A day on the dairy farm
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2006
1
9
32
Trip End
Jan 07, 2007
Windhausen,
Germany
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
We also stopped along the way in the village of Ramrod and did a quick tour around Ramrod Castle which has been turned into the Hotel Schloss Ramrod.
When we arrived at the farm, we had coffee with fresh milk from that morning's milking and the pastries I had bought along the way
01 Katrin and Eric at Ramrod Castle
. Then the owner Hans, Katrin, Eric and I went out into the fields to move some of the electric fences to increase the grazing area for the cows that were pregnant. I guess they need to do this every few days to provide the mother's to be with fresh grass. Hans' farm is spread out all over the outlying village so we drove by car to different pastures to work on the fences. This took a couple hours. Afterwards, we went back to the farmhouse for a bit, then warmed the milk harvested from the mother cows this morning and fed the calves. I learned they keep the milk from the specific mother cow separate and make sure the calf receives it's own mother's milk. Feeding the calves was really quite a great experience. After the calves were taken care of, it was time to go back out into the fields and bring the cows into the village to be milked. I guess it is very common in Germany for the farms to be right in the middle of the village, while the pasture lands are outside the village. What this means is that unlike the dairy farms I have seen in the United States where the cows just come in on their own at night to be milked, in Germany, you have to go out and get them. This involves stretching lines across all the driveways, farm lanes and roads between the village and the pastures so the cows will follow the correct path to the milking barn. So, after we prepared the path from the farm in the village to the pastures, Katrin, I and the cow herding dog Max herded the cows towards the village. It was amazing to watch Max go round up the stray cows and drive them towards the village. Katrin could point to a cow on the other side of the pasture, shout a command, and off Max would run to gather that cow. It was quite fascinating watching him work. While we were waiting for all the cows to make it to the corner of the field and exit onto the road, Hans and I stopped to pick some apples and pears from the trees bordering his pasture land
02 Katrin and Eric at Ramrod Castle
. After we got all the cows down to the barn, we started the milking process. Katrin helped Hans and I for a while and then went off to start preparing dinner. In total, there were 88 cows we milked this evening. The process went like this....
1. Put some grain in the troughs - 4 on each side of the pit.
2. Open the gates and let the cows in..these critters are so smart..they automatically come in single file, going to the farthest feed bin, then the next one squeezes inside the first until all 4 are in.
3. Use a clean rag to clean off the teats, which also stimulates the lactating.
4. Attach the milking machine.
5. While the cows are being milked, which takes 10 or so minutes each, you have to reach up under the cow to add a couple scoops of grain to the trough to keep the cow happy throughout the entire milking (Hans reserved this task for himself as it can be dangerous)
6. The milking devices have glass cups under them so you can see the flow of milk. When it slows or stops, 2-3 strokes down the side of each of the 4 udders to make sure she is really done
03 Ramrod Castle
.7. Pry the machine off.
8. Dip each teat in a cup of some type of iodine solution that prevents infection. (everyone prefers a clean, healthy teat!)
9. When all 4 cows on one side are done, open the forward gate to let them file out.
10. Clean up any "presents" left behind.
11. Start the process again for the next group.
It was a lot of work, but also a great new experience. From this point forward, when I pour a glass of milk, I will have a new appreciation for what's involved obtaining that glass of milk.
The dinner was ready just about the time the milking was complete (nice job on the timing Katrin!) and I was starving. A great meal with an ample supply of good wine and good conversation. Between 9-10PM we gathered up a bag of fresh picked plums, some bottles of fresh, unpasteurized milk from this evenings milking, and headed out exhausted back to Frankfurt. Thankfully, Eric did the driving while I did the nodding in the back seat!
This day's adventure will complete my stay with Eric as his guest room was previously committed to a French couple who will be arriving tomorrow night to attend the world famous Frankfurter Buchmesse. Sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening, I will transfer to my new Frankfurt hosts, Sanne & Kamal. Thanks Eric! Liechtenstein, Konstanz, Windhausen, your flat and Katrin were all great! Thanks much for your wonderful hospitality. Hopefully we will all be able to get together again before I leave Frankfurt at the end of October.
Comments
Too much work!!
88x4 tits - TOO MUCH WORK!!