Thankful Thursday

It was a bitter sweet moment as I watched the group of 

bred Holstein heifers being checked by the veterinarian

before being loaded on a truck for a trip to their 

new home in Texas. 

The heifers will be having their babies in just

a couple of months.

 

We have almost three years invested in the  daily

           care of each of these heifers.

I was with them on their first day on the farm

when we moved their mother to the milking barn and

I became their caretaker feeding them with a bottle.

I'm going to miss seeing their babies !

I'm thankful to have married the dairy farmer 

that has shared his calling with me  to be a caretaker

of these beautiful animals and a steward of the 

land we call home,

                             
                                                        the continued daily work on the farm,

and

for the opportunities that appear through transitions

in life on the farm.

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for the  little bit of rain that allowed

the wheat planting to be completed this  past week.

The  last bit of seed left in the drill was just enough to plant into

the Bermuda and mixed grass  hay field next to the house. 

It will be harvested before the grass begins to grow in the spring.

This is commonly called a cover crop. 

Utilizing the manure from our cows to fertilize both crops is

one of  the ongoing sustainable practices down on the 

dairy farm.

 

                                  

                               

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

"Foodie Friday"  was a fun food experience provided

during the Megaphone 19 Influencer conference.

We started the event by tasting our way through local food businesses at 

8th Street Market  and ending with cheese and wine pairing.

My favorite experience was the demonstration of Brightwater 

culinary chef Aria Kagan making Fresh Mozzarella.

Chef Kagan gave us the step by step directions.

Although she made it look easy, I think I would want to practice a few times before

the party!

Fresh Mozzarella requires the use of  a water bath made of 4 cups warm 

water plus 2 Tablespoons salt and 2 pounds of fresh Mozzarella curd.

My friend Kerri captured the fun part of this recipe perfectly as Chef Kagan 

was working with the cheese.

I may never attempt making fresh mozzarella but 

I am thankful to be a producer of the milk that brings great joy 

And provides many delicious and nutritious dairy foods.

I

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though we have a daily routine that includes milking our cows

 and feeding all the animals on the farm, today was anything but ordinary.

During fall or spring calving season, 

it's not unusual to have from one to three calves born.

Today we had a total of nine new babies!

It was anything but a routine afternoon  as Ryan and I worked to

give each new calf a bottle of colostrum and vaccinations to prevent illness.

I'm thankful for these kind of interruptions of our daily routine

that bring smiles to our dairy farmer faces

                                                                                  and

                                         for the new crop of calves for Hattie  to help  feed!

July's Favorite Flavor

What's so great about July?

It's Ice Cream Month!

I can't think of a better way to transition from celebrating 

all things dairy during  June Dairy Month to enjoying

 a variety of  very dairy ice cream flavors.

According to  The History of Ice Cream 

by the International Dairy Foods Association,

 "the first official account of ice cream in America comes from a letter 

written in 1744 by a guest of Maryland Governor William Bladen. 

Manufacturing of ice cream became an industry in 1851 by a 

Baltimore milk dealer named Jacob Fussell. Like other American 

industries, ice cream production increased because of technological 

innovations, including steam power , mechanical refrigeration,

the homogenizer, electric power and motors, packing machines, 

and new freezing processes and equipment.

Today's total frozen dairy annual production in the

 United States is more than 1.6 billion gallons."

What's your favorite ice cream  flavor?

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last week members of  our Benton County  Farm Bureau 

Women's Leadership Committee spent the morning at 

Mathias Elementary with 4th and 5th grade students to provide 

information about Arkansas agriculture.

It's always fun to milk Frannie the Arkansas Farm Bureau cow.

Frannie is  the perfect cow  for school visits because  she doesn't

kick or swish her tail in your face when milking!

I'm thankful for the opportunity to share how 

milk is produced on our Arkansas dairy farm

and

to live on the farm and care for the animals that

 provide high-quality nutritious milk.

