World Milk Day 2018

Have you heard...

It's World Milk Day!

Well, it's more than that. 

We also are celebrating the start of June Dairy Month! 

According to Midwest Dairy,

National Dairy Month  

is the perfect time to celebrate foods made from milk.

 From pizza to parfaits and chocolate milk to cheese plates,

 dairy is a part of all the things you love to eat. 

After all, the best memories are made over milkshakes! 

Down on the dairy farm, 

we celebrate every day with our cows 

and today we raise our glass to them!

                       
                                                    Happy World Milk Day!

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.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee sponsors a 

Dairy Foods Contest for 4-H members  every year  as an effort to 

promote dairy products and provide a learning experience for our youth.

Each contestant chooses to make a recipe in either the Main Dish or Party Idea category.

As a dairy farmer, I love this promotion of the product we work to produce.

It's always inspiring to see how the contestants use their creative talents 

to select a recipe that  will use as many dairy ingredients as possible,  

 present their creation in a beautiful table setting and describe how 

they enjoy  serving their particular recipe at home or with friends.

The winning recipe of each category will be submitted

 to the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest.

I'm thankful for the judges who take on the task of choosing the best recipe,

the 4-H members who choose to learn about dairy foods,

and 

for other dairy farmers  and members of our committee 

who support  youth activities and dairy foods!

                                                        It was an Undeniably Dairy event!

April's Foodie Holidays

Had you heard that April brings a lot more than  showers and spring flowers?

According to my friends at Midwest Dairy and the Kansas Farm Food Connection,

we've got  5 Foodie Holidays to enjoy in April!

April 2--National PB and J Day

   April 11--National Cheese Fondue Day

 April 12--National Grilled Cheese Day

 April 20--National Cheddar Fries Day

     April 30--National Oatmeal Cookie Day

It's no April Fool's joke...

each special holiday is made for enjoying dairy foods!

                               
                                          I'm pledging to celebrate these special  dairy holidays.
                                                                     How about you?

Celebrate Dad With Dairy

I can't think of a better way to start a Father's Day celebration than by preparing a delicious breakfast featuring Sausage Enchiladas.  Sue York of Monroe County proved to us that this is a winning recipe at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest by being awarded  second place in the Main Dish category.

Besides tasting delicious and having the ability to be prepared ahead to fit a busy schedule, Sausage Enchiladas definitely qualifies for  celebrating  the use of dairy products during June Dairy Month.


Sausage Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 lb. bulk sausage
1 1/2 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (divided)
1 bag (2 oz.) of real bacon bits
1 bag (8 count) 8 inch flour tortillas
1 cup of heavy cream (whipped)
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
6 eggs
1 Tablespoon flour

Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage while breaking it up with a spoon. Drain the fat. Let meat cool slightly then stir  in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 of the bag of bacon bits. Spoon mixture down the center of 8 flour tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs,flour and salt. Mix in heavy cream and milk. Pour over the tortillas in pan. Cover the dish and place in the fridge overnight (or bake immediately). When ready to bake, sprinkle remaining cheese and bacon bits over the tortillas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover dish and bake 10 minutes longer or until eggs are set and cheese is melted.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 75 minutes
Serves: 6

Dairy Q & A

                                                                 Question:

                              Why do we drink cow's milk?

                                               Answer:

                  Because we can. Milk has been an important
             source of human nutrition for thousands of years.                                 According to Dr. Greg Miller, " milk drinking is
                    not just a practice of Western culture, but a
              shared part of human existence around the world,"

               It not only tastes great but provides nine  essential
           nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and potassium.

             Milk provides dairy foods that are nutrient rich,
                  affordable, readily available and versatile. 

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!

4 State Dairy Days Celebrates June Dairy Month

It just wouldn't be June Dairy Month

 without a dairy cattle show,

an abundance of milk,cheese and  ice cream, 

and an Arkansas Dairy Ambassador Contest!

                                                                                     
                                                  You can join me and my dairy farm friends
                              for an action packed,fun  June Dairy Month celebration this weekend
                                                                         June 12-14
                                       at the Benton County Fairgrounds for the 4-State Dairy Days!

                                                               

Milk Truth Jeopardy

We probably won't see a category of Milk Truths on the TV game Jeopardy but it is important for good nutrition and good health  to understand the truth about dairy foods that play a critical role in the diets of adults and children by providing nine essential nutrients,including calcium,magnesium,potassium and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent of the daily value of protein.

