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LuxembearsHello! I'm Judi Paul Reporting Live : BEARS AND BOVINES. It's day two "Meeting the girls (herd)" here at Teemar Holsteins/Luxembears.
The most popular of the dairy breeds is the Holstein-Friesian or Holstein for short. They are mostly recognizable by their black and white markings. The first black and white dairy cow was first bred in the Netherlands.
Sherwood meets the dairy herd for the first time and is very well received by "Teemar Attitude Hop". All of our cows are registered animals with the Holstein Association. Each cow stall shows the cows full registered name, the dam and sire and their individual milk production record. The Holstein Association's mission is " To provide information that dairy producers will use to breed, manage and market higher producing, more durable cows."
Better cows make more money.
Ahhhh 1,500 pounds of love. :love:
A healthy calf weighs approximately 90 pounds. Heifers (females who have not calved but are old enough to breed) are bred when they are about 16 months old. At this time they weigh about 800 pounds. The gestation period is approximately 9 months...like a human. A full grown cow should weigh about 1,500 (bulls can reach 3,000). These animals are gentle by nature(except bulls)...most of the time.
Tako is relaxing on some stacked bails of hay while the heifers eat their lunch in our free stall barn. These animals are free to come in and out of this building. During the warmer months, they like to go outside and sleep under the clear starry sky.
Here, Tako meets a bull...look out! Wisconsin law states that no one under the age of 11 is to be in the same pen as a bull. We only raise a handfull of bulls on the farm to sell to other farmers and many are now in AI, the Bull Stud Industry, where they are housed at a different location and their semen is sold to farmers to artificially inseminate (AI) cattle in their herd.
Here at Teemar Holsteins all of our breeding is done artificially, known as AI (Artificial Insemination). This way Mark can selectively breed for desired characteristics. The elite cows are flushed several days after AI is performed and the eggs are either placed into recipient cattle that are in heat, called Embryo Transfer (like surrogate mothers), or are frozen in a liquid nitrogen tank to be used for Embryo Transfer at a later date. Many of our eggs are sold to other farms, some over seas. Eggs can sell for over $1,000 each.
About every seven weeks a veterenarian comes to our farm, from Madison Wisconsin, to perform ultrasound on various cows. Yes, we have vets closer to us but this is a very specialized practice used to confirm pregnancy, to check if AI was successful, and/or to determine if the calf is a bull or heifer. Not every large animals vet can do do this. What do we need to know the sex? Because some of our calves are under contract for very nice prices to be entered into the Bull Stud Industry so we need to know this to properly manage the breeding schedule.
During the spring, summer, and fall, the cows eat outside after the evening milking. It's really neat to see these cows "prancing"..that's right, prancing. They skip and gleefully prance around in the pasture after they are let out of the milking barn each night.
Anyone for a cow ride?
Wisconsin has the best tasting cheeses because of the grass the cows eat. The grass is less acidic than in other parts of the country, creating milder flavored cheeses.
Mark was on stand-by as this young heifer investigates Tako. He called it a "calculated risk" as at any momnent she could have picked up Tako by the ear. She just gave him a sniff and a gentle nudge to say "hello".
This is a jean jacket on which I airbrushed a cow. It took many, many hours to complete. The most difficult part was geting the veins on the udder to look right.
These curious calves are sampling my hair...HEY, That's not HAY!
When I am around these beautiful animals the affection I feel for them always shows in photos.
Like most non-farm people, I always had this visual image of a cow being slow moving and docile. In reality, they can easily outrun a human and are very curious...and powerful, and you learn to quickly respect cattle. They also have different personalities. I find myself often attached to some of them. This cow, "Bunny" is one of my favorites and she likes to have her ears scratched.
...and of course what farm would be complete without a farm dog. This is Mandy our 9 pound Malti-poo who thinks she is a German Shepherd. Not your typical farm dog but she does fit rigth in.
This is Franz, the little Farmer boy bear.
Stay tuned for tomorrow as Sherwood milks a cow and has a "mohair malfunction!"
Oh Judi that was AWESOME :clap: :clap: :clap: !!!!
In reality, they can easily outrun a human
LOL!!! I almost found that out as a child... when I was trying to look at some Arabian horses that happened to be in the same field as a MOTHER cow and her calf 
(and yes, I did have the owner's permission) 
LuxembearsLaura, that is so true! I went out in one of our fields just a short while ago, t see if a cow had cavled...oh...she did...and she started to cahse me. I never ran so fast in my life! Also, what other cows will do in a herd is surround the mother and calf. This is a natural protective instint and is so neat to witness.
Melanie, the only "bad" question is the one not asked. 
When my husband was growing up he said they used to drink milk right out of the milk tank. It would be extremely rich milk, quite high in fat...( you'll learn more about that tomorrow). However, many years back there was a TB (tuberculosis) scare so all farmers ceased drinking thier own cows milk from the tank. Milk really needs to be pastuerized first. For those who aren't sure waht pastuerizing is, it is a process in which milk is heated to a very high temp, then rapidly cooled.
I tasted mik from the tank...it is very very rich.
