Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last week I was invited to speak to students at Kirksey Middle School 

about dairy farming. Students at this school are involved in the

 Fuel Up to Play 60 program that is proudly sponsored by the dairy checkoff,

 the National Dairy Council and the National Football League.

I am thankful for this in-school health and wellness program that 

encourages physical activity and good nutrition among youth and 

utilizes our dairy farmer dollars to make a difference for all of us.

I never get tired of sharing  about our Spotted Cows,

 life down on the dairy farm and how we work

 everyday to produce high-quality milk.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Dairy farmers across America support the Fuel Up to Play 60 program

 that empowers students, with the support of adults, to take a 

lead in making healthy changes and have a positive 

impact in their communities. 

We loved providing a tour of the dairy farm  for students involved

 in the Fuel UP to Play 60 program in Rogers.

Seeing the cows up close and personal in the milk parlor was

 the perfect opportunity to get answers to their questions.

While waiting for Domino's pizza, students also learned from others 

about food production.

I'm thankful for the students and teachers involved in Fuel Up to Play 60,

for a program that is making a positive difference

 by improving life long health habits,

and

                                              to be a dairy farmer producing a nutritious food
                                                              for my family and yours.

Dairy Nutrition Proud

Last week Ryan and I attended  a national nutrition conference

  in Little Rock sponsored by the National Dairy Council

 and the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, one of  six national human

 nutrition centers in the United States.

The Arkansas Children's Nutrition  Center is a partnership between

 the Arkansas Children's Hospital, USDA-Agricultural

 Research Service and the University of Arkansas Medical Center with a mission to 

conduct cutting-edge research to understand how maternal-child nutrition

 and physical activity optimize health and development.

Ryan and I  were invited   to give our dairy farmer perspective

 on our role in dairy nutrition and health and wellness  from down on the dairy farm.

It's an honor and  always fun to be invited to share our passion for dairy!

Best of all, we listened to these two Arkansas  students describe

 the impact of the  dairy farmer funded  Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

You couldn't help but be dairy proud!

Not only are dairy farmers improving the nutrition of students, 

we are providing lifelong skills in leadership and health and wellness.

And to top it off, we enjoyed beautiful and nutritious dairy products!

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!
                                                             
                                                                         


                                                                           

10 Reasons I Love Dairy

I'm joining a few friends in celebrating June Dairy Month by sharing 10 reasons I love dairy. A lot of my reasons are connected to the work of the National Dairy Council that was founded  in 1915 by dairy farmers.   

10 Reasons I Love Dairy

I=infinite uses of ingredients 

L=leader in nutrition research and  school health and                              wellness programs like Fuel Up to Play 60

O=opportunity for improved nutrition through proven science and         research

V=Value and Variety

E=Everyday effort by local farmers to produce safe,healthy milk

D=Delicious

A=Academics to support the fight against poor nutrition,inactivity         and overweight/obesity among our nation's youth

I=Instruction  for healthy nutrition validated by research

R=Refuel with dairy proven by research 

Y=Yummy  (Dairy Good Cookbook )

                       The reasons to love dairy don't end here.

               Check out more from DairyMakesSense.

Dairy Fuels Greatness

 National School Breakfast Week (March 2-6) is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the importance of good nutrition and physical activity each day with emphasis on starting the day with breakfast.

Breakfast at school  changes lives according to the No Kid Hungry organization. The annual 'Hunger in Our Schools' report identified that 76 percent of educators say that their students come to school hungry and one out of five American kids struggle with hunger.

It's been shown that  on average, students that  eat school breakfast :

• Achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized math tests
• Attend 1.5 more days of school per year
• Improve chances of leading healthy lives
• Avoid food insecurity in adulthood due to achievement of higher academic performance

Dairy farmers are helping schools improve and expand their breakfast programs  through  Fuel Up to Play 60, a program founded by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League in collaboration with USDA, that empowers students to take charge in making small,everyday changes at school  that support lifelong health habits and reverse the problem of childhood obesity. Fuel Up to Play 60 is playing a key role in helping schools improve and expand their breakfast program such as the Grab and Go Breakfast, Breakfast in the Classroom and Second Chance Breakfast.

                                        I'm proud to be a supporting partner of this formula!

                                                                                   

                                 

Where Will You Celebrate National School Breakfast Week?

                                            Winter just won't give up in Northwest Arkansas!
                                 It's been a day of sleet, snow and extremely cold temperatures.

 

Even though our local schools are closed tomorrow, I'm sure other students across the country will begin celebrating National School Breakfast Week, March 3-7,2014.

 

School breakfast is important for every student because research  states that feeding a child's mind with a nutrient rich breakfast supports better performance in school.

 

 As a dairy farmer, I'm proud to support activities that encourage good nutrition and physical activity through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. Encouraging school breakfast is one component of this program. School breakfast is convenient,healthy, and a timesaver for families with busy schedules.

