Dairy and the P's

Dairy and P's

As children we learned our ABC's and attended school for the three R's-readin','ritin, and 'rithmetic but have you heard about the three P's? The three P's stand for People,Purpose and Passion. This week I have been away from the farm for a couple of days to attend the Officers and Leaders meeting for Arkansas Farm Bureau and our Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative summer informational meeting. Both organization have the common bond of People,Purpose and Passion. Farmers and ranchers have a great purpose--providing the safest and most affordable food for consumers in our country and the world. Experts have found that passion drives success. Here are four truths about passion: Passion is the first step to achievement. Passion increases your willpower. Passion changes you. Passion makes the impossible possible. The American Farmer has Passion! As a third generation dairy farm family we are very passionate about producing the highest quality,lowest cost milk possible in an environmentally responsible manner. We love to farm the land and raise and watch the cows grow. Milk is nature's perfect food and we love to promote a healthy product. You can learn more about the product we produce and great recipes by checking out these websites: http://www.midwestdairy.com;www.dairymakessense.com/ and http://www.friendsofelsie.com/.

Miracle or Mistake?

Iwasn't looking forward to feeding calves in the sweltering one hundred degree afternoon heat this week but when I turned to go down the second row of calves--there was a miracle in my view! A bright auburn red calf in the sea of black and white! We raise and milk Holstein cattle with the exception of a few Ayrshire and one Guernsey that belong to our sons from their 4-H projects. The mother of this calf is a black and white Holstein and by our record she was bred by a black and white Holstein bull. Was this a mistake or a miracle? We do use artificial insemination for breeding our cows so it is possible that the father of this calf is an Ayrshire if the wrong semen was selected or mislabeled. It is also possible that the black and white Holstein herd bull may have had a red Holstein trait. Miracle or mistake--it doesn't matter because we provide the best care possible for all of our calves regardless of color. Each calf lives in an individual hutch and receives milk and grain twice daily. Hot,humid days are a challenge on the farm but we make sure the calves have fresh water to drink and observe them closely for dehydration or signs of illness. One hundred degree temperatures are a lot easier to take when you have a smile on your face from an unexpected miracle!

Dairy Farmers and the Alaskan

Our return flight from the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative leadership meeting this week was full of surprises. As our plane was hovering above the Northwest Arkansas runway, the pilot announced that we would be unable to land due to weather conditions and must return to Memphis. Standing in the Memphis airport at 3a.m. was bad enough but when the airline employee told us it would be at least fifteen hours before we could get a flight home, the dairy farmers made a plan. Traveling on this same flight was Mike, a man from Alaska. As our plan unfolded to rent a car and start home, Mike asked if he might catch a ride. I am sure it took great courage on his part as he observed these dairy farmer characters! At 4:30a.m., we were on the highway headed for Arkansas. There were a total of five passengers: 4 dairy farmers and Mike. As the sun came up and we could see the landscape, we shared information about dairy farming, discussed issues that we face every day, told about farm experiences, and all about Arkansas agriculture. Mike gave us insight into life in Alaska. As we returned to our daily schedule and life on the farm, I am very thankful for that unexpected road trip. One of the issues we were learning about at our meeting were the questions that are being raised about the purposes of cooperatives. Cooperatives believe that individuals have the power to make things happen by working together and sharing the results of our efforts. Just as the road trip experience brought a diverse group of people together for a common purpose, dairy farmers across our country must work together for the continuation of our family dairy farms. I am proud to be a Dairy Farmers of America member living our values of passion, integrity,accountability and innovation.

Butter Up

"Butter me up" had a different meaning for children this week at the Bentonville Public Library. As a finish to my June Dairy Month celebration, I and several volunteers presented information about dairy farming,taught how to make butter,provided cheese tasting and milked Sophia, the simulated cow. My task was to teach the children how to make butter. As I handed each child a small container filled with a measured amount of whipping cream, the first instruction was to leave the lid on tight. We then shook our containers for about 4 minutes until the butter was formed. Four minutes to a seven or eight year old is an eternity. I wished for a video to have shown each child's butter making style! While we were shaking our whipping cream, I showed them my crockery and daisy churns so that they could visualize how butter was made before the convenience of the grocery store. When the butter was formed after all that shaking each child buttered up their cracker and enjoyed every bite. We also talked about how you can make flavored butter at home by just adding a little salt, honey or favorite herb. I enjoyed their satisfaction of a job well done and the information that was shared about dairy. As I placed my heirloom churns back on my kitchen shelf, I realized how grateful I am for all the modern conveniences and technology that we use every day in our home and on our dairy farm. I love having all the butter I can use to lather on my corn on the cob, bake with,butter my bread--the list is endless. I am also very blessed to be an American Dairy Farmer. Butter Up-- and have a great July 4th!

"Pioneers of Ag...Sailing in the Future" was the theme for the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference I was attending this past week in Baltimore,Maryland. Agriculture in the Classroom is a grassroots program coordinated by the United States Department of Agriculture with the goal of helping students to gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society. The fact that only two percent of our population is providing food,fiber, and fuel for our country makes this goal more important than ever as we need more citizens who will be able to understand and support wise agricultural policies. As a volunteer leader for Arkansas Farm Bureau I attended workshops that were jam packed with information and ideas to promote agriculture education. My suitcase was overloaded with materials that I will use and share with other volunteers that possess the same passion that I have for educating all consumers about agriculture. While visiting Maryland I learned that the dairy industry is the #3 commodity of their state, horticulture #2 and broilers #1. For more information about Maryland or any other state and other educational resources,check-out http://www.agclassroom.org/. Traveling and learning about other places is a great experience but there's no place like home on the dairy farm. Sharing information about the dairy farm and the great product we produce is even better!!

Dairy Dad Attire

Roper boots,Wrangler blue jeans,cotton snap shirt,belt,pliers,pocket knife and ball cap hat are the standard working uniform for our Dairy Farmer Dad. A straw hat will replace the ball cap for certain field jobs when the heat intensifies and more protection is needed. Most of the ball cap hats are received as appreciation gifts from other businesses that we trade with and are worn proudly as free advertisement in support of product or service. Looking at the collection of hats hanging in our house made me think about the many hats a farmer wears daily in decision making. If he changed hats for every different type of job or decision that he makes,the farmer would spend all day just changing hats! On any given day a dairy farmer must use knowledge from a variety of careers--veterinarian,engineer,mechanic,business manager,nutritionist,scientist,and weather forecaster. As we celebrate Father's Day, we can also thank our Dairy Farmer Dads for providing a great heritage for their families while sharing their passion and pride in producing great dairy products. Tomorrow our Dairy Dad will be wearing his hat that says #1 Dad or Head Honcho and eating requested lemon chiffon pie! Happy Father's Day and June Dairy Month!!