Calve me ousside, how bow dah?

As a person that's always looking to share my dairy's story with new people, I have found that piggy-backing on trending/topical stories is a great way to reach a larger audience. While helping my father deliver a calf one afternoon in early February, I realized there was an opportunity to capitalize on the "Cash me ousside" craze that had been sweeping through social media. I snapped a few photos and put my own unique dairy spin on the newly popular phrase:

Calve me outside, how bowdah?

(Mama & bull calf are doing fine, btw) pic.twitter.com/5WRhgZVZXD

— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) February 2, 2017

Following up on a friend's suggestion, I have since "memefied" the phrase to make it easier for people to share across various social media platforms. Enjoy!

Show me your jugs...of milk!

As the Mardi Gras season enters its final weekend on the way to its (butter)Fat Tuesday finale, it's time for me to once again ask you to not only celebrate with parades, parties, King Cake and beads, but with milk as well. So in in the spirit of this festive time, I'm asking you to open your refrigerator, snap a photo of the dairy products stored within, and "show me your jugs"! Whether you have big jugs, little jugs, full jugs, near-empty jugs, mismatched jugs, or jugs of different shapes and colors, you can feel good about exposing them to the whole world and showing them that you value the taste and nutrition milk has to offer. And unlike some other "show me your (fill-in-the-blank)" Mardi Gras photos that may be floating around, you'll never have to have an embarrassing or awkward conversation with your family or coworkers about the milk jugs in your fridge.

nothing beats a nice, full rack of milk

Let's have some fun and raise a little dairy awareness while we're at it. Post a photo of your milk jugs to Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and be sure to include the #showmeyourjugs tag. And when Ash Wednesday rolls around, consider giving up soft drinks for Lent and replacing them with milk. With 8 grams of protein per serving and a wide variety of options for flavor and butterfat content, milk is a beverage you can feel good about pouring for yourself and your family.

Have a "dairy" happy Mardi Gras...now show me your jugs!

Gilmer Dairy Farm lands big heifer class on National Signing Day

LAMAR CO., Ala. - It's now official: 48 Holstein heifers are expected to join the Gilmer Dairy Farm milking herd this coming Fall.

Current projections have 18 heifers calving into the milking herd between 8/28-10/2, with the remainder freshening in either late October or mid-November. Nine AI sires are represented, though the class is dominated by Roland (18) and Rib (12) daughters. Four of the heifers in the class were sired by former GDF herd bull Roberto, and 12 can claim other home-grown bulls as their maternal grandsires. 

We caught up with dairyman Will Gilmer and asked for his perspective on this latest signing class of heifers. In the video linked below he discusses the size of the class, expectations for their future, and the farm's recruitment strategy.

(VIDEO: Gilmer talks NSD)

A list of all 48 heifers sorted by their projected calving date (pending veterinary pregnancy confirmation; subject to change) is listed below. Stay tuned to this blog and other GDF social media accounts for further updates on these heifers as they progress to the milking herd.

Real-time updates from the milking barn

Thanks to modern technology, I have the ability to share real-time updates about what is happening on my farm to a virtually unlimited audience. My favorite "on-the-go" social network is Twitter, and today I decided to tweet out how many cows we had milked throughout the course of this afternoon. It didn't take long before I started growing bored with it, so I decided I would try to share the information in a more creative manner.

20 cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

30 cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

40 cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

50 (fifty) cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

60 cows milked!!!
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

70 cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

Make that 80 cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

90 COWS MILKED.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

100 cows milked, 78 to go.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

CX of CLXXVIII cows milked.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

If a school bus leaves Sulligent driving south at 50mph and a tree falls in the forest, how many cows have we milked? (Answer: 120)
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

We have milked x cows, if x = ((y^2-13)/5y)+0.004 and y=650
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

"We dun gone an milked ahunnurtinfawty cows, PAAAWWWWLLLL!"
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

All the cows that remain: pic.twitter.com/OFFOcAigzI
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

What does the fox say? "Yip-yip-yip-yippie" [English translation: "150 cows milked"]
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

I would have already drained 5.33 suitcases of Busch Heavy if I slammed a beer every time I milked a cow this afternoon. And I'd be dead.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

And then there were nine...
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

BREAKING: Gilmer Dairy Farm (Lamar Co., Ala.) successfully completed the milking of 178 mature, lactating Holsteins as of 3:55pm CDT.
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

Bonus coverage: My dad artificially inseminating cow no.918 pic.twitter.com/EHjfCI20Dy
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) November 1, 2013

Y'all have a "dairy" good weekend!