 

 

 

 

 

While our cows will be getting a nutritious breakfast on the farm, I hope students in your family or neighborhood are enjoying a nutritious breakfast at school!

 

 

 

 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Five years ago, America's Dairy Farmers and the National Dairy Council teamed up with the National Football League and others to empower kids to make their schools a healthier place. So far, Fuel Up to Play 60 has reached over 38 million kids in 73,000 schools, encouraging them to choose good-for-you foods, including dairy, and get 60 minutes of play a day!

I had a front row seat in the auditorium of Pulaski Elementary in Chicago last week when the public announcement was made that funding for the Fuel Up to Play 60 would be funded for #5MoreYears!
We heard from every representative  in this public-private  program--the National Dairy Council, National Football League, GENYOUth Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education.


Activity with Chef Carla, from the Chew, leading the NFL players kicked off the celebration,

 

followed by comments from the partners,

activities with the NFL players,

 

and, of course,

enjoying a healthy dairy snack!

 

 I'm thankful for the impact Fuel Up to Play 60 is making to  improve the health of this  

                next   generation and  that as a dairy farmer, I'm contributing to this program  
                                                 everyday from down on the dairy farm.

Celebrate World School Milk Day

 World School Milk Day  is an international, annual event started in 2000 to celebrate the importance of school milk in children's diets and increase global awareness. Students from over forty countries throughout the world will be celebrating World School Milk Day on September 25th.

Midwest Dairy Council is sponsoring a World School Milk Day Contest to help schools kickoff Fuel Up to Play 60 for the 2013-14 school year.

 

All participating Fuel Up to Play 60 schools are eligible to enter the World School Milk Day Contest by October 2nd. You can find contest information at  Midwest Dairy. 

 

Happy World School Milk Day!

                             

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

Tuesday morning found me celebrating with students   from Arkansas,Missouri and Oklahoma for the difference they have made in their schools by participating in Fuel Up to Play 60. The day was filled with fun activities to reward their successful participation  to motivate other students to

 "Eat healthy,get active and make a difference.".

 

The morning started with a 'get moving' activity,

 

 

a test of nutrition knowledge with lunch tray relay,

 

 

 motivational talks  by NFL referee Walt Coleman and retired NFL player Steve Conley,

 

                                                and lots of smiles and pictures to take home.

                                                         As a dairy farmer,mom and nurse,
     I'm thankful for the difference that Fuel Up To Play 60 is making in the health of our children.

Fuel Up To Play 60 Fast Facts

Have you heard of Fuel Up to Play 60?  As a dairy farmer, I'm pretty pumped up about this in-school  program that encourages kids to choose nutrient-rich foods first and get out and play at least 60 minutes every day. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a direct response to dairy farmers' concerns that many U.S. children are overweight and undernourished.

Midwest Dairy Council states these top 10 fast facts:

Fuel Up To Play 60 Is...

1. An in-school program offered to all U.S. schools at no cost
2. Part of wellness efforts in more than 72,000 schools across the U.S.,including more than 10,000 in the Midwest
3. Founded by the National Dairy council and the NFL, in cooperation with the USDA.
4. Designed to empower students to choose nutrient-rich foods, such as low-fat dairy foods, fruits,vegetables and whole grains, and get out and play at least 60 minutes everyday
5. Led by students, and guided by adult school leaders
6. Motivated by research that says well-nourished and physically active students have stronger academic achievement
7. Customaizable through downloadable resources,tools and in-school promotional materials, plus fun incentives and rewards
8. Endorsed by Action for Healthy Kids,American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association,National Hispanic Medical Association,National Medical Association,School Nutrition Association,U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,and U.S. Department of Education
9. Aligned with First Lady Michelle Obama's childhood obesity platform, "Let's Move"
10. Complementary to other school wellness initiatives,including the USDA's Healthier U.S. School Challenge

You can find more information about the program and how your school  can become involved at Fuel Up to Play 60.

2012 Nutrition+Physical Learning Connection Summit

Ten years ago the 16th Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, released the report about the need to prevent and decrease America's obesity epidemic. Food insecurity, poor dietary choices and lack of physical activity are still contributing factors that are being addressed by a variety of concerned groups and organizations. It's been stated that there is a growing amount of research that shows a link between proper nutrition,physical activity, and academic achievement. Now we need a plan to take our knowledge and research to  work through the barriers that keep preventing us from conquering childhood obesity.

For the next couple of days, the 2012 Nutrition + Physical Activity Learning Connection Summit will be taking place in Arlington,Virginia. The goal of the meeting is to identify knowledge gaps, draw meaningful conclusions, highlight practical approaches to leverage the current science and move the agenda forward on working with and through schools to enhance children's health and readiness to learn. This summit is presented by the GENYouth Foundation, in partnership with the National Dairy Council, National Football League, American College of Sports Medicine, and American School Health Association.

