Dairy Delivery

A point of interest on every tour of our dairy  farm is the little shed building we call the 'maternity barn'. It's special because it is like the labor and delivery room of a hospital--not sterile like a hospital but a place where we can assist  in the delivery of a calf if the mother is having difficulty. 

 

Yesterday this heifer  needed assistance while giving birth to her first calf  so she was walked from the pasture by our house  to the maternity barn for assistance in delivering her baby.

 

 

On a recent tour of the farm with a group of Northwest Arkansas  registered dieticians, the maternity barn was empty but these soon to be mothers couldn't resist having their picture taken before delivery!

 

                                                   Can you tell that we were having fun?

                                
                Although we didn't have any deliveries on the day of the tour, I  did enjoy sharing
          how we work everyday to produce high-quality milk by caring for our cows and the land.
               I appreciate how these registered dieticians tell what dairy delivers to consumers!

Registered Dieticians Rock!

Just a few weeks ago, I attended the Arkansas Farm Bureau Women's Conference in Little Rock. It's always great to see friends from across the state and share information and ideas that will help us in our mission to educate about agriculture. I'll have to admit I was proud to attend the workshop that was presented by  Midwest Dairy's registered dietician Ashley Anderson about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program that is funded by dairy farmers. Fuel Up to Play 60 empowers youth to be physically active and choose tasty nutrient-rich foods in the school environment.

Midwest Dairy employs several dieticians that work across the Midwest educating consumers about good nutrition and the benefits of dairy foods. As I listened to Ashley's presentation, I was reminded of the importance of the registered dietician's role to the success of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. Registered dieticians are involved from the moment a school enrolls in the program educating and advising the adults and students as they make changes in school nutrition that will impact life-long nutrition and health habits. Providing this expertise to schools is one reason I believe the Fuel Up to Play 60 program will meet the objective to solve the childhood obesity crisis.

You can learn more about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program at http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/ or http://www.midwestdairy.com/. My heartfelt thanks to all of our registered dieticians in the Midwest and across the nation that are making a difference for our children's health.  Registered Dieticians--You Rock!