Registered Holstein

Here's a little photo of Spike & Pet I put on our Facebook page this morning. I hope you get a chuckle!

Support Team Dairy

After months and months of spin, misrepresentations, gaffes, attack ads, and robo-calls, the Presidential Election is almost upon us. With Americans tuned in so intently to the political back-and-forth, farmers have seen an opportunity to throw a little dairy promotion into the mix. One great example of that is Tennessee dairyman Ryan Bright's series of blog posts detailing one of his cow's campaign for POTUS.

Joining in on the fun, a few of my fellow farmers have started using the #TeamDairy hashtag on Twitter. "Team Dairy" is meant to represent farm families, our cows, dairy products, and everyone that supports us. Be sure to look for #TeamDairy updates from farmers around the country (actually, around the world), and feel free to tweet it yourself to show your support.  And remember, Team Dairy has been around far longer than this election cycle and will continue to be a force for good regardless of who we elect as President. Team Dairy: providing you and your children with safe, delicious, nutritious food choices for a "dairy good" today and a brighter, healthier tomorrow.

In closing, I'll leave you with a couple of "cheesy" (get it?) "Team Dairy" promotional pieces I've put together. The first is a meme I posted on our farm's Facebook page, and the second is a poorly-constructed attempt at a political ad. I hope they make you chuckle a little bit, and feel free to share with your friends.

GO TEAM DAIRY!

#ShowMeYourJugs!

Last night I was trying to think of a fun little way to generate some positive chatter about milk and dairy on Twitter, so I posted the following message to my "followers":

Tweet me a pic of a jug of #milk in your fridge by 10pm and be registered to win my undying appreciation!
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) October 11, 2012

A few good responses came in over the next few minutes, but I was sure there were more people out there with milk in their refrigerator. So I thought to myself, "Hmmm, what could get people's attention? I know...a hashtag!!!" And with that, I tweeted the following:

...just #showmeyourjugs!#milk #dairy
— Will Gilmer (@gilmerdairy) October 11, 2012

I've seen several pairs of jugs today.

My little request started to get noticed after that, and between then and now I've had about two dozen people answer my call. There is quite a bit of diversity in people's tastes, as I've seen skim milk, 1%, 2%, "whole" milk, half & half, chocolate milk, and on and on and on. Some jugs have been full, some near-empty, and have ranged from quart to half to gallon sized. There has even been quite a range of respondents, including college students, former high school football teammates, and even a television meteorologist!

If you have a Twitter account, join in on the fun! Take a quick snapshot of the milk or other dairy products in your refrigerator and upload it along with the hashtag #showmeyourjugs! And thanks for being such a great supporter of America's dairy farm families such as mine!

Dairy cows stage brief "Occupy Farm Lane" protest

"Heck no! We won't go!"

We moved our milking herd across the road from their normal pasture this morning so they could graze in another pasture for a few hours. After lunch we begin to bring them back across the road, and at first everything seemed normal. One of our farm hands was in the pasture herding them my way, and I was standing in the road to divert them into the lane leading to the milking barn. After about half of the 187 cows had passed,  I noticed that they weren't walking into the lot and were filling up the lane. By the time the last cow had crossed the road, the lane was packed full and the herd was at a complete standstill. They finally started cooperating with a little verbal encouragement and the help of a border collie, but not until I had snapped a photo (right) of what's now known as the "Occupy Farm Lane" protest.

After studying over the chain of events, I think I have discovered the truth behind today's incident. I will list my conclusion below, but first allow me to share my tweets (tagged as #OccupyFarmLane) from the afternoon as things progressed.

(1:51pm) BREAKING: All 187 #OccupyFarmLane dairy cows have been temporarily detained in the milking barn. Officials currently processing herd.

