Cow Pride

It is impossible to party during June Dairy Month without bringing recognition to the heart of our dairy story---our cows! We milk a total of 300 cows twice daily every day of the year. Our herd consists of Holstein dairy cows ,one Guernsey and three Ayrshire. Our cows are the present and future of our farm. We respect them for what they provide for us and we work diligently everyday to provide nutritious feed,clean water, and comfortable surroundings. I enjoy watching the growth and development of each animal that we raise from calf to milking cow.

There are actually six different breeds of dairy cattle: Ayrshire,Brown Swiss,Guernsey, Jersey,Holstein, and Milking Shorthorn. Each breed was developed in its own country and brought to America. You can find more information about each breed at http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org/.

Here are some interesting general facts about dairy cows:

• the average cow weighs 1400 pounds
  


• live to be about 18 years old; a normal production life for a Holstein is around 6 years



• a newborn calf weighs 90 pounds and walks on its own one hour from birth



• spend an average of 6 hours each day eating and an additional eight hours ruminating or chewing their cud
  


• most chew at least 50 times per minute
  


• graze by curling their tongues around grass and pulling rather than nibbling like a horse does
  


• have 4 stomach compartments and consume 90 pounds of feed everyday
  


• drink the equivalent of a bathtub full of water each day
  


• sleep lying down--just like people
  


• have an acute sense of smell--can smell something up to 6 miles away

June Dairy Month is the perfect time to celebrate our product and the commitment of America's dairy farm families working everyday to provide high quality milk by taking good care of our cows!

Cranky Cook's Recipe

With the added activities of crop planting and hay baling, supper time meals are often late in the evening on the dairy farm and that makes the cook (that's me) a little cranky because I don't like cleaning up the kitchen at bedtime! To celebrate June Dairy Month and less time in the kitchen, I plan to try this recipe this weekend.

BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Foil Packet Dinner

Ingredients

3 tablespoons barbeque sauce

4 small boneless,skinless chicken breast haves(1pound)

2 small unpeeled red potatoes,thinly sliced

1 red or green bell peppers,seeded and sliced

1 green onion,finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a foil sheet, approximately 12x12 inches,on a work surface. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the barbeque sauce in the center of the foil. Place one chicken breast half over barbeque sauce and spread another teaspoon of sauce over chicken. Top with quarter of the potato,bell pepper and onion. Sprinkle with a little of the salt and pepper. Fold foil in half to cover contents; make narrow folds along edges to seal. Repeat with remaining ingredients to assemble three more packets. Place the four packets on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

Open foil packets with scissors and carefully pull back edges as contents may be very hot. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the top of each chicken breast and return to oven, unsealed for two minutes or until cheese is melted. With a spatula, transfer the contents of each packet onto individual serving plates.

Substitution Idea: One cost savings tip is to buy bone-in chicken breasts and remove the skin.

Servings:4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 37 minutes

You can find this and other great recipes at http://www.dairymakessense.com/.

I'm feeling less cranky just thinking about this easy recipe!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Cody gave one of his first illustrated talks in 4-H about the "REAL" Seal. I'm thankful for all the experiences in 4-H and on the dairy farm that have shaped this young dairy farmer.

Real Dairy Deal

When I do my grocery shopping every week, I am always amazed by the choices in the dairy case that have no relationship to real dairy products. One way to verify that you are choosing a real dairy product is to look for the stylized milk drop surrounding the simple word "REAL".

This seal is the symbol of pure dairy goodness and has been used nationally since 1977. The "REAL" Seal was actually developed by the California Milk Advisory Board in 1976 as a public service to help consumers easily identify real dairy foods. The symbol nationally has become a federally registered "REAL" Seal trademark administered by Dairy Management Inc.

The "REAL" Seal is one of the best recognized and most widely used symbols in the food and beverage industry. Products that carry the "REAL" Seal must contain real dairy food produced from U.S.-produced cow's milk and the contents must meet minimum government standards for the product category. Research has shown that consumers:

• View the "REAL" Seal as a sign of dairy product identity and authenticity
  


• Associate the "REAL" Seal with products that have no or fewer additives and are not processed
  


• Expect products displaying the "REAL" Seal to taste better and be of higher quality



• Know what to expect in terms of cooking and melting patterns when they cook with "REAL"Seal products
  
  

The "REAL" Seal represents a promise to consumers that the product is made with real dairy. Real American farmers producing real milk--a real deal for all consumers!

Bull's Eye View of Egyptian Geese

Last week as we were feeding baby calves, one of our employees asked me if I had seen the baby ducks on our pond that is located just down the road from the dairy. This is also the pasture that is home to several Holstein bulls. It's not unusual to see ducks on the ponds, but the description given for these sounded very unique. After we finished calf feeding, I picked up my camera and headed for the pond. To my sheer delight, I found what I now know are a pair of Egyptian geese with their eight goslings enjoying what appeared to be swimming instruction time.

After observing the family for a short time, I returned home to send a picture to my birding friend to find out more about these interesting birds. I'm not sure why they have chosen Northwest Arkansas as their home, but I did find out that a pair of them have been around our farm for the last ten years. This is the first time we have seen any Egyptian goslings.

Here are a few interesting facts about Egyptian Geese:

-originally from Africa

-considered sacred by ancient Egyptians, appearing in much of their artwork

-they pair for life

-the male and female are identical in plumage,the male is usually slightly larger

-they eat seeds,leaves,grass,plant stems; occasionally may eat locusts,worms or small animals

-they are very territorial in protecting their babies

I suppose it was a blessing that the pasture around the pond is full of bulls right now. There was no worry of me being attacked by the geese because I stayed on the outside of the fence with a bull's eye view!

Dairy Farm Dad

June Dairy Month is one of the busiest working times on the farm as we add crop planting and hay harvesting to the daily milking schedule and activities required to feed and care for our animals. Although it takes all of us working together on the family farm to get the work done, in my opinion, the most important person on the farm is my husband Ryan, also known as Dairy Farmer Dad.

On any day of the week on the dairy farm, our Dairy Farm Dad exhibits an assortment of titles and positions as we work together on the farm. My description of our Dairy Farm Dad would be that he is a manager, a boss, a problem solver, a traffic director, a mechanic, a banker, an accountant,a nutritionist, an animal caretaker, a conservationist,a plumber, an electrician, a gardener,a cook, a friend, and a father. Basically, he's the center of our universe and the go-to-guy!

Having been a city girl before marrying Dairy Farm Dad, I had no concept of the many roles and abilities of a farmer. Father's Day is a perfect time to express gratitude to all the Dairy Farm Dads that not only work to provide a nutritious product for consumers but set a great example for the next generation of dairy farmers. I think a freezer of homemade ice cream would be a great way to celebrate June Dairy Month and Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Using a no-till method to plant this crop of haygrazer for our dairy cows to eat later this summer is just one of the ways we protect the environment and reduce energy use. With so many jobs on the farm to get accomplished in June, I'm thankful for a tractor ride with my dairy farmer husband!