La Bouexiere France

Travelled: 75km to La Bouexiere 

We returned to the area my father grew up to say hello to the family. 

We were warmly welcomed at my cousin Pascal and Jacqueline dairy farm and enjoyed a delicious lunch together with my Aunt Marie and their daughter Cecile and grand-daughter.

As we walked around the dairy farm, we are once again reminded of the amount of work and different jobs that need to be done. It’s not only about milking the cows twice a day! Corn and wheat needs to be grown to feed them during the winter or when it’s too wet out in the fields. Ploughing, fertilising, treating, harvesting, then putting a winter crop in.  The weather can be the enemy with too much rain or heat effecting the quality of the crop. The cows need to be inseminated and then the young ones separated in different sheds each with their own requirements. Then the sick ones need to be looked after. It is a constant. Every two days the truck comes to collect 3 - 5,000 litres of milk. Once a month all the cows’ milk is measured and tested. The data allows for planning on when cows need to be inseminated, rested before birth, extra feed of nutrients etc.

The next day we went to Marie’s for lunch, enjoying her famous roast chicken and admiring her beautiful garden. 

As we walked around the dairy farm, we are once again reminded of the amount of work and different jobs that need to be done. It’s not only about milking the cows twice a day! Corn and wheat needs to be grown to feed them during the winter or when it’s too wet out in the fields. Ploughing, fertilising, treating, harvesting, then putting a winter crop in. The weather can be the enemy with too much rain or heat effecting the quality of the crop. The cows need to be inseminated and then the young ones separated in different sheds each with their own requirements. Then the sick ones need to be looked after. It is a constant. Every two days the truck comes to collect 3 - 5,000 litres of milk. Once a month all the cows’ milk is measured and tested. The data allows for planning on when cows need to be inseminated, rested before birth, extra feed of nutrients etc.