May Activities: 4-H, Lake Erie & the Farm

The first weeks of May have been full of activity. As I shared in my last two blogs, we’ve been busy constructing an on-farm creamery and preparing the farm for dairy tour season. We also have two boys that are involved in a variety of activities.

My oldest son, Garrett, and I participated in Ohio 4-H Dairy Palooza with the Geauga Dairymen 4-H Club. . .

Members of the Geauga Dairymen 4-H Club (Garrett is in the gray sweatshirt)

Dairy 4-H members learn about reproduction and breeding

They made ice cream using liquid nitrigen

Geauga Dairymen (Garrett is in the top row on the right)

 
My husband, Lad, and son, Garrett, enjoy some downtime with a bonfire in the yard. . .

On Mother's Day, my sons and I visited Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve on Lake Erie. . .

Jack and Garrett walking on the trail to the lake

Exploring the beach

Crazy boys!

Relaxing by the lake

The boys help prepare for tour season and test the playground equipment at the dairy. . .

Jack testing the tractor and corn planter

Garrett and Jack on the tire mountain in front of the milking parlor

Tough Jack

Garrett mowing the parking lot preparing for our visitors this week

Jack with farm cat Peaches

I hope to be sharing pictures of field work soon! Northeast Ohio has experienced lots of rain in recent weeks. It’s been too wet to get into the fields to prepare for planting crops. I’m looking forward to some dry weather this week.

Ohio 4-H Dairy Palooza was Awesome!

Last Saturday, I attended the Ohio 4-H Dairy Palooza with my oldest son, Garrett. This is his first year as a member of the Geauga Dairymen 4-H Club. I had lots of fun being involved in 4-H when I was younger, so it’s neat to see my son participating in 4-H!

Over 300 people participated in the 3rd annual Dairy Palooza. The mission of this event is to teach young people more about Ohio’s dairy industry and animal husbandry including nutrition, fitting, animal care, cattle feed, and more.

We participated in several educational sessions through the day.

The Dairy Palooza Participants

The Farm Safety session provided tips on how to be safe around cattle

Learning how cows eat a balanced diet & making their own balanced recipe

Demonstrating how to clip an animal to get her ready to show at the Fair

Identifying cattle feeds to build a nutritious ration

A cow has 4 stomach compartments that help her digest food

Garrett & Vincent with the Ohio State cow

The Geauga Dairymen 4-H Club members

There was plenty of delicious food at the Palooza!

What a great learning opportunity for the 4-H members. Thanks to the volunteers and
sponsors who made this event possible!