(2:20pm) BREAKING: #OccupyFarmLane cow slaps farmer in face with tail while being milked; claims she was aiming for a fly. No reprisal from farmer.

(2:30pm) Officials confirm that milk from #OccupyFarmLane cows is being stored in this refrigerated bulk tank. twitpic.com/71ux7n

(2:34pm) Says farmer Will Gilmer of #OccupyFarmLane cows' milk, "It will leave the dairy farm on Wednesday morning for pasteurization and bottling."

(2:38pm) Gilmer adds that #milk from #OccupyFarmLane cows will prove to be "yummy and nutritious", posing nothing but health benefits to the public.

(2:45pm) Following their milking and release, these #OccupyFarmLane cows stop for water before returning to pasture. twitpic.com/71v2vm

(2:54pm) #OccupyFarmLane cow 351 stands in the milking line as 426 stages a one-cow #OccupyExitAlley protest. twitpic.com/71v631

(3:10pm) In a move being described as "typical", several #OccupyFarmLanecows have defacated, urinated in holding pen. twitpic.com/71vdad

(3:20pm) When asked to comment on #OccupyFarmLane, cow 532 offered only a single "moo" while others continued cud-chewing twitpic.com/71vgrj

(3:44pm) BREAKING: #OccupyFarmLane has ended. All involved dairy cows have voluntarily dispersed back to their pasture after being milked.

(3:57pm) Scene from behind the loafing barn as cows return to pasture following #OccupyFarmLane incident. twitpic.com/71vukb

Once we finished our normal afternoon farm duties, I launched my investigation. My first inclination was to check the maternity pasture and inquire if any dry cows' had gotten wind of the milking herd's plot. They were all eating hay and too busy to talk to me, though in all likelihood I doubt the dry cows would have said anything even if they weren't eating.

I began to wonder if my cows had been infiltrated by an outside influence. I regularly read about the hijinks of Tennessee dairy farmer Ryan Bright's secret agent cows on The Udder Side, and I thought perhaps one of them had come to stir up trouble ahead of the Tennessee/Alabama football game this weekend (I like neither team, btw. Hail State!). Maybe, just maybe, it could have been a California cow trying to make sure people won't believe happy cows also live in Alabama. Since we didn't milk any extra cows over the course of the afternoon, though, I decided it must have been an inside-job.

undated file photo of
GDF #0007, aka "Donkey"

The cloud of suspicion quickly settled on our oldest, most stubborn cow, GDF#0007.  This is the same cow that can send the border collies running in the other direction with nothing more than a look, and she has a long history of trying to do whatever pleases her at the time. It would be just like her to take a whim that she didn't want to be milked and lead the rest of the herd in a protest. Just as I was ready to pin all the blame on her, however, I remembered she was one of the last cows to leave the pasture this afternoon.  With her now in the clear, I was left without any other viable suspects.

And then it hit me. 

Today was very sunny and a little bit warmer than the weather we've had recently. Before we started moving the cows across the road, I had stood underneath the big pecan tree next to the gate at the end of the lane along with my father and our farm hand. We all remarked at how easy it would be to take a nap in the shade the tree was providing. In addition to this inviting spot for man and cow alike, a water trough sits just a few feet inside the gate. This particular water trough is often the first stop for many cows on their way into the milk barn.

After taking everything into consideration, I think I have finally come to an accurate conclusion as to the cause of today's "Occupy Farm Lane" incident. The first 20-30 cows who came through the lane stopped to enjoy the shade and water, and did not allow the following cows to walk around them. This caused the herd to fill up the entire lane from gate to road.  It wasn't a protest, it was a bovine traffic jam. There was no intention to avoiding being milked, and the integrity of the milk supply was never in danger.

In other words, it was just cows being cows.

Happy Mardi Gras

We milk our cows twice a day, every day on our dairy farm. Today being Mardi Gras, though, I decided to have a little fun with it and asked our cows to "show me your teats!" And they did...all 210 of them. Twice! (and it didn't even cost me any beads)

Some were big...

some were small...

but by 4pm we had twice milked them all!

Have a festive Marti Gras everyone, but please don't give up delicious, nutritious dairy products for Lent!