Dairy Farmer's Thankful Farmer

Ever heard of Action Jackson?

Well, this is the Arkansas Farm Bureau version of  Action Jackson,

that is, Matt Jackson, Agriculture Educator!

Kindergarten students at Pea Ridge Primary School

listened intently to all that Mr. Matt shared with them about

 the dairy cow and how to milk her. 

     My job was easy--I was the local dairy farmer

who brought Cow hats,coloring books and crayons provided by

Midwest Dairy!

Hugs and smiles from a child definitely give you star power.

                                       
                                            I'm thankful for the portion of our Farm Bureau
                                            membership dollars that are spent for educating
                                             children and  adults  and for the opportunities
                                                            to share our agriculture story.
           
                                         

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

The Arkansas Farm Bureau 82nd Annual Convention was held

 in Hot Springs last week. 

It's always great to connect with other Arkansas farmers and ranchers

  to share information and celebrate the activities

 that have occurred during the year. 

The conference theme "Our Common Ground" was a perfect fit.

I'm thankful for the many Farm Bureau  contests like Sew With Cotton 

that  highlight commodities raised in Arkansas and provide

 opportunities for competition and learning for 4-H members,

                                     
                         for the grassroots policy developed by the members of Farm Bureau,

and

 for the many volunteer opportunities allowing me to contribute

 and work with others to  benefit our  communities across Arkansas. 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for Farm Bureau leaders like our Benton County Farm Bureau President Bob Shofner,

For the women I serve with on activities to educate children and adults about agriculture,

the youth activities that are supported by our county and Arkansas Farm Bureau,

and for the blessings I have received as a Farm Bureau member and volunteer.

The mission of Arkansas Farm Bureau is to:

1. Advocate the interests of agriculture in the public arena.

2. Disseminate information concerning the value and importance of agriculture, and 

3. Provide products and services which improve the quality of life for our members.

May's Farm Fun

For the last seven or eight years, the Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee has sponsored an elementary school  program in May  titled "Farm Expo". With the help of  volunteers from Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas Beef Council, we're able to provide hands-on fun with  information about Arkansas agriculture and how farmers provide safe food while protecting the environment.

 

Friday morning we shared Farm Expo with Bonnie Grimes Elementary third graders.

 

Students learned about...

cotton,

 

food safety,

 

poultry,

water,

 

chicks,

 

soil,

rice,

 

dairy,

                                                                                and beef.

                                         I'm sure the students had as much fun as the volunteers!

Farm Bureau Style Storytelling

As I prepare to leave for Nashville,Tennessee, to attend the American Farm Bureau Convention, I am reminded of my friends who share their passion for agriculture by volunteering each year to educate children about the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives. This past year we had a great experience in downtown Bentonville sharing information about Benton County's agricultural history.

Mrs. Sears shared about the impact of electricity to rural Benton County and the impact it made on agricultural productivity.

            Mrs. Tina Crawley shared about her fifth generation Benton County  dairy farm family.

Ms. Edith Glover shared how her father decided to transition her backyard chicken flock into a booming poultry industry in Northwest Arkansas.

Apple Dan provided information and entertainment to inform how Benton County transitioned from apples to poultry,beef and dairy. 

 Volunteering brings great joy and it is an honor to be a farmer and  share the agriculture story! 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

From the young

to the old,

 all love to hold a baby chick.

 These chicks provided fun for 4th graders last Friday and celebrated National Nursing Home Week with residents at a local nursing facility today.

I'm thankful for being involved in  volunteer activities that provide educational fun and joy for all ages.

Volunteer Benefits

    Even if I wasn't a dairy farmer, assisting with  the annual 4-H Dairy Recipe Contest sponsored by Benton County Farm Bureau is always  my favorite volunteer activity because:

                                         There are always  tasty recipes in the Main Dish Category,         

There are  fun recipes in the Party Idea category,

There are  informative  demonstrations like  how to make yogurt, and

There are  a lot of hard but fair  decisions made by the judges,

and  we go  home happy after meeting new friends and visiting with old ones,sharing information about dairy, and sampling  alot of great dairy foods!

Volunteers get all the benefits!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Earth Day on the downtown Bentonville square was a great time to share how dairy farmers work to produce nutritious milk and protect the environment everyday on the farm. I am thankful for my dairy friends who volunteered their time to share their dairy story with students from local elementary schools.

Volunteer Gift

As I returned to the farm from the Osage Terrace Assisted Living Facility last week, I felt a great sense of satisfaction from sharing time with a group of elderly residents and young members from the Centerton 4-H Club. For the last seven years, I have been providing piano Christmas music while 4-H members demonstrate and teach how to make an assortment of Christmas ornaments, provide refreshments and enjoy Christmas music while working together. As I was listening to the residents and the children singing softly as they worked on their ornaments, I thought how volunteering always brings me great joy. What would our world be like without the volunteers in every community? Life on the dairy farm is hectic, my house is rarely spotless, and it isn't always easy to volunteer but my life is much richer and filled with contentment from giving to my community. Many volunteer organizations are struggling to find people willing to give of their time. If you aren't already volunteering, would you consider it in 2011? Volunteering is a great year round Christmas gift you can give to your community!