Posts: 3,177Another Fab Day at the farm Judi 
Oh those cows............are'nt they gorgeous!!!! :hug:
The jacket design is mootiful Judi, is it yours or did you sell it? It is, as i said, MOOTIFUL :clap:
The farm looks such a great place for your kids to grow up and the animals look so well cared for and even loved (which never happens on intensive farms), more pics tomorrow! Whooopeeeeeeee!
Milk form the tank - it sounds absolutely gorgeous - smacking my lips loudly here, gosh, i bet it's creamy. I would LOVE to taste what real milk tastes like. Would a small sample go rancid by the time it reached the UK? Yes, i suppose it would. Shame.
Thanks Judi 
Penny :hug:
Posts: 3,540:clap: :clap: Judi everyone of these pics has elicited an "awwwwwhhhh" response from me! :clap: :clap: Thank you SO much for taking the time to get all these great photos...they're wonderful!!! AND thanks for going through and explaining so much about your girls, the AI, and what they're doing in the photos. I just love the pic of your little boy with that cow Not only is the whole thing sweet, but I can see the sprouting of a little dairyman there
When I was about 9 years old, my mum managed to find a farmer that would sell us milk straight from the cows. It was grand as he only had four girlies, and boy did he take special care of them. My favorite memory was getting to stay behind the one night to help milk the cows...my one and only time. Its a lot harder than it looks! But after the milking we had dinner, and his wife took the milk we'd collected, poured it through a cheesecloth and I had it with dinner. You know it was still warm and tasted ooooh, miles away from the usual storebought milk. I can't say as it was 'better' tasting, just very very different....creamier, and the milk had a different colour as well...more like eggnog colour.
I can fully appreciate being very careful after TB scares, and you do have to maintain safety, but it was quite the treat, and something I'll never forget to be able to have it 'fresh from the source'
I can't wait for tomorrow's installment, but there's loads here for me to reread and oogle pics!
Apple Dumpling DesignsJudi....I love your home...I wanna come play on the farm with the bears and cows...can I please, please, pretty please. I have my own rubber boots!!!
I'm loving this reporting live thing...what a great idea.
Great Job!!!
Posts: 1,277Oh, Judi, thank you so much for sharing all of this with us. It's been very interesting to read your stories and see your pics. I can't wait to see Sherwood milking a cow tomorrow! 
LuxembearsJudi....I love your home...I wanna come play on the farm with the bears and cows...can I please, please, pretty please. I have my own rubber boots!!!
Great Job!!!
You're welcome at our farm anytime!
:clap: :clap: This is so cool, Judi!!! I can't wait to see day 3 with Sherwood milking a cow........your little cubs are so brave to work around those huge moo moos! 
I will admit I am nervous of cattle.......maybe comes from being chased by a bull when I was little-----YIKES! I have never forgotten that. I did do a small cattle drive once (don't think that's the right term as we were only moving a small herd to a different pasture a few miles away). That was fun, although dusty and stinky (learned really fast I didn't want to be pulling up the rear!!) and I felt safe as I was on a horse. Horses I am comfortable with, except for studs--that's a totally different animal. I used to breed my Arabs and raise/train the foals, so I can appreciate the huge amount of work you have with such a large operation. Thanks for sharing this with us!!
:hug:
Tracy
LuxembearsI will admit I am nervous of cattle.......maybe comes from being chased by a bull when I was little-----YIKES! I have never forgotten that. I did do a small cattle drive once (don't think that's the right term as we were only moving a small herd to a different pasture a few miles away). That was fun, although dusty and stinky (learned really fast I didn't want to be pulling up the rear!!)
Tracy, YIKES is right! Being chased by a bull...I would be terrified.
I guess you could call that a cattle drive. I agree with you about not wanting to be in the rear. Another "caution" when being around cattle is to not be in the line of fire, or directly behind one, when they cough while "going".....it can shoot out like a cannon.
Not a pretty picture.
Yeah, I noticed something 'shooting' out when we were pushing those cattle. More like a constant squirting.......YUK! Not so bad when on a horse....would hate to be near the rear and standing on my own two feet! 
:hug:
Tracy
Pandy Potter BearsMy Uncle once got some broken ribs and a collapsed lung as he forgot 'the rules' and was standing behind a cow. His family had a small farm. I used to go when my cousins were Christened and they had a party there. There were 7 of them so lots of lovely parties over the years. When my Uncle tragically died aged 45 I think half the area turned out at the funeral. Is the farming community close knit around your area? It was nice to see the friendly farmer banter at the wake.
I was stunned at the price of eggs and the surrogate part. I will think more when I have my yougurts, cheese and milk!
LuxembearsHi Amanda,
Yes we have a very close knit community here in Luxemburg. My husband's mother was out of commision, if you will , for more than ten years. She was not out and about in the community during her declining years as she suffered from Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease. She was cared for at home by Mark's oldest sister.
When she passed away in 1999 the funeral at church was so packed it overflowed. After all these years...the community still remembered her.