Here's 5 Truths about Milk:

• Milk is a nutrient powerhouse--and it's not just for kids. 
• Milk contains a lot that's good, without the "bad" that some people think.   The dairy case has something for everyone--including low-fat and fat-free varieties, as well as lactose-free products. Families can choose from a variety of milk,cheese, and yogurt products to meet their taste and nutritional goals.
• Milk is simple-- especially compared to non-dairy milks that can have more than 10 ingredients.
• Milk provides high-quality protein (almond and other non-dairy milks may have just 1 gram of protein).
• Milk is a real,wholesome and local product from family farms across the nation.

You can find more Milk Truths at MilkTruth, DairyMakesSense and DairyGood and as a dairy farmer, I'm available to tell the truth about how we (my dairy farm family) work everyday  to produce high-quality milk.

Dairy Celebrates National Nutrition Month

Since March is National Nutrition Month, it's the perfect time to focus on exploring new foods, flavors and as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states "Enjoy the task of eating right".  Eating right includes not only making informed food choices but developing sound eating habits and physical activity habits.

Dairy foods are a perfect fit for celebrating National Nutrition Month!


I'm planning a personal celebration by trying some tasty nutritious  recipes from  Dairy Makes Sense  that will expand my nutritional horizons. I'm living proof---you're never too old to improve my eating habits or try new recipes!


Roasted Asparagus with Chive Yogurt Ranch Dressing

Ingredients for dressing:

3/4 cup low-fat Greek style plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
For asparagus:
1 1/2 pounds asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:
In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder,pepper and salt. Slowly pour in buttermilk, whisking constantly. Mix in chives. For best results, make dressing ahead of time and let sit in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and break ends off of asparagus. On a baking sheet with a lip (like a jelly roll pan), place asparagus and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss until fully coated. cook for 10-12 minutes (depending on size of stalks). Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

For each serving, divide asparagus into six shallow bowls and pour 1/3 cup dressing  on top.

You can enjoy the taste of  eating right with dairy!

Dairymom Supports Wear Red Day

It's a fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Although we can't control  age,  genetics or  gender, we can know the facts about lifestyle changes that can lower the risk for heart disease and make sure we are aware of the signs of a heart attack. National Wear Red Day  (the first Friday in February) is a perfect opportunity to increase our knowledge and  raise awareness about heart disease and share information with our family and friends.

 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states these  risk factors  may increase your chances of getting heart disease :

•  Excessive alcohol use
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol
• Family history of heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Tobacco use

To reduce your chances of getting heart disease:

• Know your blood pressure
• Talk to your doctor about whether you should  be tested for diabetes
• Quit smoking
• Discuss checking your cholesterol and triglyceride levels with your doctor
• Make healthy food choices
• Limit alcohol intake to one drink a day
• Lower your stress level and find healthy ways to cope with stress
• Get 30 minutes of aerobic activity at least 3 times per week

According to the CDC, sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until a woman experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, an arrhythmia or stroke.
Common symptoms that may occur include:

• Unusually heavy pressure on the chest, like there's a ton of weight on you
• Sharp upper body pain in the neck, back throat, abdomen  or jaw
• Severe shortness of breath
• Cold sweats (not hot flashes from menopause)
• Unusual or unexplained fatigue
• Unfamiliar dizziness or lightheadedness
• Unexplained nausea or vomiting
• Fluttering feelings in the chest (arrhythmia)
• Signs of stroke that may include:  sudden weakness, paralysis or numbness of the face/arms/legs; trouble speaking or understanding speech; difficulty seeing in one or both eyes, dizziness, sudden and sever headache or loss of consciousness.

If you are experiencing these symptoms or someone you know is having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately. Treatment works best if given within 1 hour of when symptoms begin.

You can find more information about heart health at Go Red for Women, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Dairy Council.

National Wear Red Day will find me wearing red under my pink coveralls but more importantly, I plan to renew my commitment to make the lifestyle changes  that can make a difference to my heart health.

                                                       Happy National Wear Red Day!

June Dairy Month in Review

As I review my June Dairy Month 2013, you can see, I had a lot of fun and made some great memories.

 

 

I was privileged to judge the Arkansas Dairy Foods Contest in Little Rock and award some of the prizes to the winners!

 

Ryan and I  hosted a tour of our new milk pre-cooler and water system on our farm.

