WOW. They make you work for it.

[Baymule]

We're in North Central Texas, about 2 hours Southwestish from Fort Worth, zone 7 in plant terms. Our winters are usually in the low 30's during the day and dipping into the 20's at night and the occasional trip through the teens. We can go several days with freezing temperatures which makes taking care of all the animals more challenging. We can also get snow, although one aught not make book on it as one year we got a couple feet, the next a couple inches. Normally we get dusting and it is gone within a day or two (which is my preference as I'm not fond of snow). We warm back up to the 40's in March and usually do not get another freeze past the first full week of April.

August is normally our hottest month and we figure on it being 100+ for the entire month. When it isn't we are pleased. When it is we shrug and say that's normal. It is what it is.

X2!!

 

[farmerjan]

@farmerjan Now that's a job I could get into! Milk tester. Uhmmm, that one was really sweet and rich. Now let me try a glass from that one over there.

5 hours and 230 holsteins later you might have a different opinion about the milk testing.......

I have one all jersey farm, 175 cows.... a couple have a few jerseys along with the holsteins, a couple of brown swiss.... none with guernseys; one has one part ayshire.... a few have bred cows to montebeliardes and some swedish reds, a couple that have part dutch belteds and some linebacks.....

The sad thing, there are only a few of the farms that I would drink raw milk out of their tanks..... just because I don't like the somatic cell counts on the farms, or the way they milk in general. All are very fanatical about not letting any kind of treated cows into the tank, they can get severely fined for it.... and most are pretty careful about cows that have crummy milk with mastitis not getting into the milk tank..... but I just am fussy about the places that my milk comes from. I have a cow on one farm that I will get milk from, and the other one I really liked sold out this past year due to him having an accident that curtailed his ability in the barn and on the equipment, and the prices were so depressed he figured he just needed to quit. Most other ones I just wouldn't get milk out of the tank. I can't milk now without real difficulty due to the ankle and knee, but hope to be able to milk again next year. Luckily, I will be putting calves on the cows so will only have to milk when I need milk for the house, and I really am hoping that I can get around some better on the ankle.... with the knee after that. Then I will be the BIONIC WOMAN......

 

[Baymule]

@farmerjan after your knee and ankle replacements you WILL feel like a new woman. Do all your therapy, it will make even more improvements. Haha you’ll be dancing on your twinkle toes out to the barn to milk the cow!

 

[Baymule]

There is a registered Guernsey raw milk dairy about 12 miles from us. The milk is delicious. We used to buy from them, but they went up to $12 a gallon and we just couldn’t justify it anymore.

 

[AmberLops]

There is a registered Guernsey raw milk dairy about 12 miles from us. The milk is delicious. We used to buy from them, but they went up to $12 a gallon and we just couldn’t justify it anymore.

$12 a gallon?? That's crazy!!
When i lived in Maine i used to get milk from a farm called Sandy River Farms and they had raw milk in a fridge across from the farm store. They had glass containers for the milk and the first gallon you bought costed $5 and after that the milk was free as long as you brought the empty container back when you go in to get another gallon. I loved that system!