Arkansas Grown Fruit Smoothie

One of our workshops at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Leadership Conference was a cooking workshop promoting the use of Arkansas grown foods.Our cooking expert, Arkansas Cooperative Extension Agent Leigh Ann Bullington, was highlighting  Arkansas fruits and vegetables. It didn't take the dairy farmers in the room too long to point out that milk was also a featured Arkansas product!

It would be hard to have a smoothie without dairy products and the featured fruit at the workshop was strawberry. The strawberry smoothie  was delicious and made us all look forward to trying all the other Arkansas fruits that will be available soon.

Arkansas Grown Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh or frozen Arkansas grown fruit

  (blackberries,blueberries,strawberries,peaches

     or other fruit of your choice) no sugar added

1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup low fat milk

1/4-1/2 cup ice, to desired consistency

Directions:

Add all ingredients to the blender pitcher and mix until desired consistency.

Tip: If you think it needs to be a little sweeter, you might add a little Arkansas honey!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It was a dreary,gray,drizzly start to our calf feeding chore time this morning.

As I looked to the dry pasture to see if we had any new calves born in the night, 

I spotted 6 young deer running together at the north end of the pasture

 trying to figure out how to get over the electric fence.

The deer moved so quickly and gracefully.

 I wished I had been able to capture a better picture of their beauty and grace but 

my phone /camera  was buried in my coveralls to protect it from the drizzle.

   
                                          You can see a faint outline of the deer inside the heart.
                                           It was obvious that fences are no obstacle to the deer.
                                           
                                    I'm thankful for the moments of surprise that warm the heart
                                           and send a special message of love that God provides
                                                   down on the dairy farm when least expected.
                                         

                                                     Happy Valentine's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Have you heard....

January 11 is National Milk Day!

According to the National Day Calendar, National Milk Day commemorates

 the day that many think the first milk deliveries in

 glass bottles began in the United States. 

Alexander Campbell of the New York Dairy
Company professed to the New York State Senate that his 

company was the first to make these deliveries in 1878.

To those of us who love every aspect of dairy, 

it's another opportunity to celebrate milk!

I'm thankful we can enjoy and celebrate  milk everyday of the year!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

What's not to love about sharing our dairy story?

It's not always easy to fit in a dairy farm tour but it is 

worth every minute I spend sharing with consumers

 of all ages how we work every day to produce nutritious

 milk by caring for our animals and the land we call home.

                       
                              I'm thankful for the parents and children that brought their desire
                            to learn how we produce milk and  for sharing their beautiful smiles!
                                                   Baby calves always bring out the smiles!
                                                             

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                 
                                        Feeding calves is one of my everyday jobs on the farm.
                                 Even though I've fed more than a few bottles, I still think it's fun!

                                  Each calf receives a two quart bottle of milk twice a day for the
                                  first three days to make sure they receive all of their mother's
                                    colostrum. At three days we teach them to drink from a bucket
                                       and  continue to feed milk and add grain to their daily diet.

                                          We monitor and observe each calf closely for any
                                         problems and make sure they receive good nutrition.
 
                 

                                        I'm thankful for my job of caring for these new babies
                                              that are the future of our family dairy farm.

                             It's a fact: Calves grow up to become the cows that produce milk,
                                so farmers make it a priority to get them off to a healthy start.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It was in no one's plan to spend any time visiting family in the 

hospital during June Dairy Month but I was thankful to see that dairy

 was in the hospital with us.  After suffering a stroke, my uncle received this

 thickened dairy product to aid in his impaired swallowing and still

 provide the nutrition he needs for recovery.

I 

No matter where we are, I'm thankful for those spotted cows

down on the dairy farm.

                                                                   

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

Cow manure may not look like it has any value, but to a farmer, it's liquid gold.

To protect the environment, the liquid manure produced by our

 dairy cows is collected in a cement pit at the dairy barn. 