 

 

I attended the Arkansas Farm Bureau  Dairy Summer Commodity meeting that was held at the Benton County Fairgrounds.

 

I awarded our Arkansas Dairy Ambassador Jessica Crawley her 2013 plaque and shirt.

 

I observed the cutest kids you've ever seen in  PeeWee Showmanship at Dairy Days! 

 

I enjoyed serving 4-State Dairy Days participants  an evening meal with other Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee members.

 

I ended my June Dairy Month celebration with Francis, the Farm Bureau Milking Cow at Centerton Days!

 

                                        I hope you enjoyed June Dairy Month as much as I did!

Frozen Arkansas Celebrates June Dairy Month

June Dairy Month has been celebrated since 1937 to reflect on the goodness of dairy foods and the industry that makes it possible. As a dairy farmer, I can't think of a better way to celebrate June Dairy Month and  was honored to serve as a judge for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest last week.  It was a really hard job to select the winning recipes because there were NO  bad ones to taste!

 The winning recipe for the Party Idea category was Frozen Arkansas by Abigail Sanders of Clarksville. I can't think of a better frozen dessert for a hot Arkansas  day during June Dairy Month!

Frozen Arkansas

Ingredients:
2 cups coarsely crushed Nutter Butter Cookies
1 cup finely crushed Nutter Butter Cookies
(Approximately 24 cookies)
10 ice cream sandwiches unwrapped (real ice cream--traditional vanilla ice cream with chocolate cookie)
11 1/2 oz. package milk chocolate chips and 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons and 2 Tablespoons softened (1/2 stick total)
1 1/4 cups & 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (separated)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (separated)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
8 ounces cream cheese,softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Garnish:
Mini Nutter Butter cookies

Directions:
Chill a metal mixing bowl and beaters for use in making the whipping cream. Spread the 1 cup finely crushed Nutter Butter crumbs evenly over a 13 x 9 inch  baking dish.

In a microwave safe dish, melt the 11 1/2 oz. of milk chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the 2 cups coarsely chopped Nutter Butter cookies. Place ice cream sandwiches in a single layer over the top of the chocolate and cookie mixture. Place the dish in the freezer.

In a mixing bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla until the cream starts to thicken. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat peanut butter, softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons softened butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Spread evenly in the dish and return to the freezer. Put the reserved whipping topping in the refrigerator for the topping.

To make the Ganache, bring 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream just to a boil in a microwave safe bowl, mix in the 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

Remove the dish from the freezer and cut into serving squares. After plating, drizzle with Ganache and add a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with mini Nutter Butter cookies.

Dairy Foods Competition Celebrates June Dairy Month

I can't think of a better way to celebrate June Dairy Month than to sample recipes that utilize dairy products   created by 4-H youth! Yesterday  it was my privilege ( and a very tasty celebration)   to be a judge for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods contest in Little Rock. Judging this competition is tough because these recipes    were actually selected from the winning recipes of county dairy foods contests across the state.  It was a difficult  job because each recipe was soooo good!

Only eight recipes are selected for this contest: 4 in the Main Dish category and 4 in  Party Idea.
Each participant prepares their recipe while the judges observe the preparation. Participants this year ranged in age from 10 to 18 and I must say, watching the 10 year old boy prepare his recipe  was a treat in itself!

Sarah Bunch from Batesville won 1st Place in the Main Dish Category with Swiss Cheese Pie. I'm looking forward to giving this a try   for a weekend supper or even breakfast!

Swiss Cheese Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup fine butter cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
6 slices bacon,minced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For the crust, combine butter cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 10 inch pie pan.

Fry bacon and chopped onion together until bacon is browned and onion is softened. Drain. In mixing bowl, combine bacon and onion, eggs ,sour cream, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour into prepared cracker crust. Top with 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 4-6 serving

Arkansas Welcomes Flat Aggie

Flat Aggie from Miss Allard's first grade class in Nicolaus, California, rode into Bentonville, Arkansas, this week  on a cold north wind after an exciting visit on a Minnesota dairy farm with dairymom Janet Bremer and her family.  I loved reading about Flat Aggie's experiences  at My Barnyard View!

Since arriving on our dairy and beef farm in Northwest Arkansas, Flat Aggie has been helping me take care of Farmer Ryan as he recuperates from major reconstructive shoulder surgery this week. It's taking both of us to do this nursing job!!

