Happy National Milk Day!

National Milk Day commemorates the day  in our dairy history when milk 

deliveries were made in glass bottles. Alexander Campbell of

 New York Dairy Company is believed

to be the first to make deliveries.

It's fitting to continue celebrating this event because it 

represents the ongoing changes in our industry that have brought 

convenience and a wide variety of  products to give us more 

options in feeding our families. 

From home deliveries

to the wide variety of dairy products available today,

as the saying goes,"we've come a long way,baby."

                                   I'm raising my glass to day in celebration of our dairy industry.
                                                                   Will you join me?
                     
                                                  Happy National Milk Day!

Arkansas Dairy Ambassador 2015

Just when you thought nothing else could fit into the schedule of activities at the 4-State Dairy Days--

we had the Arkansas Dairy Ambassador contest!

The Dairy Ambassador Program criteria consists of three levels: promotion activities, an interview with a panel of judges, and an oral presentation.

I'll be the first to admit, the conditions  for doing an oral presentation with cows mooing and fans blowing to keep everyone comfortable are not ideal,  but the setting is perfect for the topic of

 "What's so Great about Dairy!"

Prior to the interview and presentation, the contestants have also participated in a Farm Bureau  dairy recipe contest in their county and promoted dairy in a second activity.

It takes enthusiasm and interest in dairy cows and the dairy industry to be named the Arkansas Dairy Ambassador!

Congratulations to

Colte Mosher

 Arkansas Dairy Ambassador 2015

A special thanks to Arkansas Farm Bureau for supporting this youth program!

Dairy Farmers of America Party

One of my favorite meetings to attend as a member of Dairy Farmers of America cooperative is the Summer Information Meeting held in Springfield, Missouri. As we left the farm this morning headed to the meeting,  it was drizzling rain  and overcast--perfect conditions for a farmer to leave the farm and not feel guilty about what we could be doing if it were hot and sunny!

This meeting is a mixture of fun and business with lots of children attending with their families, information booths filled with dairy farm specific information and the availability of all the milk and ice cream bars you can eat before, during and after the meeting. It's always a place of reunion with old dairy farmer friends that may or may not still be in the business.

We're proud to be one of more than 8,000 farm family members of Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative. Here are some facts about our cooperative:

• We represent 1/3 of the total United States milk production.
• 61 billion pounds of milk are produced annually by cooperative members.
• We own 31 diversified  manufacturing facilities that include dairy products, food components, and ingredients.
• High-quality milk  is produced on all sizes of farms across America.
• We are a leader in formulating and packaging shelf stable products.

After being filled with information and  a delicious lunch , we   topped off the party  with  M&M ice cream cookies and in a glorious rainy day in July,   headed to  the Ozark Empire Fair with our complimentary tickets to continue our party.

That's my kind of farmer  party!

America's Milk Safety

America's dairy farmers provide safe milk. When I go to buy my two or three gallons every week at the grocery store, I never worry about milk safety because I have first hand knowledge of how milk gets to the store. Three hundred sixty five days a year, we milk three hundred cows twice daily. Along with the nation's 55,000 dairy producers, we take our responsibility seriously when it comes to providing a safe product. Milk is the most highly tested and regulated food that is available to consumers. Safety of milk starts on the farm with proper care of our animals and vigilant milking procedures. Our animals receive medication only when sick. Treatment plans are developed by our veterinarian to provide proper care. On our farm, if a milk cow is treated with an antibiotic, that cow is milked in a separate container and the milk is thrown away. That treated cow's milk will not be allowed into the bulk milk tank until a sample of her milk is tested by our dairy cooperative lab and proven free of antibiotics. Each time milk is picked up on our farm to travel to the processing plant, a sample of milk is taken by the milk truck driver and carried to the plant. Before the milk is unloaded at the plant, the milk is tested for antibiotics. It is unloaded into a milk silo before processing and will be tested again before it is pasteurized and bottled. If at any time, antibiotic is found in the milk, the milk is discarded. The commitment of the dairy industry to provide safe products is reinforced by a statement from the National Milk Producers Federation this week:

The U.S. milk industry has an exemplary record concerning management of antibiotics. Under a comprehensive program administered by the state regulatory authorities and overseen by FDA, the U.S. dairy industry conducts nearly 4 million tests each year to ensure that antibiotics are kept out of the milk supply. For example in 2009, only .028% tested positive, and those very rare cases, the mik is not sold to the public. http://www.nmpf.org/latest-news/press-releases/jan-2011/dairy-industry-statement-on-supplemental-antibiotic-residue-test

Rest assured, America's dairy farmers are committed to providing safe and wholesome milk to consumers.