Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Yesterday these two boys were the young adult men in charge of our farm. I am thankful for being the mother of these two fourth generation dairy farmers!

Hearing Health

Agricultural Safety Awareness Week March 6-12 is a great time to share information about noise induced hearing loss. After reading information about noise induced hearing loss, I don't think I can accuse my husband of having selective hearing any more! After years of exposure to the noise of tractors and farm machinery, I'm sure he does suffer from noise induced hearing loss. According to the University of Arkansas AgrAbility program(http://www.uaex.edu), here are some facts about noise induced hearing loss:

• it can affect anyone that is exposed to hazardous noise at work


• 33% of all people who are exposed to hazardous noise at work will develop hearing loss


• agriculture is one of the highest risk professions


• noise induced hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities for Arkansas farmers

Noise induced hearing loss can be developed gradually as a result of chronic exposure or can develop suddenly as a result of a single impulsive noise exposure. While normal conversation is measured at 60 decibels, 85 decibels or higher is considered too loud. Hearing protection is recommended in the workplace if noise is at 85 decibels for exposures longer than eight continuous hours. Both the amount of noise and the length of exposure contribute to hearing damage. There are many styles of hearing protectors available but the best one to use is the one you actually wear! I hope you will find this information worth sharing with your family or co-worker because noise induced hearing is painless,progressive and permanent but it is preventable!

Bermuda Grass Competition

Did you know that Northwest Arkansas farmers grow premium Bermuda grass hay? Farmers in our county have actually won national hay awards for several years. Bermuda is a great forage that we grow to feed young calves,heifers and beef cattle. Hay production is a very important part of our farming operation. As much as we love it for our animals, it is not a welcome sight to me in the flower beds or vegetable garden. Even though we're still anticipating the first day of spring, yesterday's balmy weather took me to the flower bed where I was looking for the green tips of some new iris bulbs that I had planted late last spring. To my dismay, the entire bed was covered with a thick covering of dead Bermuda grass that had been allowed to grow crazy last summer. Bermuda grass in the flower bed or vegetable garden is a curse. It grows fast, loves full sun,can grow in a drought,and has a root system that invades any where it is not welcome. As I was pulling the grass out of the flower bed, I thought how ironic that tonight is the awards banquet for the premium Bermuda hay producers in the county. It's a love-hate relationship for me!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for the opportunity to raise and care for animals on our family dairy farm. Watching these calves enjoy their grain is what I call living in the moment--focus on what's important!

Milk--Made in America

It caught my attention when the ABC news reporter announced an upcoming report on what products are made in America. With our country in such an economic turmoil, it will be interesting to see what is reported. I think a lot about the economic condition of our country and how it affects all Americans, my family and our dairy farm. No matter what is reported this week, you can feel confident in the food that is produced in our country. American farmers are still providing the safest,most available and affordable food for our nation and the world.

Here are Made in America Dairy Facts:

• Dairy farmers are present in all fifty states


• The top five producing states are: California,Wisconsin,New York,Pennsylvania,Idaho


• The number of milk cow operations has declined


• Milk production and cow numbers have risen on larger operations


• Ninety nine percent of dairy farms are family owned


• Dairy farmers are committed to animal care,land care and producing high quality milk

Proudly reporting from the dairy farm: Made in America--Milk!

Snackpacks for Kids

During Food Check-Out Week when we are recognizing farmers for producing safe,abundant and affordable food, we also see the needs of many families in our community during these tough economic times.

On behalf of the Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Comittee, I presented a check this week to Shannon Green, Food Marketing Coordinator of the Samaritan House for a donation to the Snackpacks for Kids program. The Snackpack program is just one of the many programs of the Samaritan House that helps to feed and clothe families in our community.

Snackpacks for Kids provides weekend snacks to children who are most at risk for hunger on the weekends. This program reaches children in Benton,Carroll,Madison and Washington Counties. During the current school year 3300 children in sixty four elementary schools,Head Starts, and Early Childhood Centers receive a snackpack each Friday. Each pack contains eight to ten healthy weekend snacks. Food products that are routinely packed are: animal crackers,beef jerky,cereal, cheese crackers,fruit bars,fruit juice boxes,fruit snacks/roll-ups,pretzels,pudding cups and Vienna sausage. Volunteers meet weekly to prepare boxes for each school and deliver them for distribution. When they reach the school, the counselor will put designated snacks into the children's backpacks to take home for the weekend to make sure they will have food until they come back to school on Monday.

If you are interested in donating to this program you can call the Samaritan House at 479-636-4198 or reach Shannon by email sgreen@samcc.org. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Food Check-Out Week than by helping others in our community!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful today for all the women working in and for agriculture from production on the farm to promoting and marketing of the safe,affordable and abundant food supply that American farmers produce. Can you imagine a world without dedicated women?