Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Rain and cooler temperatures made us all feel like we were on vacation yesterday. It normally takes ten minutes to bring our dairy cows from pasture to the milk parlor but yesterday's walk took forty five minutes because the cows were enjoying grazing on revived grass. I am so thankful for the soul refreshing rain that we have received and the cooler temperatures for our cows, my family, and our neighbors.

Safeguards for Dairy Food Safety

As a dairy farmer and producer of food for the consuming public, I take food safety very seriously. Dairy products are among the most tested and regulated foods in our nation. Before dairy foods reach the grocery store, dairy farms and processing plants must meet stringent federal and state regulations that are in place by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,FDA and state regulatory agencies. From the birth of a baby calf in our pasture to the dairy cow being milked in our milk parlor, we are doing everything in our power on the farm to make sure our dairy cattle are healthy and well cared for to assure production of safe,high quality milk.

Producing safe milk is the priority of every dairy farmer. These are ways we work to provide wholesome,safe milk on the farm:

-follow strict sanitary procedures each time the cow is milked and work to keep all

equipment clean

-milk is never touched by human hands because the milk flows directly from the cow through a

stainless steel pipe into a refrigerated tank

-cool the milk in the tank to 45 degrees F or less within two hours after completion of milking

-keep milk refrigerated at or below 40 degrees until transported to the processing plant

Safe milk handling continues at the processing plant by checking the temperature of the milk to ensure it has been kept at or below 40 degrees F during distribution and delivered within 48 hours after the cow has been milked. The milk is then pasteurized,homogenized, packaged, and distributed. These are facts about pasteurization:

- Pasteurization is the scientific process used to kill any harmful microorganisms that might be present in the milk by heating the milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds and then cooling it rapidly.

- Pasteurization is a critical step in the production of safe milk.

-Pasteurization assures milk safety and also extends the shelf life of the milk.

-There is no scientific evidence to suggest that there is any meaningful difference the nutritional value of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk.

- Because of pasteurization, less than 1.5 percent of annual food borne illness outbreaks in the United States involve dairy foods.

Are you concerned about the safety of milk or the dairy foods you purchase? I'd love to answer any questions or respond to concerns. You can find more detailed information about milk production and how we produce safe dairy products at http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

"Blue Q.Red Chek" Quality

While running errands this morning, I spotted the Hiland Dairy truck making a delivery to a local coffee shop. Seeing the truck reminded me of a question that I was recently asked while giving a tour of our dairy farm--Where do we sell our milk? As members of Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative, our milk is marketed and sold by the cooperative. Our milk actually goes to the Hiland Dairy plant in Fayetteville for bottling. If you buy Hiland Dairy milk, you may be drinking milk from our farm or another family dairy farm in our area.

Hiland Dairy actually started in 1938 in Springfield,Missouri, by two men and a fifty cow dairy herd. The Hiland business was sold to Prairie Farms Dairy,Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America,Incorporated, in 1979. Currently, Hiland has eight manufacturing plants located in Missouri,Nebraska,Oklahoma,Kansas and Arkansas. Hiland's wide variety of dairy products are endorsed with the Quality Chekd trademark (the "Blue Q.Red Chek") that assures consumers are getting the best in fresh,wholesome and delicious dairy foods.

You can find more information about Hiland Dairy, great recipes, and coupons at http://www.hilanddairy.com/. It takes quality milk for quality dairy products--from our farm to your table!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

You don't need a thermometer to know it is beastly and dangerously hot for our dairy cows and us. As I was watering plants in the yard and garden after feeding baby calves, I found Skittles, one of our farm dogs, enjoying the wet dirt under the garden corn. I'm thankful that on these hot and challenging days of drought on the farm, we still have plenty to smile about and be reminded of the blessings we enjoy daily.

Summer Time Kitchen Relief

I didn't have to flip the calendar to August to know it was the dog days of summer! We've been having temperatures above 100 degrees for almost three weeks and breaking heat and humidity records for our area. Due to the heat, we have changed our chore schedule to try avoiding the very hottest times in the afternoon and make sure our animals are as comfortable as possible.

After feeding calves and working in the yard and garden, I'm not too anxious to come into the house to cook. However, the farmers of the family will be expecting something when they arrive for lunch. If you are feeling this way about summer time kitchen duties and need summer time kitchen relief like me, you can find some interesting and easy dairy recipes at http://www.dairymakessense.com/. I plan to try Summer Fruit and Pasta Toss to go with today's hot summer time menu.

Summer Fruit and Pasta Toss

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat spiral pasta,uncooked

1 1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe(about 1/2 of cantaloupe)

1 1/2 cups cubed pineapple(about 1/2 of pineapple)

1 1/4 cups strawberries,sliced

1 cup halved seedless grapes

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) low fat yogurt

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to package instructions,drain and cool in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

While pasta is cooking,prepare fruit and place in large serving bowl. Once pasta has cooled, add to bowl. Gently mix yogurt into pasta mixture. Chill for 30 minutes in refrigerator before serving.

Thanks to Minnesota Dairymom Kristine Spadgenske for sharing her recipe with us!

Value Added Investment for Dairy Farmers

While waiting to attend our Dairy Farmers of America cooperative summer information luncheon meeting, I was gathering information provided by different vendors about new products we can use on the farm, dairy promotion materials, and newly developed dairy products. As a dairy farmer that produces milk for consumers, I find it fascinating to learn about new products that our dairy cooperative is developing to meet consumer needs and requests. With no breakfast and just before lunch, I enjoyed sampling the new cheese spreads that are being introduced into markets across the country!

Janine Smiley,who works in the Global Dairy Products Group division of our cooperative, kept busy as she gave explanation about the new products and provided samples for us to enjoy. Developing and testing new food products, manufacturing and marketing consumer brand name products and marketing ingredients such as nonfat dry milk powder are handled within this division. You can find more information about our cooperative and our products at http://www.dfamilk.com/.

Dairy Farmers of America products are sold in every state and exported globally. Those products represent a farmer owned cooperative with 16,000 members across America. As one of those members, I appreciate what our cooperative is doing to develop,manufacture and market dairy products for all of our members and consumers.

True Dairy Gals

Yesterday we traveled to Springfield,Missouri, to attend our Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative summer information meeting. Members from Arkansas,Missouri, and Oklahoma met to receive updates about our cooperative's business and the challenges we face in the dairy industry. It is also a very social and fun time for the entire family. The minute you walk in the door, you can find all kinds of free ice cream bars and milk mingled with information booths about dairy promotion,new dairy products and services that are available from our cooperative.

We look forward to this event because it allows us an opportunity to visit with other dairy farm families that we don't see at any other time. For the last thirty years, Mrs. Betty Clark from Arkansas has been attending these summer information meetings with her daughters and granddaughter. It is definitely a family affair for three generations of true dairy gals that have grown up on the dairy and continue the family dairy tradition on their own farms. Each year the gals wear shirts with the True Dairy Gal label. After the meeting, you may find them together at the Ozark Fair or shopping at the local mall. Where ever you find them, they will be having a good time!

These True Dairy Gals represent not only the commitment that it takes from the family farm to produce safe,high quality milk and dairy products, but also the importance of family to each farming operation for multiple generations!