Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

I returned from a trip to Little Rock just in time

to check on the calves during their afternoon feeding.

It was a dreary,rain threatening afternoon and already getting

dark when I made my way to the hutches.

The calves were already finished with their afternoon milk

and were enjoying the grain that had been added to their feed

bucket.  With the threat of rain, I was glad to see that 

each calf  had their head down in the feed bucket.

I'm not quite adjusted to the  Daylight Savings time change that 

occurred this past Sunday but 

I'm thankful that our calves don't seem to be bothered at all.

Their  growth and development goes right on

as long as we provide milk and grain twice daily and monitor 

closely for any illness.

                                                 
                                                   
                                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                       As a dairy farmer, I was honored to attend the recent
                                annual conference for registered dietitians in Arkansas held at
                                           Arkansas Children's Nutrition Campus  in Little Rock.
                   
                             Learning about the latest research in nutrition and how that
                               research  is used in helping patients or clients is fascinating
                                                  to me as a nurse and dairy farmer.

                              Dr. Jim Painter, a conference speaker sponsored by Midwest Dairy,
                    presented a talk  called "Finding Truth in Failed Theories of Heart Disease".

                          The gist of his talk was that by digging for the truth and looking at
                        current research on the good fat in dairy, consumption of  whole
                            fat dairy is most  likely on the forefront of being preventive 
                                                         for cardiovascular problems.
                                           I must say that was music to my dairy farmer ears!
                                                           

                                          I also  appreciated Dr. Painter  sharing his expertise
                           in wine tasting and cheese pairing during the Networking Reception.
                                 

During the conference, I met many of the dietitians and shared 

how we work everyday on the farm to produce nutritious milk. 

It's always fun to talk about how we use a dairy nutritionist  

and share our appreciation for what nutritionists and dietitians

  do for all of us.

                             
                                 I'm thankful for the work of Midwest Dairy to foster the unique
                                  relationship between dairy farmers and dietitians and for the
                              research that supports  dairy as an important part of a healthy diet.

A Dairy Passion Pledge

When we were planning our wedding thirty one years ago, I didn't think it was too

 unusual for the dairy farmer to want to toast our special day with a glass of milk.

After all, producing milk is a dairy farmer's passion.

Turns out, that milk toast was just the beginning

 of my  lifetime pledge for dairy passion.

November 24,1984

                                       We feel blessed to be able to share our love for life down
                                               on the dairy farm with consumers of all ages.

How could I not love this smiling dairy farmer?

I took the dairy passion pledge.

Dairy Farmers Fuel Up

Last week we provided a dairy farm tour for students from Helen Tyson Middle School.

These weren't just any students--these were Fuel Up to Play 60 students!

Sharing our farm with Fuel Up to Play 60 students made the day  even more

 special because as dairy farmers we are very proud  to be founding partners

 of this in-school health and wellness program that encourages

 physical activity and good nutrition among youth.

Through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program,  we're helping students

 create and implement activities that reward them for making healthy 

choices and create positive  change in their school.

There's nothing more inspiring to a dairy farmer than to 

share his passion with a young person that wants to know

 how milk gets into his glass,

what cows love to eat,

how calves are raised,

and

                                                   how Domino's  pizza shows up at the farm!
                                                             
                                                                         


                                                                           

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Just a few days ago, I was invited to participate in the Midwest Dairy Health and Wellness

 Advisory Roundtable on Sustainable Nutrition at the Arkansas Food Bank in Little Rock.

 The topic of sustainable nutrition involved presentations about what the dairy industry is 

doing in regards to sustainability and the role that food waste plays in our everyday activities.

I keep thinking about these facts...

Nearly 1 in 5  children in the U.S. face hunger.

In Arkansas, 1 in 4 children face hunger.

   About 40% of the U.S. food supply is never eaten and is thrown

 away at home,in grocery stores and restaurants.

I'm thankful for the health professionals that are working in  a variety of settings 

in our local communities to fight hunger and food waste

and 

                             the dairy farm families across America that work 365 days a year to
                                           provide nutritious dairy products that consumers want,
                              in a way that makes the industry,people and the earth economically,
                              environmentally and socially better--now and for future generations.