Jonathan Gates reports from Howmars Farm in Franklin, Vermont. Howmars is a certified organic dairy farm, one of many Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative farmer members who supply the milk that goes into making Stonyfield's yogurts and smoothies. The entire family pitches in on this third-generation farm. Jonathan and his father, Howard, converted the farm from conventional dairy farming to organic 9 years ago. Meet Jonathan. He farms with his wife Karen, sons Benjamin, Justin, and Noah, and Jonathan's parents, Howard and Mary.
Though winter temperatures at Howmars Farm up near the Canadian border haven't been too bad, there was a really cold spell for about a week back in early January. In this video from the farm, Jonathan demonstrates the milking routine he does every morning and every afternoon. On this particular morning, the outside temperature was 15 below zero. The somewhat roaring sound you hear in the background is the kerosene heater used to heat the milking parlor when temperatures dip. The cows never seem to mind. They munch happily as the milking machines and Jonathan do the work. Cows are milked three at a time and while they're milking, another three come in to the other side of the milking parlor and Jonathan swings all the equipment to the opposite side.
To play the video, press the arrow in the center of the screen.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
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A few weeks ago the temperature was about 15 below zero, but despite the subzero conditions the compost material in the barnyard was steaming away. On warm days, and we've had a lot of them lately, I can't put the manure and hay from the barn into the compost windrow. It's just too soupy. So, I pile the hay and manure from the barnyard on one side of the barnyard instead of mixing it with the manure in the barn. At some point I move the pile from the barnyard to the compost windrow.
I had noticed the pile in the barnyard steaming the other day, so this morning I grabbed the two-foot long thermometer on my way out of the barn. I put the thermometer in the pile and let it do its thing while I scraped the barn. When I checked it 15 minutes later it was registering a temperature of almost 130 degrees! It always amazes me to see how a mixture of hay, manure, and a little moisture can created so much heat, even in the middle of winter. Of course the cows looked at me as if to say, "What are you doing climbing around on the top of that pile? Get down here and feed us some hay". They weren't bothered in the least by the cold temperatures. With plenty of good feed, their shaggy, warm winter coats, and the barn for a windbreak they do fine all winter.
I put my thermometer away, fed the cows, and emptied the dump trailer down at the compost windrow. Once the tractor was parked, I headed into the farmhouse to warm up by the brightly burning woodstove.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
ABOUT THE BOVINE BUGLE Tune in Monday when we'll have more "Moo-vie" news from Jonathan's farm.
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We had several questions and comments here on the blog about the eye infections that some of our milk cows had a few weeks ago. (See January 31, 2006 entry):
Robert, from Pennsylvania, wondered if the wound spray containing garlic would be painful in the eye. The spray is mainly aloe vera, with tinctures of garlic and comfrey. The antibiotic nature of garlic helps heal the infections. I am going to try a few drops in my eye to see how it feels, sometime.
Iris, from New Zealand, wrote about using colloidal silver to control eye problems in bovines. When I get a chance, I'll talk to some other organic farmers and some vets about this possible treatment and I'll report back here in the future.
And Muff, from Iceland, wanted to know what homeopathic remedies Dr. Woodard had suggested I use in treating the cows. For early stages of infection, he suggested trying hypericum, aconitumn, or euphrasia. If swelling had started, apis was a good choice. The aforementioned remedies were all at a 30c potency. And for the advanced cases, he recommended silica at a 200c potency.
All eight of the cows are completely healed now, with nice, clear eyes once again. The next time we have that problem, I should be better prepared to tackle the outbreak and prevent the infections from getting too severe.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
ABOUT THE BOVINE BUGLE
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Today we had a visitor at the farm, and everyone was curious to see who it was, especially the cows!
A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Julie Smith, Dairy Specialist with the University of Vermont Extension Service, called to see if we would host a calf management workshop at our farm. She wanted a farm that was a grazing or organic farm to host one of several workshops she was hoping to do, and several people had suggested us. It's always nice to know you are well thought of in the agriculture community.
Dr. Smith came by early this afternoon, and we gave her a tour of the farm and an overview of the history behind it. While standing in the barnyard, the nosy milk cows surrounded her and she commented on how she wished she had her camera. I then whipped out my little Nikon, and asked if it would be okay to use her visit as a topic for a blog. She thought the farm looked great, and we could use the Horsebarn, the barn dance site, as a gathering spot for the workshop. After the on-farm portion, the group will go to a local restaurant for lunch and an afternoon presentation.
