Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Early this year I became aware that Benton County was seeking

 to develop a Benton County Quilt Trail that would become a part

 of the Arkansas Quilt Trail. Benton County will be the 24th county

 in the state to join the state trail.

Quilt trails have become a sightseeing and destination movement

 across the U.S. inspired by quilt making, storytelling and local history.

With the disappearance of so many farms in our county,

I couldn't think of a better way to share our rich local 

farming history while also celebrating my 65th birthday!

Since I'm not a quilter or an artist, 

I am thankful  I was introduced to a maker

of barn quilts through a mutual friend.

My  Rising Star Barn Quilt was painted by

Holly Duck of  Duck Hollow Barn Quilts.

We had the hanging of the Barn Quilt this week!

It was so much fun to watch the long awaited 

completion of the project.

It was obvious from the beginning that 

a tall ladder just wouldn't work.

Milford Crane Service made the job look easy

and a whole lot safer than my vision of

family members on a ladder!

In preparation to be accepted to be a part of the quilt trail, 

 the application asks the participant to write a little bit about the history of the barn.

This is what I submitted:

The Rising Star barn quilt block brightens up the hip roof style barn built with

 oak lumber  handpicked by owner Bill Anglin in 1957. If barns could talk,

 it would tell you that it has been a place for milking cows, 

storing machinery, providing housing for calves and hay storage. 

Before the introduction of big round hay bales, 

the barn stored over 8000 square bales during summer harvest. Even on those

 hot August harvest days, stacking hay in the Anglin Barn was not all bad 

when you were treated to a late night supper and homemade ice cream 

prepared by Bonnah Lyn Anglin.

 The barn continues to be used by the fourth generation of the Anglin family

 as part of their Triple A Farms dairy and beef operation.

I'm thankful for this gift from my family that 

celebrates our rich Benton County agricultural history

and the legacy of our farming family.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Early this summer we had a little extra help from

our cousin Ethan.  Ethan is the great grandson of our Uncle Deric who

 worked on our farm after his retirement from the Bentonville 

Casting Company and had taught Cody and Casey

 a lot of useful mechanical skills as they grew up. 

Ethan had a lot of  new experiences 

down on the dairy farm including feeding a new calf.

Unfortunately for us, school started just about the time

we began having new calves every day!

I'm thankful for the fact that Ethan wanted to come to 

the farm and experience the day to day life  down on 

the dairy farm and for the kindness and patience of my son,Cody,

who mentored Ethan and provided a great summer experience. 

I'm pretty sure Uncle Deric and Aunt Fritz would be

extremely proud of Ethan and Cody!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                                                   Not all birthdays are celebrated with cake,

but

August is a celebration of  life down on the dairy farm.

This new baby was born after midnight and was taken to 

its own clean hutch, fed colostrum from its mother

and monitored   for  any health issues. Calves grow up to 

become the cows that produce milk, so we are committed 

to getting them off to a healthy start.

I'm thankful for the healthy calves born this month, 

the unexpected help bottle feeding the new August calves

and

                                      for the opportunity to celebrate  life down on the dairy
                                                        farm with the next generation.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

"Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the people.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him,

talk ye of all his wondrous works."

I Chronicles 16:8-9

As a child I only thought about Thanksgiving as   the one day of eating at Grandma's 

house and the few days out of school but thankfully,

I have lived long enough to understand and enjoy 

this  season of Thanks that brings me to be more aware

 of all the blessings

in my life, many that I easily take for granted.

.

I'm thankful for our home,

the dairy cows that provide nutritious milk for my family and yours,

                                                                   
                                                                             and
                                                    for family life down on the dairy farm.

                                                       Happy Thanksgiving!
                                                           

Happy Father's Day!

                                As I looked across the field late this afternoon, Ryan and the
                                   boys were wrapping the last few bales of hay for today.
                                     Although it's a fairly common picture of them working
                                         together to complete a task down on the dairy farm,
                                                 it is a sweet reminder of how special the
                                                    relationship between father and son.

Working together as a family has its challenges but in the long run, 

those are overcome by respect and love for each other.