 

As a dairy farmer, I'm very proud to produce a nutritious product and support programs like Fuel Up to Play 60 that are striving to educate children to make healthy food choices and increase physical activity daily to ensure lifelong good health habits.

Dairy Supports Healthy Community Strategies

Volunteering to talk about dairy farming is always an adventure and after finding my way to Lake Degray in south Arkansas, I did enjoy all that I learned at the Growing Healthy Communities Conference. "Growing Healthy Communities" is described as a movement in Arkansas that involves bringing elected officials,health workers,educators, business leaders and citizens together to turn our communities into vibrant,liveable,healthy environments. Growing Healthy Communities is geared to reversing the public health crisis associated with childhood and adult obesity that is rampant in Arkansas. (http://www.arkansasobesity.org)

Before I gave my presentation, I learned about a variety of ways communities in Arkansas are meeting the public health challenges such as:

• Increasing access to healthful foods by developing community gardens or opening farmers markets
• Increasing the opportunity for physical activity by increasing sidewalks,trails and influencing physical education in schools and preschools
• Enhancing policies that foster health
• Improving worksite wellness
• Organizing for change

So, how does a dairy farmer support a healthy community? In my opinion, dairy farmers support healthy communities by:

• producing a nutrient-dense,economical food.
• providing funding for research and development of products to meet consumers' needs.
• providing funding  for and implementation of Fuel Up to Play 60 to involve children in making healthy food choices and being physically active for life long healthy habits.

You can find information about Fuel Up to Play 60 at http://www.midwestdairy.com or http://www.fueluptoplay60.com

Registered Dieticians Rock!

Just a few weeks ago, I attended the Arkansas Farm Bureau Women's Conference in Little Rock. It's always great to see friends from across the state and share information and ideas that will help us in our mission to educate about agriculture. I'll have to admit I was proud to attend the workshop that was presented by  Midwest Dairy's registered dietician Ashley Anderson about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program that is funded by dairy farmers. Fuel Up to Play 60 empowers youth to be physically active and choose tasty nutrient-rich foods in the school environment.

Midwest Dairy employs several dieticians that work across the Midwest educating consumers about good nutrition and the benefits of dairy foods. As I listened to Ashley's presentation, I was reminded of the importance of the registered dietician's role to the success of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. Registered dieticians are involved from the moment a school enrolls in the program educating and advising the adults and students as they make changes in school nutrition that will impact life-long nutrition and health habits. Providing this expertise to schools is one reason I believe the Fuel Up to Play 60 program will meet the objective to solve the childhood obesity crisis.

You can learn more about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program at http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/ or http://www.midwestdairy.com/. My heartfelt thanks to all of our registered dieticians in the Midwest and across the nation that are making a difference for our children's health.  Registered Dieticians--You Rock!

Fuel Up to Play 60 Beats Childhood Obesity

I didn't make any bets on which team would win or lose the Superbowl game, but I am investing my dairy farmer money with other American dairy farmers  to fight the battle against childhood obesity with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program.   Since 2009, dairy farmers have provided  money for  the Fuel Up to Play 60 program designed to fight childhood obesity. Empowering students to "fuel-up" with nutrient rich foods and "get up and play" for at least 60 minutes each day will  work to fight obesity and  lead to life long sustainable health habits.

The Fuel Up to Play 60 program provides tools and resources that are chosen by the students and teachers of participating schools to meet the wellness goals of each school. Key program elements (http://www.midwestdairy.com/) include:

• Free Fuel Up to Play 60 Quick Start Resources
• Interactive online Playbook with easy-to-do healthy eating and physical activity "Plays"-a collection of strategies that help students fuel-up with nutrient rich foods and get up and play for at least 60 minutes each day.
• Fuel Up to Play 60 challenges are provided through out the school year to keep youth excited and engaged in the program.
• FuelUpToPlay60.com provides program resources and serves as an online portal to share successes and learn from other participants.
• Incentives to motivate students,schools and Program Advisors to meet program and milestone goals and funds to help schools make lasting improvements in nutrition and physical activity.
• Rewards to recognize those who take action and encourage continuous program participation.

For more information about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program or learn if schools in your area are participating go to http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/. 

 I love  supporting the team that makes the pledge to --"Eat Healthy,Get Active and Make a Difference"!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last week I was honored to represent Arkansas dairy farmers when Governor Mike Beebe and First Lady Ginger Beebe signed the pledge of support for Fuel Up to Play 60.  Arkansas already  has 900 schools participating in this dairy farmer funded program that is designed to empower students to make healthy nutritional choices and get the needed 60 minutes of activity every day.  I'm thankful for the impact that Fuel Up to Play 60 will have in empowering students across our state to "be healthy,get active and make a difference."

