*graphic picture warning*

[farmerjan]

Cannot remember if any of my farmers have ever said if the cows tested still had any staph or anything. Most just milked the cows out and shipped them except one that was pretty far along and they dried her off til she calved since it was sexed semen and had a heifer, she got mastitis not long into that lactation, they didn't even treat it, just shipped her. I can only hope for your sake she got rid of the staph when she lost the half....

 

[newton the goat]

Cannot remember if any of my farmers have ever said if the cows tested still had any staph or anything. Most just milked the cows out and shipped them except one that was pretty far along and they dried her off til she calved since it was sexed semen and had a heifer, she got mastitis not long into that lactation, they didn't even treat it, just shipped her. I can only hope for your sake she got rid of the staph when she lost the half....

That's so sad

 

[farmerjan]

newton: sorry but I can't really agree that it is sad that they shipped the cows. When I said "milked them out", I meant that after they got them cured of the gangarene mastitis, they milked them for the rest of the lactation until the production fell below the break even point and all drugs were out of their system. You are talking commercial dairy farms where they have to make a living, and with the milk prices up and down more than a yo-yo; they cannot afford to keep an animal that is not pulling her weight with sufficient production to pay her share. I consider it more than decent and caring that they tried to save the cow when she was pretty "gross" instead of just putting her down. Also, they are paid to produce milk that meets certain standards and requirements; if not they can penalized and even have their milk permit suspended and then where would they be with a tank of 1000 gallons + and can't sell it? Down the drain does not pay any bills. So they have to make management decisions that a hobby farmer or a backyard animal owner with a couple of pets would maybe do differently. Since I do not want to drink milk that is from animals with a high somatic cell count, I applaud them for saving and curing the animal, as much as is practical, and then trying to salvage some of the investment.
Believe me, most dairy farmers do have feelings for their cows and there are alot who keep a "pet" cow around alot longer than is economical because she has a special hold....like she was the first one their kid showed in 4-H or she's the daughter of the cow that got out and brought home the rest of the cows that got out of a field...or any other reason. Have one farmer that kept a totally UNECONOMICAL cow that didn't make enough milk to pay her costs, and would not get preg no matter what they did, all because she was friendly and liked to steal the milkers" (on the farm) soda bottles and could actually get her tongue around it to drink it...
When a cow has a chronic staph subclinical infection and no amount of treatments seems to cure it, then I am glad they ship them. I won't keep a cow with chronic problems in my barn....

 

[newton the goat]

newton: sorry but I can't really agree that it is sad that they shipped the cows. When I said "milked them out", I meant that after they got them cured of the gangarene mastitis, they milked them for the rest of the lactation until the production fell below the break even point and all drugs were out of their system. You are talking commercial dairy farms where they have to make a living, and with the milk prices up and down more than a yo-yo; they cannot afford to keep an animal that is not pulling her weight with sufficient production to pay her share. I consider it more than decent and caring that they tried to save the cow when she was pretty "gross" instead of just putting her down. Also, they are paid to produce milk that meets certain standards and requirements; if not they can penalized and even have their milk permit suspended and then where would they be with a tank of 1000 gallons + and can't sell it? Down the drain does not pay any bills. So they have to make management decisions that a hobby farmer or a backyard animal owner with a couple of pets would maybe do differently. Since I do not want to drink milk that is from animals with a high somatic cell count, I applaud them for saving and curing the animal, as much as is practical, and then trying to salvage some of the investment.
Believe me, most dairy farmers do have feelings for their cows and there are alot who keep a "pet" cow around alot longer than is economical because she has a special hold....like she was the first one their kid showed in 4-H or she's the daughter of the cow that got out and brought home the rest of the cows that got out of a field...or any other reason. Have one farmer that kept a totally UNECONOMICAL cow that didn't make enough milk to pay her costs, and would not get preg no matter what they did, all because she was friendly and liked to steal the milkers" (on the farm) soda bottles and could actually get her tongue around it to drink it...
When a cow has a chronic staph subclinical infection and so amount of treatments seems to cure it, then I am glad they ship them. I won't keep a cow with chronic problems in my barn....

Sorry what I didn't mean to be insensitive or offend you ... I understand that it was done for the best, and what you mean and looking back on my comment I probably should have put more though into it.... I guess I just find it sad because since I'm not selling a product from my animals, and haven't experienced what your talking about before besides a few chickens who got sick, which is not very comparable to a cow and her milk getting a staph infection in a barn full of other heifers... sorry about that

 

[babsbag]

I seriously thought about putting my goat down last year as I was worried about her infecting my other goats. But my vet told me staph is everywhere already so just keep her in a pen until it starts drying up and she should not be contagious so that is what I did. It would an entirely different story if she was on the milk line in the dairy. I would have to make sure beyond a doubt that she can't infect anyone else. I am still trying to wrap my head around how to sanitize inflations between goats; I am not into sharing germs.