This workshop will take place in April, hopefully after a great maple sugaring season and just before an early start to the grazing season. We'll be sure to report on the workshop when it has taken place.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
ABOUT THE BOVINE BUGLE
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Got a question for farmer Jonathan? Click here and your question will be answered in an email back to you, plus it will appear on this site for all to see. You can even send your answer in by using voice mail, if your computer is appropriately equipped.
New hay for bedding brings out the curious cows, and a snoopy steer
I needed to bring round bales into the barn this morning since last night we had finished feeding the four bales already in the barn. Actually, we had finished three of the bales because one of the bales the cows would not eat. The bale was very dry and had a lot of dead grass in it. Maybe the cows didn't like it, but the older heifers and Angus animals would love it as bedding in their pole barn.
After pulling the leftover bale out of the barn with the loader tractor, I took off the bucket attachment and put on the grabber attachment. I managed to get a good grip on the loose hay, and I drove down to the pole barn to deposit the hay inside the barn. I parked the tractor and grabbed a pitchfork to use to spread the hay around inside the 18' x36' pole barn. By the time I got down there, several of the heifers and Homer, the Red Angus steer, were already wading around in the hay. I shooed them out of the way and then pitched the bedding around until the pack had a fresh layer of hay covering its surface.
In the late spring/early summer when we take to bedded pack out of the pole barn and put it into a windrow, the material, with it's large percentage of hay, will heat up great and turn to compost in no time. I've seen conventional farms where they just dumped poor quality or spoiled round bales into a gully, but here we turn bales that are no good for animal consumption into a great product for our soils.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
ABOUT THE BOVINE BUGLE
If you wish to subscribe, send an email with "Bovine Bugle" in the subject heading to chalvorson@stonyfield.com
Got a question for farmer Jonathan? Click here and your question will be answered in an email back to you, plus it will appear on this site for all to see. You can even send your answer in by using voice mail, if your computer is appropriately equipped.
Yesterday afternoon Justin, Noah, and I headed into the woods to work on a section for our ski trail. We have a dream of having several miles of cross country ski trails around the farm that we would maintain and groom for our own use and possibly to be used by others.
Using the chainsaw, I felled 12 to 15 small trees to make a clear path from the top of a hill all the way down to a small meadow. Justin, using an ax, started limbing some of the trees, and Noah explored the surrounding ledges and stacked some brush.
The next day I headed back to the spot with the tractor and wagon, and my wood cutting gear. I cut the trees--red maple, gray birch, and hornbeam--into three-foot lengths and piled the brush to the side of the trail. Once all the trees were cut up I loaded the wood into the wagon, using my pulp hook to handle the bigger pieces. I cut the trees into 3-foot lengths so that if we use the wood in our sugaring operation (making maple syrup) it would be the right length, or if we want to use it to heat the house we would just have to cut the pieces in half for 18" housewood. The largest tree I had to cut up was probably 8 or 9 inches in diameter. With the section cleared, it will give us a nice uphill climb, or a challenging downhill run while out on our skis. Now if we would only get some snow!!
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
ABOUT THE BOVINE BUGLE
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Got a question for farmer Jonathan? Click here and your question will be answered in an email back to you, plus it will appear on this site for all to see. You can even send your answer in by using voice mail, if your computer is appropriately equipped.
The whole family went out for a ski today. Karen, Ben, Justin, Noah, Yukon, and I had a great time cruising the open pastures, manuvering through the woods, and climbing up and schussing down the hills. It's fun to have all the boys with us, to see how well they ski and to bring back memories of when we started skiing around the farm with Ben when he was about 5 years old.
When we ski past the barnyard the cows always line up along the railing as though longing to join us on our romp around the fields. At the end of our ski today, one of the older heifers being overwintered in the pole barn met us at the gate. She was the same heifer that met Karen and me at the same gate yesterday. You could see her stroll along the fence line to be there at the gate as we came through the meadow. She looked as though she wished that boots and skis came in sets of fours, not twos.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
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Jonathan Gates reports from Howmars Farm in Franklin, Vermont.