Our  permit from the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality  allows us  to store it in this pit 

and haul it to fields for fertilization.

                           
                                             I'm thankful for this recycled liquid gold that
                                                         is used to sustain our dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last weekend was full of fun, learning and inspiration  with bloggers from Arkansas,Missouri,Oklahoma, Texas and even one from Nevada attending

 Foodie Friday and the Megaphone Conference in Fayetteville.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet  homemade bread  entrepreneur

 and business woman Patricia Barnes, better known as "Sister Schubert"

 and learn  the  secret of making the best bread pudding,

to receive an overwhelming amount of

 social media and blogging information

and 

                                           to find a little milk from  down on the dairy farm.
                                               

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Welcome to the herd!

It's a great start to any day when we welcome a new calf to the farm.

Soon after I took this picture, Mama went to the milk barn to join 

the milking herd  and baby girl (heifer)  went to the nursery with me. 

Heifer calves on our farm grow up to become the cows that produce

milk,so it's a priority for us to get them off to a healthy start.

                                I'm thankful for my daily job to insure the health of our calves
                                  and  support the  sustainability  of our family dairy  farm by
                                                     raising and caring for our dairy calves.

Dairy 3 for Me

June Dairy Month is the perfect time to get serious about making sure 

that your daily diet includes the recommended three daily  servings 

of dairy to ensure a well balanced diet.

By taking the Dairy 3 for Me Pledge you are committing to getting the three 

servings of dairy daily and promising to enjoy your

 favorite dairy products like milk,cheese and yogurt every day.

Consider these Midwest Dairy tips for including  dairy in your diet:

                             -Substitute syrup on pancakes and waffles with flavored yogurt

                             -Top sandwiches and salads with your favorite cheese

                             -Prepare oatmeal and other cooked cereals with milk instead of water

                             -Make milk your mealtime beverage

                             -Use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream or mayonnaise

                             -Recover from a tough workout with a tall glass of chocolate milk

Contestants and judges from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods 

Contest took the Dairy 3 for Me Pledge last week.

Will you take the pledge?

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Frannie, the Arkansas Farm Bureau cow, 

 was on her best behavior today as Westside Elementary students  milked for the first time. 

It's always fun to watch the kids try their hand at milking the cow and give them first hand information about dairy farming and Arkansas agriculture.

                                      I'm thankful for the opportunity to share how we work
                                      on the dairy farm to produce high-quality milk and the
                                             importance of agriculture to our everyday lives.

Dairy May Day

What's not to love about the month of May?

That was my thought as I stepped out the back door 

this morning  on my way to feed calves. 

Although the  air was chilly and crisp, it was evident that the

 dairy cows were loving the weather and the green pasture as

 they slowly moved towards the barn to be milked. 

.

Framed by the blooming iris, it was a perfect picture 

of a May day down on the dairy farm.

For 95 years, a member of our family has been 

 opening the  same back door into the month of May. 

We take pride in caring for our dairy  animals, growing crops

 to feed our animals and most important, 

producing healthy high-quality milk for you and your family.

Happy May!

Savor the Flavor

                           What flavors will you savor during National Nutrition Month?

National Nutrition Month strives to make us more aware

 of the importance of making informed food choices and developing 

sound eating and physical activity habits.

I'm planning to start  celebrating National Nutrition Month savoring the flavors of Mango-Curry Chicken Salad!  

It's a recipe developed by Chef Kevin Millonzi, Executive Chef/Owner of Restaurant PROV and Atomic Catering Providence for the National Dairy Council.

Mango-Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (1/2 inch pieces) grilled skinless,boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

1 teaspoon curry

1/4 cup cubed mango

1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup Mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Directions:

Grill chicken breasts, cut into small pieces and set aside. In a medium bowl, blend yogurt and curry with a whisk and stir in chicken,mango,cranberries,walnuts and Mozzarella. Mix well and serve on lettuce leaves if desired.