 

[farmerjan]

Newton; I wasn't really offended, I guess that I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think that most commercial dairy farmers were insensitive to their animals or that they just had a "numbers" mentality and that she was "just a cow". Yes there are farmers that are not as concerned about some stuff like that, but most have an investment of $1500 to 2000 in each cow that they are naturally hoping she will be productive and stay there for many lactations.
On top of that, it costs in the neighborhood of at least $6. to $10. per day per cow to keep them, and with milk prices at $16.00 to $18.00 per hundred weight, which is about 12 gallons of milk (weighs 8.5 lbs per gal), they have to produce a minimum of 50 lbs to even make the break even point. SO many people just don't realize what it costs and what little the farmers get back for their milk. The farm that I milked on back in 1989 when I had my car wreck and was out of work for 6 months, was getting $17.50 per hundred weight then for milk; and it cost ALOT less for input costs back then. And yes, I have kept some cows over the years that were not economically productive for various reasons; I have one right now that has not calved in 2 years but am hoping she is pregnant now. I also have an off the farm job, and have the luxury of access to pasture etc due to our farming operation. But she really is a liability. If she is bred, she will raise me an average of 3-5 calves for her next lactation and will pay me back for her unproductive time, but if she fails to be bred this time, she will go.

What I am trying to do is "educate" people that have no real knowledge of commercial operations, just how much it costs, and what farmers go through to try to make a living. I realize we all have budgets, but the farmer is expected to make do on less with his costs going up all the time. People want cheap food in this country, I am no different; I cringe some times when I go grocery shopping. I have had 4 farms sell out this past year that I milk test for, because the kids/grandkids have seen that there is just no way they can make a living. Farming used to be considered a good way to make a living; you worked hard but you realized a "reward" for it, and had a great place to raise your family. It's harder and harder for them to do so. Add in the value of land, and anyone , like us, cannot afford to pay for the land purchases unless there is an outside income to do so.
Do you know that the average age of a farmer in this country is 56? and that the average size of a beef producer is only 30 cows when you actually count all the farmers? Sure there are those with BIG operations, but most are now incorporated, most have been in operation for years and got established when you could make a living, and the land is mostly paid for. 75% of the farmers have a spouse that works off the farm now (if they don't both work off the farm), just for the "benefits and insurance".
I am not trying to be negative or make you think I am upset or offended in any way. I just try to let people know that farmers are not only caring, but that they have to make tough choices in order to try to survive, and most really do love what they do.

 

[farmerjan]

@babsbag ; one thing that one of my farms did was to dip the teat inflations in a bucket of diluted chlorine water in between cows and let it hang for a minute to "drip it dry" before putting it on the next cow to try to cut down on the possibility of carrying any "germs" from one cow to another. Also. several use H2O2 hydrogen peroxide now as pre milking teat dips. Germs and bacteria cannot live in super hydrogenated oxygen which is what hydrogen peroxide is. The dentists always had people rinse their mouths out with it after any dental surgery; the mouth has more bacteria than any other place on the body. It's like 1 part to 10 parts water... I will have to check on that.
Yeah, staph is everywhere, which is why it is such a problem with milking cows and them getting mastitis from it.

Edit: it is super oxygenated water not super hydrogenated oxygen....my brain wasn't in gear...

 

[newton the goat]

Newton; I wasn't really offended, I guess that I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think that most commercial dairy farmers were insensitive to their animals or that they just had a "numbers" mentality and that she was "just a cow". Yes there are farmers that are not as concerned about some stuff like that, but most have an investment of $1500 to 2000 in each cow that they are naturally hoping she will be productive and stay there for many lactations.
On top of that, it costs in the neighborhood of at least $6. to $10. per day per cow to keep them, and with milk prices at $16.00 to $18.00 per hundred weight, which is about 12 gallons of milk (weighs 8.5 lbs per gal), they have to produce a minimum of 50 lbs to even make the break even point. SO many people just don't realize what it costs and what little the farmers get back for their milk. The farm that I milked on back in 1989 when I had my car wreck and was out of work for 6 months, was getting $17.50 per hundred weight then for milk; and it cost ALOT less for input costs back then. And yes, I have kept some cows over the years that were not economically productive for various reasons; I have one right now that has not calved in 2 years but am hoping she is pregnant now. I also have an off the farm job, and have the luxury of access to pasture etc due to our farming operation. But she really is a liability. If she is bred, she will raise me an average of 3-5 calves for her next lactation and will pay me back for her unproductive time, but if she fails to be bred this time, she will go.