"Be Healthy,Get Active,and Make a Difference"

Can you take the pledge "be healthy,get active, and make a difference"?  Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and First Lady Ginger Beebe made that pledge today to show support for Fuel Up to Play 60 in Arkansas schools. The pledge ceremony was also attended by students and faculty from the Weiner school district, four Arkansas dairy farmers,and Midwest Dairy staff.

Fuel Up to Play 60 brings tools and resources to schools to involve students in learning how to make nutritious choices and engage in sixty minutes of activity everyday for long lasting good health. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a direct response to the childhood obesity epidemic we face in Arkansas and across the nation. It is funded by dairy farmers in partnership with the National Dairy Council, the National Football League, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Detailed information about Fuel Up to Play 60 can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

As a dairy farmer, I loved listening to the 9th grade student, Joshua Lucero describe with enthusiasm how he got involved with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program as a 7th grader in the Weiner school district.  Although Weiner is a small rural school district, he utilized technology and his computer skills to develop a power point presentation that he and other students shared to spread the word about making healthy choices and getting the needed sixty minutes of exercise everyday.  His teacher told us that he met her in  the parking lot every morning to make sure she accomplished every necessary detail to achieve success in the program. Today was proof that his persistence paid off!

Representing Arkansas dairy farmers at this celebration of support was an awesome experience. Today more than  400,000 students represented in 900 schools across Arkansas are participating in Fuel Up to Play 60.   Dairy farmers are making a difference everyday as we work to produce a healthy product and support programs like Fuel Up to Play 60 to encourage children and adults to "be healthy,get active and make a difference".  Will you take the pledge?

Fueling Up with Health Habits

Eat Healthy. Get Active. Make a difference. Those are the messages dairy farmers want to impress on our youth through the Fuel Up to Play 60 school program. It is our hope that this dairy farmer funded program will help combat childhood obesity and help our children to make lifelong healthy choices. Fuel Up to Play 60 utilizes years of nutrition and physical activity experience to focus on the whole picture of healthy living. In the 2009-2010 school year, the program reached thirty six million youth in 60,000 schools. Look on the map provided at http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/ to see which schools in your area are participating in Fuel Up to Play 60.

The unique feature of this program is that the kids actually take ownership and responsibility for the decisions they make to create lifelong healthy habits. The program encourages the consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and 60 minutes of physical activity daily. When a school signs up to participate, a team of students will be chosen to begin selecting goals for their school and plan programs and activities to meet those goals. Utilizing the NFL star power provides initiative for students to work towards their goals while the National Dairy Council provides the nutrition information based on sound scientific research.

You can find more detailed information about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program at http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

As a dairy farmer and mother, I am very proud that we are working for the health of our youth. Can you make the pledge: Eat Healthy-Get Active-Make a difference? Our youth are watching us!

Gen YOUth Foundation

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program that empowers youth to improve nutrition and physical activity in their school and for their own health. Dairy farmer promotion dollars have been used to launch programs in 70,000 schools to reach 36.6 million students in 2010. This program has been a partnership with the National Football League and the USDA to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. To take this a step further, the Gen YOUth Foundation has been formed to create a movement that will inspire youth to change their behavior. Partners in this foundation are the National Football League, USDA, U.S. Departmen of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and National Dairy Council. Our children are our future and as a dairy farmer, a mother , and a nurse, I'm proud to be a part of making sure that we work together to insure the health of our nation. I hope you will visit the website of the new Gen YOUth Foundation at http://www.genyouthfoundation.org/. It gives great explanation about the mission, the partners, and the historic agreement bringing together this private-public partnership committed to child health and wellness.

Talkin' Dairy

Last Friday I had the privilege of speaking to the Gravette Kiwanis Club about dairy. I chose to talk about the dairy checkoff program because many consumers do not know that the national dairy promotion program was produced by dairy farmers,for dairy farmers and is funded by America's dairy farmers. Because Kiwanis is an international civic organization that works to improve children's health, I really enjoyed telling the members about the Fuel Up To Play 60 program that the dairy farmers are sponsoring in partnership with the National Football League. As a dairy farmer, I am very proud that our money is being used to give children information and incentive to improve their nutrition choices and exercise habits for life long health. Fuel Up To Play 60 is now being implemented in two-thirds of our nation's schools (more than 60,000), reaching 36 million students. The uniqueness of this program is that it engages students directly to take the lead in helping make their schools and communities healthier. Learning to make good nutriton choices and developing exercise habits is a great prevention for obesity and other chronic illnesses. You can learn more about the dairy checkoff program at http://www.dairycheckoff.com/. Before leaving the meeting, we had a drawing for an insulated shopping bag donated by Midwest Dairy (http://www.midwestdairy.com/). My hope is that each member left with new information and understanding about the dairy industry and the nutritious product that we produce!