Better for our calves. Better for us.

Days like today make me extra glad that we decided to invest in improvements to our calf and heifer housing.

Below is an example of what our calf housing would have looked like on a day like today before we made the improvements. This picture was taken in February of 2011, which was the last time we had a snowstorm comparable to the one that buried us today.

This is what our baby calf housing looks like now. Newborns go from the calf warmer into a small pen for a couple days and then into the big pen with the automatic calf feeder.

We continue to be amazed by how well our calves grow with their new amenities – access to fresh water 24 hours a day (no frozen water pails); access to calf starter 24 hours a day; automatically dispensed milk replacer; a temperature-controlled, weather-proof environment; and interaction with the other calves.

And while this system is better for our calves, it is also better for us.

Our animals' well-being often takes precedence over our own. Caring for our calves and heifers used to require a sometimes unbelievable amount of physical labor, especially during the winter. The winter of 2010-11 was grueling, to say the least. (We were kind of spoiled last winter.)

With our baby calves inside now and better facilities for the older heifers outside, our workload has greatly decreased and our working conditions have greatly improved.

Our calf and heifer housing improvements weren't the types of projects that have a proven track record for providing a financial return on the investment. But, sometimes, more than just finances have to be taken into consideration; time, labor, and quality of life (for both our animals and us) are important, too. I bet, though, that if we put a price tag on just the time and labor we're saving, the improvements we made will pay for themselves pretty quickly.

A year-and-a-half later, we're still glad we made the decision we did. And so are Dan and Monika.

Housing our calves inside makes it a lot easier for Dan, and especially, Monika, to play with the calves. Which, in turn, makes it a lot easier to tame future show calves. This is one benefit of our calf housing that we never anticipated, but, boy, are we glad to count it as one of the reasons this system is better for all of us.

Twelve from 2012

2012 might have ended 37 days ago, but in some ways it's not really over yet. We spent a fair bit of time this week getting ready for our appointment with our farm business management instructor to prepare our year end financial statements. One one hand, the filing and data entry are mundane tasks. But, on the other hand, going through all of the records from the year is a neat way to review the year's events.

I also get a look back at the year when I sort through the hundreds of photos I take to pick out the best ones for our family photo book. I already published some of the best photos of the year in other posts, but the photos below didn't find their way into a post – until now. Here are twelve more of my favorite photos from 2012:

Our much needed Hawaiian vacation.

Our hike through the Hawaiian rain forest.
We were told beforehand that it was an 'easy' hike.

A honeybee visiting a California almond blossom.

Hydroponic forage at World Ag Expo in Tulare.

Some of the Girl Scouts and their parents relaxing in the pasture
during their visit to our farm to learn about dairy farming.

One of the hundred or so wood ticks I picked off the cows this summer.
This year the ticks were the worst I've ever seen. Gross, I know.

Summer fun for Dan.

A cat nap in the barn for Monika.

My view while manually flipping bales off the conveyor because
the bale flipper wouldn't work. It was July. Yes, it was hot up there.

Me and Trent Loos at Chick Day. Really funny guy. Great messages.

Thanksgiving: We're thankful for cousins!

Daphne's first portrait.

2012 was a great year for us. We had a lot of fun with family and friends. The cows and crops did well. And we were blessed with a new family member.

OK, now 2012 can be over.

A sweet treat for a sad day

In Glen's own words, today was a sad day.

Dove, one of our beautiful young cows, gave birth to dead twin heifer calves this morning. For us, twin heifer calves are extra special. They even get special names – like Hope & Pray and Laugh & Love. So, to have twin heifer calves born dead was extra sad. To make it worse, not only is Dove a great-looking cow, she's ranked one of the best cows in our herd; the kind you really want to have a heifer calf.

So, in an effort to cheer Glen up, I decided a pan of bars was in order (even though our niece delivered the Girl Scout cookies yesterday). I thought the bars might be appreciated, given this conversation last night:

"Dang, I actually lost weight," Glen said, after stepping on the scale.

"What?!?" I asked, thinking maybe I hadn't heard him right.

"I'm trying to gain 10 pounds before spring gets here," Glen explained.

I understand his reasoning: He's trying to put on a little extra conditioning so that he has something to burn off when he's burning the candle at both ends this spring trying to get crops in the ground.

But, man, talk about injustice. I'm trying to shed my post-partum padding and Glen's trying to fatten up. Oh, the jealousy. I'd give my left leg to be able to lose weight while eating to gain.

With plans to send the treats out to the barn, I started rummaging through my recipe folder for the bar recipe I had found inside the Land O'Lakes butter box awhile ago, but hadn't yet tried to make.

Caramel 'N Chocolate Pecan Bars
Prep time: 15 minutes — Total time: 1 hour*

Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup pecan halves

Caramel Layer
⅔ cup butter
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

Chocolate Layer
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients except pecans in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Place pecans evenly over unbaked crust.

Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until entire surface of mixture comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour evenly over pecans and crust.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until entire caramel layer is bubbly. (Do not overbake!) Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with chips; allow to melt slightly (2 to 3 minutes). Swirl chips leaving some whole for a marbled effect.

Cool completely; cut into bars. Makes 36 bars. (Who are they kidding? It's more like 15 bars.)

*Note: Prep time will vary depending upon how many newborns and three-year-olds you're trying to entertain at the same time.

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My bars don't look nearly as great as the ones pictured on the Land O'Lakes web site, but they taste great. After a little tweaking (see below), this recipe will definitely be a keeper.

Part of the reason my bars might not have turned out like I hoped was that when I went to the box of baking supplies to fetch the ingredients, I came up a little short. There wasn't even a quarter of a bag of chocolate chips left. Seems like somebody (not me!) has been raiding the supply of chocolate chips. Probably the one who's trying to gain weight right now.

I didn't have enough for the recipe, but I did find a couple squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate in the bottom of the box. I figured that would work if I grated it.

I didn't have as many pecans as the recipe called for, either. I found some coconut, though, and decided to toast it and add some of that. I also chopped the pecans so that I'd have enough to cover the pan.

My bars don't hold together very well — probably from chopping the pecans and adding the coconut. I'm hoping they'll hold together better when I make them with the proper ingredients, because, around here, bars need to be suitable for grab and go consumption.

And since I'm an incurable recipe-tweaker, next time, I'll try using the crust recipe from these bars, since I like it better. I'll also try increasing the amount of caramel (by using 1 cup of butter and ¾ cup of brown sugar).

It might take a few tries for me to tweak these bars to perfection, but I know each attempt will be enjoyed. And at 5,760 calories per pan, they ought to help Glen reach his goal and keep a smile on his face.

What's new? How's it going?

Almost every night for the past six weeks, Glen has asked the question: "What's new?"

Since Daphne was born, Glen has been taking care of the cows (with help from his dad and brother) and I have been holding down the fort, so to speak, taking care of the kids. It's almost like we're living in two separate worlds, so Glen's question is his way of catching up on what's happening in my world.

Some days, I don't have much to report. Some days, I think I should make a list so I don't forget. Because I forget more often than I remember. At least we have caller ID on our phone to keep track of who calls.

So, what's new?

In short, lots. But here are a few highlights:

• Obviously, Daphne's arrival is the biggest news around here. It's hard to believe she's already six weeks old. Everyone is adjusting well to life as a family of five. Dan and Monika adore their little sister and have been very helpful — at least 97% of the time they have.

• After Christmas break, Dan started an accelerated reading (AR) program at school. I am absolutely astounded that he's reading in kindergarten. I'm also super proud. And even though the AR program means he now has homework every night, I enjoy helping him with his reading.

• With caring for Daphne and helping Dan with homework, I was starting to feel like Monika wasn't getting enough parental attention, so we started what she calls "music time". We sit down at the piano, I play and Monika sings while pretending to play. And we both smile.

• For me, meetings and events are starting to fill up the calendar. Yesterday, Daphne and I participated in Minnesota Milk's Dairy Day at the Capitol. And planning has started for this year's Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm.

• Glen finally dried up enough extra cows to quit switching for awhile. He also turned two walkways in the barn into two extra stalls so the barn now has room for 60 cows.

The funny thing is, we started talking about those two extra stalls quite awhile ago and Glen picked up the materials to construct them last month, but he forgot to tell me that he actually finished the project until a couple days ago. So, I've started asking him, "What's new outside?" That way I can try to keep up with what's happening with the cows, especially now that cows are calving again.

The other question I've been hearing quite often is, "How's it going?" Glen asks that question via text message at least a couple times a day; it's his way of checking in on the chaos in the house. Other people who ask are usually inquiring about life with a newborn or about how we're handling the challenges of winter weather farming.

So, how's it going?

All in all, it's going good.

An unbelievable honor

Late last month, we were graced with an honor that, to us, is still pretty unbelievable. Our family farm was named 2012 Producer of the Year by the Minnesota Milk Producers Association.

To be honest, we thought awards like this were only given to larger, well-established farms. My first reaction when we were told was actually, "Are you kidding me?"

But, disbelief aside, we are honored to represent the dairy farmers of Minnesota and hope that this award is proof that every Minnesota dairy farm — regardless of size — and every dairy farmer — regardless of age — is important to our state's dairy industry.

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Here's the video of our farm that was used during the presentation of the award at Midwest Dairy Expo in St. Cloud:



(If the video doesn't work, try this link.)

Our story was also featured in several publications:

• The Dairy Star

• The Country Today

• Agri-News


Finally, here's one last photo of our family before Little Frericks #3 arrives.