Nutritional Milk Deal

Although I haven't seen the price of milk change  at my local store, I know that there is a huge  variance in the retail price of milk from store to store and from city to city. Milk price is determined by the market forces of supply and demand and right now there is a global demand for milk that is putting pressure on local store prices.  We (dairy farmers) don't have anything to do with milk pricing but we are responsible for producing high-quality milk that offers more nutritional value than any other food America's families can buy.


If you're making hard decisions about the best nutrition for your food dollar, consider milk a nutritional deal because:

• Dairy products are an economical staple with great taste and nutrition.
• Milk offers more nutrients per penny than almost any other beverage option in the supermarket.
• Milk is one of the most nutrient -rich foods on your grocery list.
• At about 25 cents per 8 ounce glass, on a gallon basis, milk is a bargain.
• Milk supplies nine essential nutrients that you and your family need, including calcium,       vitamin D, protein, vitamin A and potassium.

You can find more information about dairy nutrition or how we work to produce high-quality milk at Dairy Makes Sense.

                                                            Milk is a nutritional deal!

Bessie Fact: Dairy foods provide 70 percent of the calcium in the nation's food supply;

milk is the top source of potassium,phosphorus, and vitamin D in the U.S. diet.

Drought Shopping Tips

In the next few weeks, drought will become a reality when doing the weekly grocery shopping to feed our families. When making decisions to get more bang for your buck, it's important to choose nutrient dense foods like dairy. Dairy foods are an economical choice and 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 daily value of protein.

The ultimate goal of all dairy farmers is to provide safe,nutritious milk regardless if it is produced by conventional or organic production methods. It's a common misperception that some milk contains antibiotic. An important fact to know when purchasing milk is that there are NO ANTIBIOTICS in  MILK.It is illegal for any milk to be sold that has any antibiotic or medication. Milk is the safest food that you can buy because of the strict quality controls to ensure freshness,purity, and great taste. Information about milk production and comparison of organic and conventional production methods can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

When stretching your food dollar, make a plan that includes these tips from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension (http://www.uaex.edu):

• Set a spending limit
• Plan menus and use them to make your grocery list
• Read sale advertisement and use them to plan menus and grocery list
• Make a shopping list and stick to it
• Eat before shopping
• Clip coupons for items you know you'll use
• Try store brands
• Compare stores
• Take advantage of special discounts like senior discounts or double coupon days
• Choose your best day to shop-some stores have sales on specificd days
• Compare forms and buy the form of food that costs less for each serving
• Compare sizes and buy the size that costs less for each serving

                                               

Food Check-Out Week 2011

Food Check-Out Week, February 20-26, brings attention to the fact that the American farmer is providing the safest,most abundant and affordable food supply in the world! Across America this week, Farm Bureau volunteers will be celebrating Food Check-Out Week in their communities by making donations to local food banks,setting up displays and sharing the message with shoppers at supermarkets and other locations. I appreciate the variety of dedicated farmers we have in America to produce our food.

As I am thinking about how to make my family food dollar go further and still choose nutritious food during these tough economic times, Food Check-Out Week is also a good time to revisit strategies to provide better nutrition with less money such as:

• knowing your food budget


• planning balanced meals,


• making a list and sticking to it


• read food labels


• take time to compare prices for different brands and sizes


• shopping at competitively priced grocery stores with high quality produce

If you are needing more information about nutrition and food choices, I suggest visiting http://www.mypyramid.gov/. You can also find helpful information about dairy nutrition,shopping tips and the added value of dairy to your diet at http://dairymakessense.com/ and http://midwestdairy.com/.

It's a great week to Thank a Farmer!

Dairy Shopping Tips

American consumers are enjoying the safest and most available food supply in the world, but it
does come with increasing cost. As a dairy farmer and a consumer, I am concerned with the rising price of oil and what it is costing us on the farm and at the grocery store. It would be logical to think when the price of milk goes up at the grocery store that dairy farmers are making more money. Unfortunately, the dairy farmers are not putting more money in their pockets. The final price that we pay at the grocery store includes the increased fuel costs in transportation,packaging, and distribution of the product. Here are a few tips to remember when stretching your food dollars and shopping for dairy foods:

• All packaged milk is safe and antibiotic free


• Generic or store brands are usually cheapest but have same nutritional value as name brands


• Check the date when purchasing; the date on the package is the last date for the store to sell it; milk stays fresh 5-7 days after being opened


• Store milk at 36-40 degrees


• Buy milk by the gallon


• Buy low-fat,plain yogurt by the quart, flavor it yourself and use it as an ingredient for healthier recipes


• Buy cheese in block form and shred it yourself

You can find more information about dairy nutrition and the added value of dairy to your diet at http://www.dairymakessense.com/ and http://www.midwestdairy.com/. Do you have any other dairy shopping tips to share?