MerBear OriginalsLooks like you have a lot on your hands. I used to keep a Jersey cow and hand milked her. She was extremely stubborn but the milk was great. I made butter, cheese and yoghurt from the milk and the excess went to the pigs and of course her calf. My poor kids would complain because I had a hand-cranked butter churn so when they were watching tv - they had to churn or I'd turn it off!
Marion
So interesting, and those cows are really and truly cute little (huge!) things.
Judi, did you know that both my parents hail from Madison, Wisconsin... and all my many, many relatives (dad had eight siblings!) still live in the area? I don't think any are dairy farmers, but some have agricultural farms. I'm very out of touch with them due to the distance and thus, rarity of visits. But the Packers and Badgers are common teams to root for in my house, and always were. And the movie FARGO has special significance to me, because I recognize that miswestern twang immediately from my own relatives, like my two half-sisters who still live in Madison and Black Earth. You guys don't drink soda... you drink POP! Right??? Do you have a Wisconsin accent, or your husband or kids?
My folks moved to California in their 30's, after their first marriages failed. A true "new start." And here is where they married and had my sister and me.
I love Wisconsin cheese!!!
Sunnie BearsLove it Love it Love it Judi! Now I wanna hear the bulls say, Hey, do you work out??
(Shelli will know what I mean)
LOL
SONYA
Raccoon Creek BearsJudi- I love seeing your cattle! The cows are the first place I head for at the 4H fair... Pigs are a different story... My oh,so funny cousins thought it would be hysterical to trick me into a pig pen at age 12. I've never run so fast in my life! But I love pork...
Suzanne
LuxembearsYou guys don't drink soda... you drink POP! Right??? Do you have a Wisconsin accent, or your husband or kids?
I love Wisconsin cheese!!!
Where I originally came from we called it POP. Here they call it soda. Actually I am originally from England, Spondon, Derbyshire to be exact. We immigrated to the USA( California) when I was 7 months old.
I basically grew up in Rochester Hills Michigan. WHen I came to Wisconsin, I thought there was a strong accent. As it turns out, they have a Norweigan twang to thier speech. My hubby has it. I don't think I do. Most of the people around here are of Belgium decent. My hubby is almost all Belgian. Belgians tend to be a bit shorter and stalkier here so I stand out being tall. I have been told I look like a city girl trying to play country girl...I don't mind.
Also when I came here I heard people referring to a "bubbler" in a mall...what the heck is that? It's a drinking fountain, or water fountain. I still can't call them bubblers...sounds too goofy!
How funny! Maybe the SODA / POP thing is a county or city... or rural vs. suburban... "thing." My sisters and aunts all call drinks like Coke, POP; they're mostly in Madison. But I agree on the BUBBLER thing; when they first said that, when I was a young girl visiting, I thought, "Whattttttttt??????????" Love those little geographical vernacular tidbits.
My family (Goth was my maiden name) all hail from Germany; or mostly, so. I think there was originally a very large population of Germans that settled in Wisconsin. My dad did a geneology dating back to the 1500's or so and he came to that conclusion. Makes sense that Belgium, a neighboring country, might end up with some transplants in Wisconsin as well. I wonder why that is??? And the association with Irish and Italians in New York. I need to brush up on my history I think!
Sonya, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the "Hey, do you work out?" thing. Gotta love those Cali cheese commercials!
Dolls N DreamsThat was great!
Could not wait to see all the pics for today!
Thanks for sharing al of this!
Kassie Bears TM/Creations of MysticismHi judi,
I just got in here ...... :doh: but I have a long distance call will be back :hug:
Kassie
Kassie Bears TM/Creations of Mysticismok me back..... too funny I just noticed you were not on when I got the phone call...... boy do I feel silly .. :redface: but funny
Hi Judi,
This is so cool! It is really nice to be able to get to know you better, and your family and your way of life. I just love the picture of your son holding the cow, that is so sweet. Tako and the heifer - that is just to funny! Animals are so cool - they just amaze me with the things they do. And they say cows aren't smart. Right! 
Mandy. Now this just cracks me up! We have a dog that is a Scot Terrier and she is what we call our "barn dog". All I will say right now Judi is ; your's is much cleaner than my little white dog!
Thanks for sharing Judi - I really enjoyed the wonderful tour of your home - family (including all the animals) and your way of life.
I have learnt here on TT that Teddy Bear people are very special people indeed.
And, this is truly a wonderful way of getting to know the person behind the bears.
I look forward to tomorrow!
Hugs Judi :hug: :hug: :hug:
Kassie
Kim-Bee BearsJudi you are a wonderful "host" Your pics make me smile! I love that your bears are so active in farming also!!!! Did Little Honey Paws get to meet the cows too? Does he know how to milk cows?!? LOL... I never knew so much about cows... I learned a lot from my 3 yrs of vet science classes (I wanted to be a vet and that is still my dream - maybe one day)....
Rufnut Teddy'sFantastic again Judi, I loved the photo's of the cows with your bears and the shot of you outside with the melting snow. :clap:
West Palm Beach, FLGreat Job Judi! You look so much at home "down on the farm." Love the pictures with the bears and the cows, and of course the kids and Mark. Looking forward to tomorrow!!!!
Jill
