Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Thanksgiving is a holiday of  giving thanks for our bounty of blessings and

gathering around the table with family and friends. Like most families,

we will take the opportunity to tell family stories and reminisce about

those who we are missing around the table.

The woman in this picture is my Great Grandmother Harral holding my 

grandmother. Their farm was just a little over a mile from where I live 

today. I would imagine that they enjoyed a home raised turkey for

their Thanksgiving dinner in the early 1900's.

By the time I met my Great Grandmother, the turkeys and apple

orchard were gone but she always had marshmallows in the 

cookie jar waiting for little hands to pick for a sweet snack!

I'm thankful for the memories we have to share with others

and the opportunity to make new memories for the next generation.

Happy Thanksgiving 

from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I've been to Baker Elementary for many different volunteer programs but

this time I was a speaker for Career Day.

Actually, I found out, I was the first farmer that had ever come to 

their Career Day event. Needless to say, I felt pretty special.

It's not every student that is invited back to where their school career began!

I'm thankful for modern technology that allowed me to 

carry our farm from classroom to classroom on a power point

showing  what we do everyday

 to care for our animals and the land we call home

and produce the milk they enjoy everyday at school or home.

                                       Many thanks to our dedicated teachers and counselors
                                      providing experiences like Career Day for every student.
                                       

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

"Many Farms,One Voice" 

was the theme for the 2018 Arkansas Farm Bureau  Women's

 Leadership Conference in Little Rock  last weekend.

Farm Bureau women from across the state gathered to learn more about

 how to use our collective voices in promoting agriculture and educating

 others how we work everyday on the farm to ensure we have plenty

 of food,fiber and fuel for all of our families.

I'm thankful for these women and my friends from across the state 

that choose to spend their time and talents to share their passion about 

agriculture and speak with one voice

about a subject that impacts each of us everyday.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Farm tours are a great way to meet consumers of all ages  to share how

 we work everyday on the farm to produce safe,affordable food.

This week I was privileged to be one of the host farms for the  12th tour

 of Moms on the Farm.   Janeal Yancey, my favorite University of Arkansas 

meat scientist ,organized the first tour in 2012.  Each tour day  includes

  a visit to dairy, poultry and beef farms located in Benton or Washington County.

The finishing touch to the tour is a delicious lunch hosted by 

Arkansas Cattle Women preparing delicious beef recipes.

I'm thankful for the Moms and the few men that braved a 

chilly and windy day to learn about Arkansas farming and food production.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even the principal at Frank Tillery Elementary school wanted to milk

the Arkansas Farm Bureau cow!

                                         
                            I'm thankful for teachers and principals that love teaching students
                                      and give us the opportunity to share information  about
                                                                 Arkansas agriculture.
                                                             

                   

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

How could you not love the smiles of 160  Pea Ridge kindergarten students?

That was my thought as I watched each child take their turn milking 

 Franny, the Arkansas Farm Bureau cow.

                                       
                                    I'm so thankful for opportunities to provide information
                                           about agriculture by telling our dairy story
                                                                              and
                                            for  dedicated teachers that bring hands on
                                                  learning experiences to their students.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Benton County Judge Barry Moehring signed the official

 proclamation declaring this week as Benton County Farm Bureau Week.

This event is the kick-off to our county membership drive.

                                   
                                I'm thankful to be a member of an organization that advocates
                        the interests of agriculture in the public arena,disseminates information
                        concerning the value and importance of agriculture and provides products
                            and services which improve the quality of life for all our members.

Not everyone can be a farmer,

but everyone can be a Farm Bureau member!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We missed you!

I'm sure that's what the calves were thinking this morning  even though they

 were well cared for in my one day away from the farm.

It's always good to learn more about issues affecting

agriculture and  the dairy industry but there's no place like home.

                              After driving home from  Little Rock  yesterday in stormy weather,
                                I'm thankful to be safely back to work down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Hot Springs was the meeting place last weekend for the fifth 

Arkansas Women Bloggers Conference. 

As a blogging member, I've attended four conferences and made sure to

 attend the food blogging option called Foodie Friday. 

As part of this year's Foodie Friday, women in agriculture provided 

information about our involvement in food production in Arkansas.

I'm thankful for any opportunity to share information about agriculture, 

to see the passion and dedication of other women in agriculture like Lori and Donette, 

to enjoy the products produced in Arkansas

 generously give to us at the conference, 

and

to be inspired by the group known as 

Arkansas Women Bloggers.

