Thanks from Down on the Dairy Farm

                                                Before November slips into December,

                                      I wanted to share a little bit of  thankfulness

                                                     from down on the dairy farm.  

                          I'm thankful for the new calves that we welcomed to the farm

                                              during this season of Thanksgiving,

for celebrating 37 years of marriage to an 

Arkansas dairy farmer,

for the opportunity to take my Mother to visit

her 93 year old Uncle Max in Alabama,

to watch my grandchildren lick their ice cream bowls clean,

to celebrate the beginning of Advent with my family,

and 

to share with you  about life

down on the dairy farm.

                                        

                                                     

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

November has become a season of Thanksgiving as we 

pause to think of the many people in our community that

serve us throughout the year and in situations that 

we never expect  such as the pandemic.

This week it was my pleasure to present these 

community helpers with Undeniably Dairy stocking caps

and a Subway gift card provided by Midwest Dairy

 as a way to say "Thank-you" and 

express to them how much we appreciate their service.

 

I'm also thankful for the celebration of

36 years of marriage to the dairy farmer

                                       

                                          who brought me to the farm to build a life together,

                                             raise a family  and live in the   place we call home.

                                          Happy Thanksgiving...

                                from down on the dairy farm!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Thanksgiving is a holiday of  giving thanks for our bounty of blessings and

gathering around the table with family and friends. Like most families,

we will take the opportunity to tell family stories and reminisce about

those who we are missing around the table.

The woman in this picture is my Great Grandmother Harral holding my 

grandmother. Their farm was just a little over a mile from where I live 

today. I would imagine that they enjoyed a home raised turkey for

their Thanksgiving dinner in the early 1900's.

By the time I met my Great Grandmother, the turkeys and apple

orchard were gone but she always had marshmallows in the 

cookie jar waiting for little hands to pick for a sweet snack!

I'm thankful for the memories we have to share with others

and the opportunity to make new memories for the next generation.

Happy Thanksgiving 

from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

"Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the people.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him,

talk ye of all his wondrous works."

I Chronicles 16:8-9

As a child I only thought about Thanksgiving as   the one day of eating at Grandma's 

house and the few days out of school but thankfully,

I have lived long enough to understand and enjoy 

this  season of Thanks that brings me to be more aware

 of all the blessings

in my life, many that I easily take for granted.

.

I'm thankful for our home,

the dairy cows that provide nutritious milk for my family and yours,

                                                                   
                                                                             and
                                                    for family life down on the dairy farm.

                                                       Happy Thanksgiving!
                                                           

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It's pretty special when your Dallas cousins include feeding 

calves on the dairy farm as part of their trip to tour the University of Arkansas.

The calves enjoyed all the extra attention

and 

we are always thankful for extra help at calf feeding time!

Faith, Family, Farming, Friends...

                                         
                                                      so much to be thankful for everyday!

                                             Happy Thanksgiving!

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!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Carving the Thanksgiving turkey is serious business but when I pulled

 out the ancient electric knife, the challenge began for Casey.

I'm thankful for these memories that are made with my family  in the kitchen 

and 

the holidays that bring us together around the table

                                                     
                                           after a day working together down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Before we have our traditional Thanksgiving gathering with our family, we'll be

caring for the baby calves,

milking and feeding the cows,

and making sure the new babies arrive safely.

I'm thankful for America's dairy farm families, just like mine, that are committed to providing safe, high-quality milk and dairy products for your family to enjoy not only on holidays but everyday of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Although I credit Ryan with having made the right decision to marry me twenty-nine years ago,

my life  on the dairy farm wouldn't have been possible without Ryan's parents!

 

 

 

 

Holidays will never be the same without them, but I'm thankful for the memories we have and the stories we can share as we bring others around our dairy farm family table.

 

                                                          Happy Thanksgiving!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

After our cows are milked and fed ,

we're heading to town for  Thanksgiving dinner at my Mother's house. Even though I miss those that are no longer with us around the table, I'm thankful for the wonderful memories and stories that we will laugh and talk about as we make more  family memories for the younger generation.                                                                  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Got Milk and Chicks

Deviled eggs are a family favorite any time of the year but it's just not Thanksgiving unless you find them among the many dishes on the holiday table.  I must admit, this year I have a new appreciation for all the chicken farmers--both egg farmers and chicken farmers!

 Back in October when I went to a local elementary school to talk to a first grade class   about dairy farming, I also delivered the Farm Bureau poultry  incubater and a dozen eggs from a local hatchery. And like Paul Harvey, here's the rest of the story: 

 

 

After the kids watched the chicks hatch, the  chicks needed a home--so they came to the dairy farm.

They were kept inside on my front porch in a large box under a heat lamp for a couple of weeks until they began to jump out of the box. At that point, they graduated to the chicken coop outside!

