Thankful Thursday

   In 1919 a land deed was recorded in these historical record books

  at the Benton County Circuit Clerk's office.  

Earlier this year, I made my journey to the office to locate the

 recorded deed  for our farm so that we could make application to

                the Arkansas Century Farm Program.                

.                                                As I turned the pages in those big old books,

                     I felt like I was stepping back in time looking at the names on each

                          page, hand written with the most precise beautiful penmanship.

                                      When I found  the recorded deed for our farm, 

                                                     I felt like I had struck gold!

Even though I have only been a part of the farm for 37 years,

I have been blessed to be a part of the ongoing farming operation, raise

the fourth generation on the farm, and enjoy sharing our love of the farm 

with the fifth generation.

Before leaving the Capitol,

we made a stop at the Arkansas Treasurer's office

so Hattie could check out where our state tax dollars are kept

and the chance to hold almost a million dollars!

I couldn't help thinking about how proud my mother-in-law

Bonnah Lyn would have been on this special day 

for our farm and family.

Without a doubt, she would say,

"my family, the best crop I ever had!"

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                           

                            It's been a week of wild weather changes from balmy

                          70 degrees  down to the  low thirties .   To go with 

                           the changes,  we have welcomed five new calves

                            this week.  I don't know   if it is scientific or just 

                            coincidence,   but full moons and   barometer

                           changes  often bring   calving action in the pasture!

One of my favorite jobs is to be the Uber driver for

picking up calves and delivering them to their calf hutch.

I am a good driver going forward but watch out for those 

trailer back up skills!

Our calves will  spend the first three months in

an individual calf hutch where they are closely monitored

and fed milk and grain twice daily.

A healthy calf is the beginning for high-quality milk.

                                       I'm so thankful to live and work down on the dairy

                               farm with my family and for the opportunity to    share 

                                         with my friend just where milk comes from. 

                                                        

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

One of my morning dairy farm  jobs is serving as the taxi driver 

to deliver the newborn calves to their private hutch in the 

calf raising area.  The calf's mother is walked to the

milk barn to join the milking herd and

I become the substitute mother making sure that 

each calf is monitored closely and fed milk and grain

twice daily. 

One of the best parts of my day is sharing this 

job with my sons. 

It's been a busy week with  one or two calves delivered 

every day and baling hay like crazy. 

I'm thankful that even in the busyness of farm life,

we always have time for celebration with our family.

We managed to celebrate a special "Going to Kindergarten"

lunch and shopping day with Hattie Claire 

and

 shared a picnic supper in the hay field  that 

ended with watching the  Decatur Barbecue fireworks show 

from the top of a hay bale.

We couldn't have asked for a better August picnic!

 

Easter Blessings

Our Easter blessings began  

with the  ordinary daily work

of caring for our dairy cattle ,

the opportunity to gather with our church family for the

first time in months due to the pandemic,

gathering around the table to enjoy a family meal,

the joy and excitement on the faces of the grandchildren

as they investigated the contents of their Easter baskets,

the beautiful weather that made hunting Easter eggs

one of the afternoon's  highlights,

and

the joy of sharing our dairy farming way of 

life with the next generation.

                                           Our greatest blessing is that we serve a  risen Savior!

                                           It's His great love that blesses us  on the ordinary and 

                                              extraordinary days of life down on the dairy farm.

                                          

                                                            

Dairy Farmer's Party

 

A birthday down on the dairy farm is always a celebration.

These new calves represent the growth of our dairy herd

and the future production of high quality milk.

My daily job is caring for these new babies.

It truly is a celebration when you witness a calf that is

 born and raised on the farm give birth to her own calf.

It's one of the labors of  dairy farmer love to watch 

this process over a two and a half year process.

It's our own brand of dairy farmer party!

 

                              

                                      We're also finding the fun in farm family birthdays

                                              with the expert candle blowers.

                                Hattie and Breck definitely bring more fun to the party!

Sheath Cake is one of our family favorite birthday

requests. It's not so pretty but if you love

chocolate cake with a big dip of vanilla ice cream,

this is perfect!

Sheath Cake

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

 1 teaspoon soda

2 eggs,slightly beaten

Bring margarine, shortening, cocoa and water to a rapid boil.

Pour over the sugar and flour,beat well.

Add buttermilk and soda, vanilla and eggs.

Beat, then bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes.

Cover with the following.

Icing:

1 stick butter

4 Tablespoons cocoa 

3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

6 Tablespoons milk

1 cup pecans (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring butter, cocoa and milk to a boil.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans.

Beat well, pour over cake while hot.

Farm Story Anniversary

My Undeniably Dairy  Farm Story began when

I said "I do" on 

November 24,1984.

It's been thirty-five years of  loving a dairy farmer,

making a home and raising a family

and

 working everyday with my family to produce nutritious 

milk for your family and mine.

                             
                                                     You can't make up stories like ours!

                                               Just as my sweet anniversary card said,
                                         "love takes work, and time, a Lifetime, to be exact."
       

Christmas Blessings

Merry Christmas!

Even though we will be doing our usual everyday chores of 

feeding, milking and caring for our dairy cows and calves, 

we always find time to celebrate together as a family.

From down on the dairy farm,

we wish you joy within your home,

love within your hearts

and happiness that all comes through 

the greatest gift that was given to us...Jesus.