Generational Sustainability

We think it's bad when the power suddenly goes out and internet availability is gone, but can you imagine living without electricity , running water or a vehicle to drive?   Even with all the modern conveniences, I still need more hours in the day!  

Science and modern technology have improved not only our lifestyle but efficiency in food production. It's a fact that today, a farmer supplies food for more than 150 people in the U.S and abroad, compared with just 25.8 people in 1960, and on less land every year.

I don't  think the word sustainability was used  by  my mother-in-law as she worked the land with her father in the 1940's but I do know that every day, just like today,  required efficiency and careful use of all resources.

In our modern farming world, Sustainable agriculture was actually defined by the U.S. government in the 1990 farm bill.

 Here are the five elements of the USDA definition of sustainable agriculture:

• Satisfy human food and fiber needs
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
• Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations
• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole

(More information about sustainability and dairy farming can

 be found at Midwest Dairy or Dairygood.org.)

                                                                       

   Although the look of the family farm and the technologies have changed with each generation, we still have the same values of caring for the land and animals as we work to produce high-quality,nutritious milk. 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for Farm Bureau leaders like our Benton County Farm Bureau President Bob Shofner,

For the women I serve with on activities to educate children and adults about agriculture,

the youth activities that are supported by our county and Arkansas Farm Bureau,

and for the blessings I have received as a Farm Bureau member and volunteer.

The mission of Arkansas Farm Bureau is to:

1. Advocate the interests of agriculture in the public arena.

2. Disseminate information concerning the value and importance of agriculture, and 

3. Provide products and services which improve the quality of life for our members.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

On the way to our friend's house, we stopped to check the status of the milo crop that we plan to chop for silage.  While I was getting out of the truck, Ryan moved quickly out of site between the rows. 

I was searching for him when his head popped up and I heard him laughing.

                                                  He  reminded me of a Jack-in-the-Box toy!
                     I'm thankful for this Farmer-in-the-Field and for his dedication  and love of farming!

Farmers in the Zoo

Next week, you won't find the farmers in the dell, but you can see them working  at the  new Benton County Farm Bureau Petting Zoo  when the Benton County Fair kicks off it's 109th year!  

Benton County Farm Bureau has sponsored the Petting Zoo at the Benton County Fair for more than twenty years to give children and adults an opportunity to learn a little about animals and  Arkansas agriculture.

 In the beginning, the zoo was a big tractor tire filled with baby chicks covered with a tent for protection from the rain that seemed to be a normal part of the fair.  We graduated to a carport awning structure that we actually moved to the new fairground facility. It was obvious after last year's fair, that our petting zoo would probably not stand up to another season of stormy,windy weather.    I'm so  thankful and excited to see this new structure that will serve not only as a petting zoo, but will be large enough for other events on the fairgrounds  during the year.

 I invite you to visit our Farmers in the Zoo   next week at the Benton County Fair, August 12-16.

Pigs and Chickens, and Farmers--oh my! 

Farming: A Family Affair

Today was the the announcement of our  2014 Benton County   Farm Family.  It was exciting to see this young family receive this honor for their hard work and dedication to their row crop,beef , and agri-tourism farming operation   and commitment  to   their church, 4-H  and community.

Farming is a family affair. According to the USDA, 97 percent of U.S. farms are family owned and operated, often by multiple generations of the family.  Although the look of the family farm and the technologies have changed, the same values of caring for the land and animals still exist.

For me, today was not only recognizing and celebrating this great farm family's accomplishments, but also  acknowledging the generational impact made by our agriculture and farming community. 

Congratulations to Cody,Carrie and their children Garrett,Emily and Ty!

Chick Whispering

It was all in a day of fun learning about Arkansas agriculture that Russell Jones Elementary fourth and fifth grade  students turned into chick whisperers! 

 

 

As the students held the chicks, we provided information about how  farmers care for the chicks  to provide food for our families.  It's pretty amazing that even though we don't have any formal education for chick whispering, the students are experts!

 

 

 

 

One observation about chick whisperers--they always smile when holding a baby chick!

Farmers Appreciate Northwest Arkansas Dairy Tour

A couple of years ago I met  Tiffiny, a Midwestern farm girl, the  owner of a local  tour agency specializing in agricultural tours.  Combining her love for  and interest in agriculture with her passion for traveling has brought her great success in providing tour packages for farmers wishing to learn more about agriculture in a variety of places in the United States and around the world.  To celebrate 15 years of  agricultural tours with Trump Tours, Tiffiny invited customers to come to Bentonville for the weekend to give a taste of Arkansas agriculture and a view of Northwest Arkansas.

