On our dairy farm, we’ve noticed that our dark animals, especially the Holsteins, have more difficulties than the other cows. One of the problems we have is a lack of shade in our pastures. It took a little innovating, but we finally came up with a couple of ways to keep the milk from curdling in the cow on hot days. Here are a few tips for keeping your small herd cool and healthy in scorching summer temperatures:

• Let the cows graze in lowland pasture. Cool air sinks, so the lower portions of the pasture will be cooler.
• Hook up a sprinkler just like you do for the kids. Set the sprinkler outside of the fence so it doesn’t get stepped on and let it spray on the cows in the pasture for a few minutes every hour.
• If it’s incredibly hot and muggy, put the cows in a barn or shed with a fan or two. Even if you only have small fans, it’s better than nothing. Getting them out of the sun is great, but keeping them in a stifling shed is counterproductive. If space is an issue, bring in the older and darker cows and leave the others out.
• Have plenty of water available. The drinking trough shouldn’t run dry on hot days.
• Have plenty of real lemonade on hand (for you not the cows.) It gets hot herding everyone into the barn. See the recipe below for a great glass of lemonade.

Hot weather also decreases milk production, but that’s okay, since the biggest demand for dairy products is in the fall. Pushing cows to produce more milk in the summer by feeding them grain can cause serious digestive problems. Limit the grain and make sure there is plenty of grass and long-stemmed hay available. Then kick back and sip some frosty lemonade. Here’s the recipe from Yankee Harvest:

Grandma’s Real Old-Fashioned Natural Lemonade

Makes about 8 cups

A Old-Fashioned Summer time treat …!
Great pick-me-up, thirst-quenching, and not too sweet.

Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed from 8 large lemons (1-1/2 cups)
1/2  cup of sugar, granulated – more or less to taste
5  cups cold well water
1  large lemon, cut into small wedges or thin cartwheel slices

Freshly made Ice cubes. Make fresh ice cubes, as they may pick up freezer odors over a period of time, if not used regularly.

In a large pitcher, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, granulated sugar and 2 cups of cold water; stir briskly to dissolve the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and stir briskly again.

To make a Honey Flavored Lemonade:
Substitute your favorite “honey” for the granulated sugar. Adjust more or less to taste.

To make a Pink Lemonade:
Add a few drops of grenadine syrup.

This is the first trouble we’ve had with Shorty. He’s a Milking Shorthorn, with a great temperament, and a metal ring with a two-foot-long metal chain. He touched the electric fence a couple of times when he first arrived, and that was that. Then, the electric fence shorted out. Wayne (the Dairy Dude) and J.R. (heir apparent) got Shorty back in with the cows in short order, but there could have been serious injuries. If you’re considering getting a bull for your small-scale family farm, here  are a few tips to keep you and your animals safe:

• Before allowing the bull to roam with the cows, have a veternarian put a metal ring through his nose and hang a good length of metal chain from it. If the bull tries to jump the electric fence, the chain will touch the hot wire and give him the shock of his life.
• The fight-or-flight distance to keep between you and the bull is 15 feet. If he’s out of control and less than fifteen feet away, it’s too late to run. That’s why people who handle bulls keep what we call “hog walloper” handy. It’s a 5-feet-long, 2-inch-diameter wooden stick. If you can’t flee, aim for the nose ring and swing hard. (Give a good, visceral holler while you’re at it.)
• The bull is not a pet. Don’t treat it like one, ever. Always keep your distance, and always keep the walloper in hand. Never, ever, let children pet a bull that you are going to put into service.
• Move the bull with the herd. Bring him in when you bring the cows in to milk. Have a stall for him near the door. Always let the bull out last.
• Don’t turn your back on an unrestrained bull, ever.
• Make sure to warn your dog that the bull might not be as friendly as the other farm animals. (I forgot to tell Miss Emma Barker.)

Shorty’s back in the pasture. He likes his routine which includes a few ounces of beer after the evening milking. (Wayne keeps a keg in the barn in a contraption he calls a kegarator.) Emma hasn’t been anywhere near the barn since her experience running with the bull.