Oma's Pumpkin Patch...... Field Trip!

Time for another field trip.
Today we are off to Oma's Pumpkin Patch. Held every Fall at the Van Ommering Dairy Farm in Lakeside, CA.

We enjoy the fun activities and the hay ride around the Dairy Farm.

This year their milk is still going to the milk co-op, however, they are then selling the milk to be made into Powdered Milk. That is the best money for their milk this year.
(Last year they said most of the milk was going to be sold in Costco stores)

Here are some pictures of the kids having a blast on the Cotton Seed hill. It is soft, yet slippery.
They come home with lots of seeds hiding in their socks, shoes & pockets from rolling around in it for several hours.



They milk 500 cows twice a day. Each cow produces about 7 gallons a day.

Once a month the vet comes out and tells them which cows are expecting and the approximate due date. The cows get a 2 month maternity leave.
they go into one pen when they are 2 months before due date. Cows are pregnant for 9 months.
Then they go into another pen when they are in their last 4 weeks of pregnancy.

Each day about 2 calves are born.
Last year there were twins born and then one more just before our hay ride went by.

This year a bull was born that morning. The farm sells all of their bull calves and keep the cows.
They said in exactly 2 years from their birth date a cow will be delivering her first calf.