 

 

So far, all eleven chicks are still alive and I am enjoying watching how they  grow and change everyday.  Chicken chores do have their perks!

Maybe someday, I'll even  have a few home grown eggs!

 

In the meantime, I'll be buying eggs produced from egg farmers and thanking them for their dedication to providing eggs for Thanksgiving and everyday of the year!

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

Deviled Eggs

Halve hard-cooked eggs lengthwise; remove yolks and mash with these seasonings:

For 6 eggs:

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt,

dash pepper

Refill whites and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Season of Thanksgiving

After last week's freezing temperatures, I'm sure this is probably the last rose of summer in my garden. It's a perfect reminder of God's faithfulness  in bringing each season for us to enjoy. As summer becomes a memory, we're enjoying the harvest of crops and the anticipation of winter rest to prepare for spring growth. I find thanksgiving in each season.

 

 

The second verse of the old hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness says it all:

 

Summer and winter,

and springtime and harvest,

Sun,moon,and stars in their

courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness,mercy and love.

 

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Lord,unto me!

                                                                                 
                               Blessings to you and your family in this season of Thanksgiving!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Before we enjoy our Thanksgiving feast,

the dairy cows will be milked,

the cows will enjoy their special diet,

and the baby calves will be fed. 

I'm thankful for the everyday blessings---faith,family,friends,farm and food.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Turkey Treasures

Thanksgiving brings to mind so many past memories that I treasure and allows a time of reflection about my family and our family heritage.  Just over the hill and across a few pastures from where I live today, is the farmstead of my great grandparents.  Little did I know that I would become a dairy farmer and live so close to my family's roots!

Turkey is always the center of attraction for my family's Thanksgiving meal.  My first turkey encounters as a small child happened when we made trips (seven miles seemed like a long trip on curvy roads) from the city (Bentonville) to see my great-grandparents.  My great grandparents were raising turkeys in the early 1920's when my dad was a baby.  I cherish this picture of my great-grandmother Martha holding my dad in the middle of her turkeys.

Arkansas is the third largest turkey producing state in the nation, led by Minnesota and North Carolina. Instead of roaming freely on the range or in pastures as in past days, turkeys today are raised in modern turkey houses that have controlled temperature and provide safety from predators.  It is possible for us to enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving and a variety of turkey products through the year because of improved genetics,feed formulations, modern farming practices and the dedication of farm families (http://www.eatturkey.com/).

What do you treasure at Thanksgiving?

#foodthanks

Earlier this year, the Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee donated money and canned food to the Northwest Arkansas Foodbank. In this season of Thanksgiving, I am truly blessed to be living and working on a dairy farm with my family. I am very proud to be in the two percent of the population that is producing the safest,most affordable and most abundant food. Although we are a very blessed nation,I am very aware of my fellow Americans that are struggling to have enough to eat for themselves or their families. I am very thankful for the agencies,companies,community groups and individuals that are making it possible for less fortunate Americans to have access to food during these difficult economic times.

Dairy Promotion I Do's

Thinking back to our wedding day, dairy promotion could have been written into our wedding vows since it has been an ongoing part of our marriage and life on the farm. When Ryan and I married in 1984, dairy promotion was known as the voluntary nickel program. Ryan contributed a nickel per hundred pounds of milk produced on the farm. The National Dairy Checkoff program (http://www.dairycheckoff.com/) was created in 1985 by dairy farmers, for farmers and is funded by America's dairy farm families---and only by dairy farmers. Today each dairy farm family contributes 15 cents per one hundred pounds of milk produced on each farm. Dairy check0ff money is used for programs at the national and state/regional levels. We have witnessed a phenomenal evolution of not only how our product is promoted but the development of products to meet the health and wellness needs of consumers. More than fifty percent of the checkoff budget is allocated to advancing dairy health and wellness efforts that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines of Americans. Products such as reduced-fat cheese,reduced-sodium cheese and reduced-sugar flavored milk were developed with dairy farmer funding to meet consumer need. Dairy farmers are currently investing in the overall health of children by the most recent in-school Fuel-Up to Play 60 program that aims to help children's health by bringing healthy eating and physical activity to more than 64,000 schools. Partnering with the NFL for the Fuel-Up program and working with other food companies allows us to make the most of every dairy farmer dollar. Providing a nutritious product that meets the consumer's need is what dairy promotion is all about! I invite you to visit the Midwest Dairy website for a sampling of useful consumer dairy information compliments of dairy farmers like me--http://www.midwestdairy.com. I'm thankful to be celebrating twenty six years of marriage and dairy promotion during this Thanksgiving week. In 1984, we didn't have dairy promotion in the vows but we did serve milk,cheese, and crackers at the reception!