                                        

Father's Day gives us a special moment in time to celebrate 

our family relationships.

and 

                                           
                                               appreciate the love that has shaped our family.

                                                        Happy Father's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Although our days on the dairy farm are busy and filled with

 a variety of challenges, 

I'm thankful for the smiles that come with these two tractor drivers

 and the opportunity we have to watch the fifth generation

 embrace life on the farm.

                                         
                                                 

Father Love

Father's Day gives us opportunity to celebrate the love our fathers

 lavished on us while on earth with us 

and to celebrate the blessings provided by being a father!

"For I know the plans that I have for you,

declares the Lord,

Plans for welfare and not for calamity to give 

you a future and a hope."

                                                                                            --Jeremiah 29:11

                                                       Happy Father's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

This is what we do on Spring Break...

get together with the herd!

                         I'm thankful for the ordinary but beautiful  days down on the dairy farm,
                                   the first day of spring and for the blessing of celebrating
                                                  my Mother's 86th birthday with my herd!

Promises for 2017

It's a clean slate and I'm looking forward to a new year that for me 

is guided by my faith in Jesus Christ. I already know it will be a great year

 based on these faith promises. 

These are just a few of the promises for 2017:

" For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord,

 "Plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

                                                      ---Jeremiah 29:11

"And my God shall supply all your needs according

 to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

                                                                                         --Philippians 4:19

                                    "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give
                                        thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
                                                                                        --I Thessalonians 5:16-18

                                       From down on the dairy farm, from my family to yours,

                                                          Happy New Year!

Happy Mother's Day

A Mother's Love

A mother's love is special 

It's present every day.

A gift that came from heaven

That God has sent our way.

Her job is never ending

She's there all day and night,

To be there for her children

And be their guiding light.

Her thoughts are with them always

Even if they are apart,

Her children have a special place 

Deep down inside her heart.

Mother's are a special gift-

A gift from up above.

The world would seem so empty 

Without a Mother's love.

                       --T. Entzminger

Happy Mother's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...

                                           
                                   I'm thankful for the joy I see in my oldest son  as he anticipates
                                      the arrival of his first child and the excitement of welcoming
                                                           the fifth generation to the farm.
                                                                             
                                     

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.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It's been a family tradition before I was a member of the dairy farm family

 to have a picnic supper on July 4th  on the banks of this spring fed pond.

Adventure has always been part of the gathering!

I'm thankful for the land that we work on, play on, 

and

 protect for the next generation to enjoy.

Happy Father's Day!

Pictures often tell the story far better than any words.

I love these snapshots of cherished moments of how a father's love shaped the life of the dairy farmer I love.

It's where the commitment for caring for the animals and providing high-quality milk began and now  continues with the next generation of dairy farmers.

 

                                                                   Happy Father's Day 

                                                             from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Although I was truly spoiled on Mother's Day with  roses,candy, an assortment of gifts

and  gathering around the table for lunch together,

I'm most thankful for the daily blessings I experience as a Mother,

working with my family every day on our dairy farm,

and

                                for the fact that this third generation dairy  farmer chose a city girl !

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Looking back at 2014, these are just a few of the experiences I'm thankful for...

 serving on the Benton County Quorum Court,

for my new daughter-in-love,

the opportunity to share our farm story,

the beautiful cows and calves on our dairy farm,

and 

for 30 years married to the farm and the farmer.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

           ----Jeremiah 29:31

                                                           Happy New Year!

Dairy Q&A

                                                                  Question:

                           Are dairy farms closed on holidays?

Answer:

Dairy farms are never closed!

We milk our cows every day of the year--even weekends and holidays!

Our commitment to providing high-quality milk begins with taking good care of our cows everyday.

On Christmas Day, like every day, we'll milk our dairy cows twice a day,

                                     
                                 

make sure the milking cows have plenty of nutritious feed to eat,

provide hay and grain to our soon-to-calve dairy cows, 

keep a close eye on any cows giving birth,

and feed our baby calves in the hutches and pastures.