One of our  main jobs is to make sure  our patient is getting plenty of good nutrition. During the healing process from any surgery, extra protein,vitamins A and C and increased calories are needed.  Dairy foods  provide the perfect power punch needed to aid healing since dairy  contains  nine essential nutrients, including calcium,magnesium,potassium and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent of the daily value of protein.

I'm looking forward to showing Flat Aggie around the farm and really appreciate the extra help during the holiday season!

Dairy Farm Nursing

Last week was a scheduled  appointment for Dr. France, our veterinarian, to come to the dairy farm for herd health examinations. My favorite part of  any herd health  check-up day is finding out if the cows are pregnant. I'm sure this is because I worked as a nurse in a women's clinic and cared for many pregnant women before working full time on the dairy farm! Proper management of the cow's health and pregnancy status is important to the production of high-quality milk and the sustainability of our family dairy farm.

After being milked and before entering  the feed barn, ten cows are walked into the  management area that allows Dr. France to examine the cows with as little stress as possible for the cows. As soon as the group of ten are examined, they will walk on to the feed barn to eat and then to rest in the pasture.

Even though I don't wear my nursing uniform to work anymore, as the dairy farm nurse I prepare for herd health and the doctor's arrival by gathering the breeding and health information about each cow from our computer records. During the herd health exams, I am looking at each cow as they enter the exam area, providing information about each cow to the doctor and then recording the exam results that will be added to the computer records to manage the care for our cows.

As a dairy farm nurse, I  love  caring for  these pregnant mamas....

and their babies...

 

 and providing  high-quality milk for you!

Why is breakfast important for children?

Fourth grade students across Arkansas are taking required benchmark tests this week. During the week of testing, students are encouraged to get plenty of sleep and eat breakfast each day. Although test prepartion is important, making sure that a child has breakfast every day is important to building lifelong healthy habits.

It's well documented that breakfast provides fuel for school and boosts brain power. According to information provided by Midwest Dairy, eating breakfast:

• Improves classroom performance, including better test scores and grades.
• Increases children's ability to focus and concentrate on school work.
• Decreases behavior problems, tardiness, and visits to the school nurse.
• Increases attendance rate.
• Establishes healthy habits for later in life.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommends that children include three servings of low-fat or fat free dairy foods in their diet each day. Including dairy at breakfast makes perfect sense. Together,milk,cheese and yogurt play a critical role in providing nine essential nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent daily value of protein.

You can find more information about dairy nutrition, the importance of breakfast and great breakfast ideas at http://www.midwestdairy.com or http://www.dairymakessense.com.

Dairy Builds Bone for Healthy Aging

As I anticipate a visit to the doctor for my yearly check-up, I'm thinking about my healthy and unhealthy habits that I will be quizzed about,confess to and take responsibiity for my actions or lack of action.  As a Baby Boomer born in the mid fifties, I really wasn't thinking I would get old some day.  Guess what --I'm aging!  The first time the doctor used the phrase,"at your age", I realized that I was transitioning into my era of healthy aging.

Healthy bones are needed for healthy aging.  Do you ever think about how important your bones are? Bones give support, allow movement, protect your heart, lungs and brain from injury and store vital minerals.  Calcium and Vitamin D  are needed for strong bones.  According to the National Institute of Health, calcium is one of the nutrients most likely to be lacking in the American diet and has been singled out as a major public health concern.   Calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis weakens bones and may result in fracture of the spine,hip or wrist.  Although osteoporosis is considered a woman's disease, it can also affect men. 

Bone health begins in early childhood.  Healthy nutritonal choices begin  in early childhood  and have a huge impact on healthy aging.  The strength of our bones depends on their size and density which depends in part on the amount of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals bones contain. Our bones have been continuously changing since childhood,reaching peak bone mass around age thirty.  The higher your peak bone mass is at age thirty, the less likely you will develop osteoporosis as you age.  Including calcium rich dairy foods such as milk,yogurt and cheese in your daily diet can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.You can find helpful nutrition information at  http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/.

It's never too late to evaluate your health habits and strive for improvements. Osteoporosis prevention includes:

• Adequate amounts of calcium
• Adequate amounts of vitamin D
• Regular weight bearing exercise such as walking,jogging,running, or stair climbing.

Recommended calcium intakes and other information about bone health can be found at the National Institue of Health website: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition.
Healthy habits help us keep the bones we have.   What are you doing for bone health "at your age"?