Valentine Dairy Delight

Valentine's Day is a great day to surprise my family with a new sweet treat. Preparing this should fit into my schedule for an already busy Monday on the dairy farm.

Frozen German Sweet Chocolate Pie

1 pkg (4oz.) Baker's German Sweet Chocolate

1/3 cup milk,divided

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese,softened

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6oz)

Microwave chocolate and 2 Tbsp. milk in large microwaveable bowl on High 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted,stirring after each minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add cream cheese,sugar and remaining milk; beat with whisk until well blended. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Stir in COOL WHIP until well blended,spoon into crust.

Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving to soften slightly before cutting to serve.

Happy Valentine's Day from Anglin Dairy!

Snow Cows

Twenty degrees below zero and twenty four inches of snow are not the winter time norm for Northwest Arkansas. After we fed baby calves this morning, I decided to check on the pregnant cows located next to our house. We normally go into the field on a 4-wheeler or truck, but because the snow was so deep, I decided to walk in the tracks made by the tractor from yesterday's hay feeding. These soon to be mamas were giving me the eye as I approached them. I was greatly relieved to find no new babies on this frigid morning. The cows were enjoying the sunshine and some of them were resting on the hay that we had unrolled for them to lay on. They had plenty of silage hay in the feeders in the field and their water supply was not frozen. We will check on these cows several times a day because they are scheduled to calve within the next two weeks. At the end of each day if we find a cow that we suspect might calve in the night, we will walk her to our maternity barn so that if she gives birth, her calf will be in a more protected environment from the extreme weather conditions. As I was standing in the middle of the field looking at each cow with all that snow around me, the beauty of the moment was incredible. I find that even when conditions are tough, life on the family farm has its own set of blessings!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Today's winter storm brought a record twenty four inches of snow for Northwest Arkansas. I'm thankful for my family and our employees that are working so hard to make sure that all of our animals are fed,watered and milked during this huge winter storm. Like the candy Valentine Conversation Heart says: You Rock!

Arkansas Farm Bureau's Grassroots

Every year the first full week of February is designated as Arkansas Farm Bureau Membership Drive Kickoff. Until I married a farmer, I thought Farm Bureau was an insurance company. Insurance is one of the great member services, but Farm Bureau is a member organization with a much larger mission. Arkansas Farm Bureau began in 1935 with the focus on dealing with issues of concern to agriculture. It was started by farmers that had specific concerns such as the need for rural electrification and reducing freight rates on feed brought in for livestock in drought areas.

The uniqueness of Farm Bureau is that we are a grassroots organization. That means that our organizational policy is set by the members, not by organizational management. Our issues come from problems that we experience on our farms, our communities,and in our state. Our policy is what we use to solve problems through the legislative process at the state or national level.

When you really believe in something and feel passionate about it, it is easy to talk about it. As members of the Benton County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, that is what Dan Douglas,James Simpson and I did today as we talked about the importance of agriculture and Farm Bureau on KURM radio with Col. Kermit Womack. You can find more information about the benefits of membership at http://www.arfb.com/.

Today the mission statement of Arkansas Farm Bureau is:

• advocate the interests of agriculture in the public arena


• disseminate information concerning the value and importance of agriculture


• provide products and services which improve the quality of life for our members

Remember, not everyone can be a farmer, but everyone can be a Farm Bureau Member!

Gen YOUth Foundation

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program that empowers youth to improve nutrition and physical activity in their school and for their own health. Dairy farmer promotion dollars have been used to launch programs in 70,000 schools to reach 36.6 million students in 2010. This program has been a partnership with the National Football League and the USDA to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. To take this a step further, the Gen YOUth Foundation has been formed to create a movement that will inspire youth to change their behavior. Partners in this foundation are the National Football League, USDA, U.S. Departmen of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and National Dairy Council. Our children are our future and as a dairy farmer, a mother , and a nurse, I'm proud to be a part of making sure that we work together to insure the health of our nation. I hope you will visit the website of the new Gen YOUth Foundation at http://www.genyouthfoundation.org/. It gives great explanation about the mission, the partners, and the historic agreement bringing together this private-public partnership committed to child health and wellness.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Americans enjoy the safest,most affordable and available food supply because farmers are working hard every day-even with the challenges of winter weather! I'm thankful for farmers!

America's Milk Safety

America's dairy farmers provide safe milk. When I go to buy my two or three gallons every week at the grocery store, I never worry about milk safety because I have first hand knowledge of how milk gets to the store. Three hundred sixty five days a year, we milk three hundred cows twice daily. Along with the nation's 55,000 dairy producers, we take our responsibility seriously when it comes to providing a safe product. Milk is the most highly tested and regulated food that is available to consumers. Safety of milk starts on the farm with proper care of our animals and vigilant milking procedures. Our animals receive medication only when sick. Treatment plans are developed by our veterinarian to provide proper care. On our farm, if a milk cow is treated with an antibiotic, that cow is milked in a separate container and the milk is thrown away. That treated cow's milk will not be allowed into the bulk milk tank until a sample of her milk is tested by our dairy cooperative lab and proven free of antibiotics. Each time milk is picked up on our farm to travel to the processing plant, a sample of milk is taken by the milk truck driver and carried to the plant. Before the milk is unloaded at the plant, the milk is tested for antibiotics. It is unloaded into a milk silo before processing and will be tested again before it is pasteurized and bottled. If at any time, antibiotic is found in the milk, the milk is discarded. The commitment of the dairy industry to provide safe products is reinforced by a statement from the National Milk Producers Federation this week:

The U.S. milk industry has an exemplary record concerning management of antibiotics. Under a comprehensive program administered by the state regulatory authorities and overseen by FDA, the U.S. dairy industry conducts nearly 4 million tests each year to ensure that antibiotics are kept out of the milk supply. For example in 2009, only .028% tested positive, and those very rare cases, the mik is not sold to the public. http://www.nmpf.org/latest-news/press-releases/jan-2011/dairy-industry-statement-on-supplemental-antibiotic-residue-test

Rest assured, America's dairy farmers are committed to providing safe and wholesome milk to consumers.