form a single passage for us to walk to the portable chute (also called a tilt table).

Doug put a halter (a leash for cows) over my head and led me towards the tilt table while Linda gave little clicking sounds from behind to keep me moving. Once I reached the tilt table, Doug walked right on through the open gates. I followed until the front gate swung shut so only my head could poke out. Then they closed the back gate and I found myself confined within this contraption. A bar wrapped around my belly and the whole unit gently rose and tilted at the same time. Before I knew it, I was lying comfortably on my side! Working quickly, the hoof trimmer secured my hooves with leather straps so I wouldn’t accidentally kick him and began working on all four hooves.
 
First he checked the shape of my hooves. “How’s she doing” he questioned Doug, “anything I should know about?” Doug replied, “Just a routine trimming.”

Our hooves can become tender for a variety of reasons. We could step on something or even eat too much grain. Over the last decade cows have been showing a new ailment called hairy warts. Now mind you, they aren’t like the warts people get on their hands! These warts grow on the bottom of the heels and can be very painful. Scientist can’t be sure of the cause but found an increase in the number of cases where cows are kept in wet, moist areas. The earlier the symptoms are caught the better. Organic farmers like mine are not allowed to use many of the drugs that other farmers can use. That’s why they spend so much time working to prevent illnesses like hairy wart by focusing attention on our living conditions. But if my farmers see any sign of warts they apply a spray of zinc and copper (which are allowed in organic production) to the hoof. It works really fast! If the hoof trimmer finds a wart, he will place a cotton soaked pad on the area and use a colorful, elastic wrap to secure the pad in place.

After his assessment, the hoof trimmer carefully chips away any extra growth using a hand held rotary power tool, it’s like a nail file for cows. Satisfied with his work, he unties my hooves and begins lowering me back down to solid ground. My feet touch the ground, the front gate swings open and out I walk feeling like a million bucks!

One cow in our group, Peanut, needed a special lift on her hooves. She was walking very gingerly because one of her hooves was really tender. While lying on the tilt table, the hoof trimmer glued on special toe wedges to cover the whole claw (a cow’s hoof is made up of two sections or claws). The special wedge helps take the pressure of the other claw and allows Peanut to walk perfectly normal. She looks kind of cool with two bright green wedges on her hooves!

On February 5th, I was bred but I won’t know if it took until the vet checks me at our next herd health clinic. I’ll keep you posted.

Glenwood Dena
Spring has finally arrived in Vermont. Looking out the barn doors, there is not a drop of snow on the ground. It’s hard to believe, but this time last year we were already grazing in the pasture. During the early spring we’re only on pasture during the day as we don’t want to overgraze and damage the fields. Jonathan brings us out after we’re milked in the morning and then we stay in when our afternoon milking is done.

Jonathan was hoping for an early pasture season, but the ground is too wet from melting snow and rain. The sooner Jonathan can get us on pasture, the more money he can save by feeding us less purchased hay. And we love the fresh organic grass that’s loaded with protein and nutrients! Jonathan has to wait for the ground to dry up otherwise we’ll ruin the fields and turn them into mud my walking on them. He also has to wait for the grass to start growing well; there just isn’t enough for us to eat in the pasture yet. The delay means he’ll have to purchase more feed to carry us through. It will be hard finding quality feed this time of year. Most farmers were not anticipating a late spring and have used their good feed by now. It might not be until the third week of May before we get out to pasture.

Our maple sugaring season also started late. My farm family wasn’t even sure the weather was conducive to successful sap flow. Working as a team, my farm family set out 230 buckets. The first day they fired up the evaporator to boil sap into a golden color syrup was March 31st. Last year March 31st was the last day of their season. Winter started late and stayed late! This year they produced 70 gallons of fancy syrup. While I don’t eat pancakes, I’ve heard from visitors that nothing is as yummy as pancakes with fresh, real maple syrup!

The University of Vermont has a dedicated research team, The Proctor Maple Research Center, which studies maple trees (Acer saccharin) and their production. It was established in 1945. They focus on research, demonstration and the education of maple sugaring. Areas of study include forest health related to nutrition, stress, growth, sap flow, methods of sap collection and sugar production. Students and maple syrup producers rely on the center for hands on education and information. Jonathan has utilized the center to troubleshoot issues that have surfaced over the years.

Now that maple sugar season has ended, Jonathan has several spring projects to attend to. He has to check all of the farm equipment and make sure it is ready to use for making hay and for spreading compost. There are also fences that need mending.

The boys are between sports, but Noah plans on playing baseball once the field dries up. Ben recently participated in an economic competition. Their team won the state competition and will travel to Philadelphia to compete in the regional event.

On March 27th I calved with a bull calf. I was set back a few days after calving with a touch of milk fever (which is caused by a low level of calcium in the blood, this is common just after giving birth). Now I’m back on my hooves, and milking well. Check back in a couple of months to read what new adventures are happening “down on the farm”, or sign-up to receive Jonathan’s blog and get information in real time.