                               It was our privilege to share our dairy  farm with these farmers from
                               around the country as part of their tour day in Northwest Arkansas. 

         With their knowledge of and connection to agriculture, it was obvious that these farmers
                understand  the commitment of food production and appreciate the responsibility 
                                       that  dairy farmers take seriously seven days a week.

 

Do You Live in a GMO World?

Because  biotechnology is part of our everyday world on the farm, I really hadn't given it much thought until I attended two separate educational workshops pertaining to the topic of GMOs, also known as genetically modified organisms. As I began to read more information about the topic--here's the truth--GMOs are part of everyone's world!

Here's a few fast facts:

• More than 70% of packaged products contain at least one GM (genetically modified) food ingredient (corn,soybean, and cotton)
• More than 80% of the leading agriculture crops (corn, soybean and cotton) contain GMOs
• More than 80% of grain crops used for animal feed, such as corn and soybeans are genetically modified

Words that can be used interchangeably for  GMO is genetic modification, biotechnology, biotech seed, or  genetic engineering. It simply means that a change has been made to the DNA of the organism.

I liked this analogy by Dr. Denneal Jamison-McClung (Associate Director-Biotechnology Program,Lecturer in Plant Biology in the College of Biological Sciences, University of California-Davis) says GMOs can be compared to apps on your smart phone. Adding an "app" doesn't change the phone, but it helps your phone do more. In GMOs, the plant is the phone and the app is the gene added to make the plant drought or disease resistant. The gene added to the plant doesn't change anything about the plant, but the app-like GMO helps it do something desirable--in this case, stay healthy and grow stronger.

According to the Genetic Literacy Project there  are 10 reasons we need biotech foods and crops:

• Biotech crops can help address the global food crisis.
• Crop Biotechnology helps small farmers.
• Biotech crops spur global economic growth.
• Farming using GM crops reduces chemical use.
• Biotech crops increase yields.
• Biotech crops help increase income of poorer farmers, reducing poverty and malnutrition.
• Farming with biotech crops is sustainable.
• Foods tweaked by biotechnology are safe to eat.
• Genetically modified foods improve nutrition and health.
• Genetically modified  crops and foods complement conventional and organic farming.

If you have questions about GMOs or biotechnology, you can find answers at GMO Answers.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I was privileged to attend the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio this week. It's always fun to work in the Arkansas booth at the trade show to share about Arkansas agriculture.

 

 

I'm thankful to be an Arkansas dairy farmer

 

and

 

 for the variety of  opportunities  I have to educate consumers of all ages about Arkansas agriculture!

 

Celebrate National Farm to School Month

October is a perfect month for fieldtrips and farm tours. The Farm to School Program strives to connect schools to local farms, with the objectives of serving healthy meals in schools, improving student nutrition and  promoting agriculture, health and education opportunities to support local and regional farms.


In case you aren't able to visit a dairy farm this month,  here's a few dairy facts I'd like  to share with you   for National  Farm to School Month:

Milk travels from local farm families--to inspection,  processing and pasteurization, to you--in 48 hours or less.

There are 51,000 dairy farms in the United States and 98 percent of them are family owned.

It only takes 5 to 10 minutes to milk a cow on today's dairy farm.

Fresh milk straight from the cow is 101 degrees. Milk is quickly cooled and kept cold at 35-40 degrees F.

A single dairy cow yields about 6 to 7 gallons of milk per day.

Today's dairy farms produce almost three times more milk than farms of 19--and with about half the number of crops.

90 pounds of feed and hay are consumed by a dairy cow each day.

Dairy farming provides 130,000 jobs in the United States.

Water used to clean the milking equipment and barn is recycled to irrigate fields to grow crops.

Manure is recycled and is used by dairy farmers to fertilize their crops and for many of us to fertilize our gardens.

                                            I'll be celebrating with milk--how about you?

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

Last week I was presented with a plaque from  Benton County Farm Bureau for my volunteer service as the Chairwoman of the Benton County Farm Bureau  Women's Committee. I've been blessed to work with the greatest volunteers, who I call my friends,  and with  the support and help of my family. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have had to help educate others about agriculture in a variety of activities!