What I am trying to do is "educate" people that have no real knowledge of commercial operations, just how much it costs, and what farmers go through to try to make a living. I realize we all have budgets, but the farmer is expected to make do on less with his costs going up all the time. People want cheap food in this country, I am no different; I cringe some times when I go grocery shopping. I have had 4 farms sell out this past year that I milk test for, because the kids/grandkids have seen that there is just no way they can make a living. Farming used to be considered a good way to make a living; you worked hard but you realized a "reward" for it, and had a great place to raise your family. It's harder and harder for them to do so. Add in the value of land, and anyone , like us, cannot afford to pay for the land purchases unless there is an outside income to do so.
Do you know that the average age of a farmer in this country is 56? and that the average size of a beef producer is only 30 cows when you actually count all the farmers? Sure there are those with BIG operations, but most are now incorporated, most have been in operation for years and got established when you could make a living, and the land is mostly paid for. 75% of the farmers have a spouse that works off the farm now (if they don't both work off the farm), just for the "benefits and insurance".
I am not trying to be negative or make you think I am upset or offended in any way. I just try to let people know that farmers are not only caring, but that they have to make tough choices in order to try to survive, and most really do love what they do.

Thank you. For explaining to me what it is actually like. I didn't really understand before but now I have a much clearer idea of what you meant. Before in my first comment I should have said along with how I though it was sad that I understand it's a mandatory thing, one of the dairy farmers that lives close by to my place has said that he knows every single one of his girls and each personality, he loves his cows but he understand that there is a time and a place to get sentimental in the world of livestock. When a cow is sick he cannot afford to keep her around the other girls, if the treatment doesn't work at first, he can't afford to keep her around because though he grows his own food for them, it is still a large sum of money to keep feeding her. And he says what's the hardest is there are those few girls he bottle raised and brought up due to their mothers getting I'll or refusing then so when those ones grow old or get sick they are the hardest ones to get rid of but he has to do it. Thank you for taking the time and giving me a new perspective. And I never thought bad of dairy farmers, I have only ever met ones who put the utmost care into their ladies. I am still new to the world of farming, we are getting more pigs this year so I only know about them and not cattle. I would love to know more about dairy.

 

[farmerjan]

What your farmer said about the ones he bottle raised is exactly why Lara is still at my place even though she hasn't had a calf in 2 years. She is a 1/2 hol 1/2 jersey that I got off a registered hol dairy. They tried everything to get their cow bred, used jersey semen as a last result. Any preg was better than not preg. Got the heifer calf and they did manage to get the cow back into a productive state and all. So Lara came home, was bottle fed. Got a couple of calves out of her and she will raise 3-5 per lactation if I am diligent about it. Have her daughter Mara, she had twin heifers last year, first time, one born dead the other fine. Everyone is getting bred to angus this year since I am having these joint issues and will get them in the barn, get the extra calves established on them, so I will not have to milk while my treatments make it painful to get around for a week or two after. Once, I either get some relief, or have to go replacement route, then they will be getting bred A I again and I will try to do some milking and feed calves and do cow shares for the milk. By then, 2-3 years, I will also be retired and have some more time to do it.
By rights Lara should have gone a year ago....
and the personalities are unbelievable...you just can't push them around like a goat or catch them up and carry them like a chicken....
And yes, I raise purebred poultry for show also....

 

[newton the goat]

What your farmer said about the ones he bottle raised is exactly why Lara is still at my place even though she hasn't had a calf in 2 years. She is a 1/2 hol 1/2 jersey that I got off a registered hol dairy. They tried everything to get their cow bred, used jersey semen as a last result. Any preg was better than not preg. Got the heifer calf and they did manage to get the cow back into a productive state and all. So Lara came home, was bottle fed. Got a couple of calves out of her and she will raise 3-5 per lactation if I am diligent about it. Have her daughter Mara, she had twin heifers last year, first time, one born dead the other fine. Everyone is getting bred to angus this year since I am having these joint issues and will get them in the barn, get the extra calves established on them, so I will not have to milk while my treatments make it painful to get around for a week or two after. Once, I either get some relief, or have to go replacement route, then they will be getting bred A I again and I will try to do some milking and feed calves and do cow shares for the milk. By then, 2-3 years, I will also be retired and have some more time to do it.
By rights Lara should have gone a year ago....
and the personalities are unbelievable...you just can't push them around like a goat or catch them up and carry them like a chicken....
And yes, I raise purebred poultry for show also....

Lol I would love to see someone try to push a 1000 pound heifer around, the farmer I was talking about would go into the pen somtimes to do god knows what and some of his girls would try to steal his hat or just all around goof off and he would be trying to shove them off saying stuff like "damnit maycie that was a new hat!" (All his girls have names) and try to push them out of the way and they just stand there ignoring his protests . It's actually really funny! He's been having trouble with breeding his girls too... it's gotten to the point where he is considering bringing a bull in just to get then in the mood even if he doesn't use him, but that's a lot of work and bulls can be dangerous.