Carson Dairy

When I moved to this town, I didn't know anyone. Trying to set up shop in a tiny town can be difficult. Everyone knows everyone else and most of them are related in some fashion. I began working at the gas station in town, also the only place to get any type of fast food for about a thirty mile radius, and let's not forget, the local hangout and place to catch up on small town happenings. That is where I met Bobbie Jo. Genuine, kind, and well respected in this community, I was lucky enough to become fast friends with her. After being around her family, I realized that it wasn't just Bobbie Jo that had these attributes but her whole family as well. Johnny Carson is Bobbie Jo's dad, and yes that is his awesome real name and her uncle, Denny Carson, who is quiet but always has a smile that one cannot help but reciprocate. Bobbie Jo has three kiddos of her own and she has a house that shares the same land as her dad's house and also the milk barn. When I started this project I wanted to do a blog on Denny. I had some portraits of him that I wanted to use and so I set about asking Bobbie Jo some questions about Denny's farming. I soon came to realize that you cannot do a blog that only consists of Denny because Johnny and Denny go hand in hand. They farm ground together, they have cattle that they own together, and they have the dairy farm. You cannot do a blog about Denny without Johnny and you can't have a blog about Johnny and Bobbie Jo without Denny. Do you see my dilemma? So, I scratched my original thought and decided I should probably just write my blog about the Carson's. After talking with Bobbie Jo, I soon came to see that there was so much that they do, that I would have to narrow this business down. I decided that I wanted to focus on the Carson Dairy Farm. So here we go!

This is Bobbie Jo and her daughter Elsa. Real cutie pie, and miniature horse rider extraordinaire. I don't think the miniature horses enjoy it as much as she does but It's funny to watch regardless.

This is Denny Carson baling hay. I know what you're thinking, you said we were talking about the Dairy Farm, but I couldn't resist putting at least one John Deere tractor in this blog. If you find yourself a fan of another brand of farm equipment, my apologies, not apologies. I am a bit partial and will continue to be. But I promise, we can all get along just fine.

Just kidding! I did it again. Sorry, no more, I promise. Just couldn't stop myself.

This is the Carson milk barn. I love it. It's rustic and photographs well and lots of hard work goes into this barn, morning and night. I was told that it was built in the 80's. Around 100 dairy cattle are milked in this barn in the morning and again in the evening. Now, I said that I hoped to learn something with each installment, and guess what, mission accomplished! Did you know that it takes eight pounds of milk to make a gallon?? Maybe everyone else already knew that, but not me! More fun facts on the way....

This is Bobbie Jo, leading the heifers into the milk barn. Dairy cattle are milked for around seven and a half months and then are dry for the rest of the year. When they are not milked, they go out to the pasture and relax in nice grass. Like a vacation from work!

This is Johnny, on the left, and Denny on the right. They are getting ready to hook up the suction to the cows so that they can begin milking. Back in the day, this was done by hand like we've all seen in the movies, but now they have these handy dandy doo dads, not the technical term, that help speed up the process. These two have been doing this their whole lives. They helped their parents milk when they were kids. The Carson Dairy Farm has been in the family for about 65 years and counting. Johnny told me that in the old milk barn they were only able to milk four at a time. Now they have the ability to milk ten at a time.

Here's Johnny! He likes it when I do that, well probably not really but he hasn't said anything about it and I just can't stop myself from yelling it every time I see him.

Oh Denny Carson. This is my favorite portrait that I have ever taken of anyone, thus far. I blew it up on a canvas and have it hanging in my photo studio. See that sheepish grin he has? I always wonder what he's thinking when I start photographing him. Probably, here comes that crazy camera chick Jackie again. Never takes that thing away from her face. He's a very good sport.

This is little Elsa playing with a calf. See that black square on the right side of the little calf's home? That is a bottle. I have seen many things written about how dairy calves are killed and only the heifers are kept. I will tell you that this is not true at the Carson Dairy Farm. Little calves are kept and bottle fed and used as replacement heifers when they get old enough. The boy calves are sold, or kept and raised until they become feeder calves. In the summertime the cows are put out to grass and in the winter they are given silage and hay. These calves are loved on and played with.

Each heifer produces 5-10 gallons of milk per day. When the day is done and the hard chores are complete this small town dairy farm produces 150-160 gallons of milk each and every day. Every other day a semi tanker from DFA (Dairy Farmers of America), comes to pick up the milk. Bobbie Jo says, "this is where your food and milk comes from", and she's right. I'm proud to live in a small town where places like this still exist and people are honest, hardworking, and kind. Thank you Carson family for allowing me to come and hang out and take photographs, and to teach me a couple of things as well.