Christmas Blessings!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We were happy to see Gittlein's custom chopper pull into the first corn field yesterday. 

Harvesting of any crop is a big deal but our corn crop is especially

 important to our dairy cows diet   through the winter and early spring.

All the corn we raise is chopped and hauled from the field to the 

silo on the dairy farm.The chopped corn will go through a

 fermenting process and become the silage that our  dairy cows 

will enjoy eating with other grains and hay.

It was my good fortune to be offered a ride around the field 

with my oldest son Cody.This was our view  of the chopper as 

we drove down the field side by side so the corn could be

 blown from the chopper into the truck.

With three trucks running to haul the corn to the silo,

it gave us opportunity to catch up on a little mother-son communication

 as we waited for our turn to pull up to the chopper.

                                              I'm thankful for the harvest of a good corn crop,
                                      the unexpected opportunities to spend time with my family,
                                                                                  and

                                                           
                                                     to share  life down on the dairy farm
                                                              with multiple generations.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

When my job of delivering net wrap to the field was complete,

 I took advantage of the opportunity to ride around  with Ryan

 in the truck and trailer to haul bales to the wrapper.

This crop of hay-grazer will be used to feed our dairy cows this

fall and winter in their daily feed ration.

Even though we work together every day on the farm, 

we're not often all working on the same job.

I savored the moments as I watched the farmers working together.

  

                       

                                             
                                       I'm thankful for this crop that grew in spite of the drought
                                                                               and
                                           for the steadfast faith and hard work of the farmer.                                                                               

                           
                                         

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Like the varied spots on our spotted Holstein cows, 

every group of dairy farm visitors are unique.

I love to see the expression on the face of the child or adult that 

suddenly understands how we work on the farm to produce

 a great product that their family enjoys.

                                       
                                       I'm thankful to  connect with consumers to share how
                                we work everyday to care for our animals, produce  nutritious
                                          milk and give them a feel for life on a family farm.

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

Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings;

Name them one by one.

Count your blessings;

See what God hath done.

Count your blessings;

Name them one by one.

Count your many  blessings;

See what God hath done.

                           ---J. Oatman,Jr. 1856-1922

                     
                                                     I'm thankful for the blessings of life--
                                                         faith, family, farming and friends.

                                                    Happy Thanksgiving!

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!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Today I drove to Little Rock to attend the Arkansas Farm Bureau Winter Commodity Meeting and finish up our policy resolutions procedure that was postponed due to icy winter weather in December.

 

I had a lot of great conversations with friends from across the state and was happy to receive the latest information about farm policy and issues that affect us on the farm.

 

 

I'm thankful for the leaders of  Arkansas Farm Bureau

that work together

 

 

to analyze problems and seek solutions to help achieve educational improvement, economic opportunity, social advancement, and promote the county, state, and  national well-being.

 

                                                                                  
                                     Most of all, I'm thankful God made a farmer just for me!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

 

 

The best part of any trip for me is coming home! Although the calves did seem to be extra happy to see me, our sons and employees took great care of all the calves and cows while Ryan and I  were attending the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Nashville,Tennessee.

I'm thankful for living on the dairy farm with my family and working to provide high-quality,wholesome milk.

 

 

Ninety Years Young

As we drove into the yard by the Logan Community Building in rural Benton County this afternoon, it was obvious by the number of vehicles and the people standing in line to enter the building that it was one whale of a party for our special friend, Ava. Celebrating your 90th birthday is a very Big Deal!!

Ava is a cherished icon to many of us in the county--a retired dairy farmer,wife,mother,dedicated 4-H leader and supporter of all 4-H activities and Benton County Fair superintendent for decades. Ryan and I also have another special connection with Ava as she was a childhood friend of my grandmother and Ryan's mother. We've heard lots of stories about fun in the good old days! Ava is a perfect example of how farm families live and work in their communities for decades volunteering to make sure that the community grows and thrives.

 

Ava's enthusiasm for life is contagious and her family made sure that her 90th birthday would not only be a celebration but completion of an item on her bucket list--a ride on a motorcycle!

 

90 years young!!

 

Wagon Full of Love

Several years ago I found a small wagon seat stuffed in the back of an old garage on our farm. The wagon seat had been used on a small wagon pulled by a team of mules  to haul wood in the early 1920's by Ryan's grandfather.  The boards on the wagon seat were very weathered and rotten but in good enough shape to sit on the patio and hold a few colorful summer potted plants. A few weeks ago, the wagon finally rotted and fell completely apart. I mentioned to youngest son Casey that I would give up on the wagon and throw it away.  The rotten boards and metal springs disappeared soon after my remark and I assumed it was carried to the dumpster.

Last week I was shocked when Casey presented me with the rebuilt wagon seat. I was speechless and deeply touched by this thoughtful gift.  Casey and a friend with carpentry experience spent several evenings secretly working to rebuild the wagon just for me.  It is a great keepsake for me and our family because it connects us to Grandfather Grover and the establishment of our family farm.  This sentimental gift of the heart is truly priceless and too precious to sit out in the weather but it's perfect for my indoor plants and interesting conversation connecting the past and present. It's not every wagon seat that is so full of love and has a fourth generation story to tell!