RaggedEdge

And they say that all the happy cows live in California!! Ha! I think they live in Auburn!!

Great spread Sharkey! The cows seem quite relaxed and even sometimes mesmorized by you!! You do have have the magic touch. I really love the calf shots!!

By the way - this is Peter's other half!! (AKA the Blonde Biotch)

PS -Hey Kelly O & Julie - your place looks awesome! Can't wait to come visit soon!

SHARKEY-IMAGES

Thank you !

I think I only spooked them once when I forgot to turn the Flash off !

They were all great sports and took direction very well for their poses ....


Thanks to my new assistant Julie, these 3 had that ZZ Top pose down pat !!!

SHARKEY-IMAGES

I feel so lucky to have picked up photography.

It has taken me places where I might not have ever gone and met so many great people along the way.....


I truly enjoy sharing each and every journey .....

Thanks to Kelly & Julie for allowing me to have a peek into their daily lives....

Tom A.

Great Job Tim!

I am curious how big their farm is?
Acres?
Heads of Cattle?
Milk Production?

My family has a cattle ranch in Costa Rica and in the last five years we have gone from just raising beef cattle, to adding our own breeding, and now milking.

I would love to see their operation sometime as it is far larger and more modernized than ours.

SHARKEY-IMAGES

About 6 miles of property as I recall.

At one time there were several small farms surrounding them.

Interesting how Kelly explained it.

It is a 24/7 job.

An example:
One farm had 20 cows which meant this was all the people would be able to do when owning their own farm. No benefits, no vacation, no 401 K etc. So instead of having several small farms, they consolidated them all into one large one. Now those people came to work for Oakwood and have a much better life for doing so. They can actually go away on a vacation now where as before they were anchored down to their farm.

The specs for the animals are in the Caption of the Gallery above the thumbnails : http://sharkeyimages.zenfolio.com/sh...land_dairy_llc

Not sure on the production but everything is Data recorded. With the ankle bracelets they keep track of everything on the cows from the day they are born. When they see a cow starts producing less milk they take them out of circulation and give them some rest . On waterbeds no less to keep the weight off their joints. As they walk pass the transponder messages the receiver to an air controlled gate. As the cow approaches that cow will now be diverted to a rest area by having the gate open for them. Just as if you were watching trains change tracks on a switch. Really cool stuff on this farm.....

inthetundra

iTrader: (1)

Lots of farm subsidies going there for sure, the bigger they are the more they get

Kelly O

A blatantly false statement, with regard to our operation.

Ignoring propaganda and looking at facts would reveal the only price support we receive is from the MILC program.

Quantity (pounds) of milk eligible for price support per year is capped. We 'cap-out' in 28 days, so only receive payments (when market triggers dictate) for 28 days of the year's production. A smaller operation may never 'cap-out', so would therefore receive price support payments year-round if payments were triggered.

The loop-holes and well documented abuse of subsidy programs by certain sectors of agriculture is a thing of the past. Current programs are driven by market prices of commodities, ultimately designed to keep U.S. citizens' cost of food the lowest of any developed nation in the world.

Would I favor a completely free market ? You bet. Only the most efficient, best managed farms would survive.

Kelly O

Tom,

Through the heat of summer we have held a herd average of 90 lbs. per cow per day. Insulated buildings, hundreds of cooling fans, hundreds of water soaker nozzles, waterbed mattresses, etc. all increase animal comfort and in turn increase production. The ultimate goal is always the highest level of animal welfare and environmental stewardship.

Bring your boat to visit, as the Fingerlakes are very beautiful and offer some great boating !

tomtbone1993

iTrader: (3)

Very cool Fountain Bro

Kelly O

Opportunities for dairy product sales are not limited to staples (milk,cheese,butter,etc.), as other types of food production sectors need ingredients derived from milk to complete their recipes.

Retail sales could work if some brand recognition is attached to the product. We are working towards a 'certification' program that would set standards of animal welfare, environmental stewardship, sustainability of practices, and quality of product. Consumers could then choose to support businesses proven and documented to be of the highest integrity by purchasing premium products.

Finally, yes......milk (as a perishable product) can have marketing limitations. Conversion of fluid milk into forms with greater shelf-life and other modes of transport becomes paramount.