Got Milk?

I was out dragging heavy objects around in the garden when my husband suddenly appeared and said:  “How’d you like to go on a field trip to see MTSU’s dairy farm operation?”  (He’s just romantic like that…)  Of course, since I’ve been pushing for a dairy cow for our own hobby farm, I readily agreed.

MTSU (Middle TN State University, in case you’re not from these parts) was having an open house at their Ag Learning  and Research Center.

Since I’m strongly invested in the farm to table concept, I wanted to learn more about the whole dairy process.  It was fascinating enough that I wanted to share it with you.  Not my usual blog, but hey, I think you’ll enjoy the trip.

Upon arrival, we both marveled at the long concrete driveway.  Most likely your tax dollars at work, but all farmers know how important a concrete driveway is when you’re bringing in heavy loads and livestock.  And this one was jaw-dropping!  Most of you probably don’t have concrete envy like we do, so I’ll move on.

First, we viewed the milking operation, which was in full swing.  It amazed me that the cows were never touched by human hands.  Everything was automated and digital; the science was dazzling!  There were people making sure the mechanical milking attachments went on correctly, but their hands still never touched a cow.

Chutes opened automatically and the cows marched right in to milking stations, knowing, I guess, that food awaited at the end of the line.  Notice the cows in the photo above that are waiting (eagerly, it seems) to enter.  Their individual production was displayed above and recorded digitally.

After being milked, they went into more chutes to enter the feeding area.  I couldn’t figure out the unusual smell, but my husband advised it was silage, which is a special high protein diet that the milk cows were enjoying.

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And by the way, this was definitely the cleanest farm I have ever set foot on.  The only cow pies I saw were in the pasture where we parked the truck!  The setting was just gorgeous.

Two things did bother me about their operation, though.  Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that they pull the baby cows from their mothers on Day One.  The babies are then housed singly in these (clean and nice) plastic enclosures.  The wood partitions are there to keep the babies from suckling each other, since their nursing instincts are so strong.  The babies are bottle fed and have no further contact with their mothers.  Maybe it’s just my hobby farmer instincts, but I didn’t feel like this was fair to the babies.

I know it’s a business and all that, and a very knowledgeable ag student explained to me that milk cows are not known for their maternal instincts, and babies are sometimes found wandering alone in the pastures.  But to segregate them across the board?  That just bothers me.

Oh, and there was a cow with a window in its stomach-- I assume for teaching purposes.  I don’t suppose the cow had any say in that.

But overall I must say the cows seemed quite content and extremely well-tended.  And we learned so much!  Ironically, I think we’ve decided on beef cows, but isn’t that what this kind of field trip is for? :)

All photos in this blog post are by Dwayne and Marianne Smith.

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Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com

The Importance of Celebrating Small Victories

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This week I achieved a small but important victory, self-publishing a short ebook on Kindle for the first time.  I knew that I would figure out the process sooner or later, but when I actually did it was a Eureka moment.  I instantly felt flooded with happiness, so much so that my second thought was that a celebration was in order.

While my idea of what a real celebration looks like (these days, anyway) isn’t too over the top, it seemed important to me to savor the victory.  Too often I think we are so obsessed with getting somewhere--accomplishing something and then moving even further down the road, that we don’t take time to simply BE and enjoy (and share) the happy moments.

With world chaos rampant and our current economy in shambles, it’s easy to get depressed and discouraged.  Embracing the positive moments, in its own small way, is good therapy for our distressed souls.  Not that my publishing moment was more important that what’s going on elsewhere (good or bad); but I think we feel so small in the face of global disorder that we don’t truly celebrate much anymore.

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And what is life, if not a series of small but important moments to celebrate?  If we really believe in the idea of the journey versus the destination, mile markers are pretty huge stuff.  And conversely, when we can’t figure something out or don’t reach a designated goal, we sure can be hard on ourselves.  So why suck the joy out of happy moments by thinking that we need to (quickly) move on?

Have you properly celebrated a recent victory of your own?  If not, there’s still time.  Feel free to share your latest accomplishment in the comments.  I’d love to hear from you.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com

Standing Your Ground

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I just got pushed.  Hard.  I then asked nicely for what I needed and got shot down.  I asked again.  Received an incredibly loud but silent response.  And then, because what I was requesting was essential to me and my well-being, I walked away.  And yes, I was angry and spent, but it suddenly dawned on me that I had done a good job of standing my ground.

Usually I attempt to avoid confrontation and “make nice,” even when people are walking all over me.  Maybe it’s the wisdom gained from getting older, or just a significant hormonal imbalance J, but lately I’m finding that I need to defend myself and sometimes others when lines in the sand are drawn.

I’m not talking about launching a world war because I didn’t get what I wanted for dinner.  I’m talking about standing my ground when the issues are really important—when boundaries are crossed or someone is taking unfair advantage of me or anyone else I care to go to bat for.

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You might ask why it matters in the big picture.  It matters because standing your ground keeps your integrity intact.  It matters because it shows you give a damn about yourself and others.  It matters because it keeps you from feeling like a victim.

Are there consequences?  Heck, yes.  I lost some much needed income.  I will likely have to tap dance to get paid for the work I’ve already done.  My blood pressure went up considerably, and I’m still agitated.

But I feel empowered and whole.  And that feels good.  That’s worth standing my ground.

Are there situations in your life right now where you need to stand your ground?

As always, I’d love to hear your comments.  And thank you for reading!

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com