Things are heating up here in Michigan within the dairy industry. Oh, by the way…Good Morning!

Back to rBST….I know of one cooperative here in Michigan that is going to go rBST free in their milk and is currently asking it’s members to stop using it by January 1, 2008. The producers have to sign an affidavit saying they won’t use it.

Now all of a sudden Monsanto has hit the radio waves with commercials against this, with testimonials from dairy farmers saying they don’t like being told they can’t use the available technology for dairy producers. One farmer is from Missouri and another from Pennsylvania. These commercials just started yesterday.

Also yesterday I got an email notice that Penn State professor Terry Etherton will be in Michigan next week to hold meetings about the use of rBST….sponsored by…guess who? Yes, Monsanto. It’s getting interesting around here…I plan on attending the meeting next week.

And yes, my cooperative is at least one who is going rBST free….Michigan Milk Producers Association.

It’s awful foggy this morning but there were no delays for school this morning and the kids were bummed!

So now he kids are off to school, the house is quiet and I’ve got laundry, writing, errands to run and salsa to make. My tomatoes just won’t quit…which is fine with me. I’d like to make more salsa…you can never have too much!

Did anyone see that Michigan State won on Saturday while U of M lost….AGAIN! Just thought I’d let you know…in case you hadn’t seen the news…no thanks needed….just something I like to do for the good of the world. 🙂

The farrier came by last evening to trim Bud’s feet. He has three of us on this road and he just comes and does all of us whether we call or not. I found out he was coming so I had the horse out standing by the silo so he could see him. He usually stops here then goes to Knolltop Morgans and does whatever Lori has and then stops at Steve’s and does his horse. He likes to make Steve his last stop because after he’s done they sit around and have a cold one. They are a couple of divorced bachelors, so they have lots in common.

Well, I’d better get on my horse! Haven’t even made the second pot of coffee yet!

It’s awful foggy this morning but there were no delays for school this morning and the kids were bummed!

So now he kids are off to school, the house is quiet and I’ve got laundry, writing, errands to run and salsa to make. My tomatoes just won’t quit…which is fine with me. I’d like to make more salsa…you can never have too much!

Did anyone see that Michigan State won on Saturday while U of M lost….AGAIN! Just thought I’d let you know…in case you hadn’t seen the news…no thanks needed….just something I like to do for the good of the world. 🙂

The farrier came by last evening to trim Bud’s feet. He has three of us on this road and he just comes and does all of us whether we call or not. I found out he was coming so I had the horse out standing by the silo so he could see him. He usually stops here then goes to Knolltop Morgans and does whatever Lori has and then stops at Steve’s and does his horse. He likes to make Steve his last stop because after he’s done they sit around and have a cold one. They are a couple of divorced bachelors, so they have lots in common.

Well, I’d better get on my horse! Haven’t even made the second pot of coffee yet!

A good mechanic….everyone needs a good mechanic.

Yesterday Big Daddy came in and said something was wrong with the hydraulics on the skidsteer. Not being a mechanic, he gets a little fretful about these kinds of things. So after dinner, he was headed out to see if he could fix it and JW and I were going to milk. When I began milking I looked out at the skidsteer and there he was…our wonderful mechanic!

Immediately I stopped worrying…with Glen around there is no fear…he can fix anything and does so with a smile. He’s just one great guy. Before long, Big Daddy was on his way to the store for parts and he would have it fixed in no time. The bad news is, at this time at night, the right store wasn’t open, so he has to get the part today. So that meant all the feed was shoveled to the cows. Bobby and his crew, JW, Luke and Jake shoveled and wheelbarrowed and shoveled and wheelbarrowed until all the feed was fed. They had a great system going and it was done in no time.

You know that old saying, “You know the wealth of the water when the well goes dry?”Now we know the valued of the skidsteer when the hydraulics go dry!

A good mechanic….everyone needs a good mechanic.

Yesterday Big Daddy came in and said something was wrong with the hydraulics on the skidsteer. Not being a mechanic, he gets a little fretful about these kinds of things. So after dinner, he was headed out to see if he could fix it and JW and I were going to milk. When I began milking I looked out at the skidsteer and there he was…our wonderful mechanic!

Immediately I stopped worrying…with Glen around there is no fear…he can fix anything and does so with a smile. He’s just one great guy. Before long, Big Daddy was on his way to the store for parts and he would have it fixed in no time. The bad news is, at this time at night, the right store wasn’t open, so he has to get the part today. So that meant all the feed was shoveled to the cows. Bobby and his crew, JW, Luke and Jake shoveled and wheelbarrowed and shoveled and wheelbarrowed until all the feed was fed. They had a great system going and it was done in no time.

You know that old saying, “You know the wealth of the water when the well goes dry?”Now we know the valued of the skidsteer when the hydraulics go dry!

It’s a busy, beautiful morning here on the Knolltop. We just got done with a breakfast of pancakes and bacon. I had extra mouths to feed this morning. Jake and Luke both had a friend spend the night, so we had a slumber party in the livingroom. They are out playing football, working off all the pancakes!

Big Daddy and JW just went out to treat a cow. She freshened last night and had no trouble, til this morning when she wouldn’t get up. Bobby will give her calcium and see how she does. Luke is out fixing the gate on Hollywood’s boxstall, she knocked it off and was wandering around all night.

Sarah and I are headed to a presentation for Bob Shinaberry over in Osseo. The Waldron Tractor Club is driving to his equipment dealership where they will present an award of service (he’s retiring) and I have to take pictures and write something about it since he’s been a long time advertiser in the Farmers Advance. Better get going!

It’s a busy, beautiful morning here on the Knolltop. We just got done with a breakfast of pancakes and bacon. I had extra mouths to feed this morning. Jake and Luke both had a friend spend the night, so we had a slumber party in the livingroom. They are out playing football, working off all the pancakes!

Big Daddy and JW just went out to treat a cow. She freshened last night and had no trouble, til this morning when she wouldn’t get up. Bobby will give her calcium and see how she does. Luke is out fixing the gate on Hollywood’s boxstall, she knocked it off and was wandering around all night.

Sarah and I are headed to a presentation for Bob Shinaberry over in Osseo. The Waldron Tractor Club is driving to his equipment dealership where they will present an award of service (he’s retiring) and I have to take pictures and write something about it since he’s been a long time advertiser in the Farmers Advance. Better get going!

Over the weekend, Big Daddy volunteered our hay wagon and barn for the sophomore class Homecoming float building extravaganza. The kids at school informed JW this week that they would be spending all day Sunday and Monday night here to construct the float. That was fine, until JW realized his whole family would also be here too. Then he got worried. I think he went into panic mode when Big Daddy volunteered to help out by making sure everyone was “entertained” I think he said something about running the radio but I’m not sure what else he has in mind. It sounds like I’d better keep the camera ready.

Since I didn’t get my Farmers’ Advance column done yesterday that’s first on the agenda…I did do the column for the local paper though…so I did get something accomplished.

AND, there seems to be a cow color feud brewing here on the blog. I mentioned it to my neighbor last night on the phone…she is a Jersey breeder as well and basically takes care of the whole herd… her husband has a job in town. She told me that she’s had to pull some of her Jersey calves… so they aren’t all that easy to deliver! And to add credibility to her and give her family some kudos…just last week at the State Fair, her family had the futurity winner and Junior Champion and missed Premier Exhibitor and Breeder by 6 points! Jim VanBuskirk won breeder and exhibitor by the way.

Okay, off to write!