Celebrating Seasons on the Dairy Farm

Although we will be milking our cows and caring for our dairy cattle everyday of the Labor Day weekend,it is still a time to celebrate the seasons of change. While you may be planning the weekend trip to visit family, the football game or make the last summer outing to the lake, I'm celebrating the fact that today I finally found okra in my garden. Even though okra thrives on hot weather, I really wasn't sure I would have any okra to harvest due to the excessive heat,drought and the insects that come with it. For weeks I have watched for blooms and hoped the plants could overcome the summer stress. Finally, blooms appeared this week and just like magic--okra!

Sometime during this weekend, I hope to have a mess (that's Arkansas talk) to fry for the family. I haven't planned my menu for the weekend but I'm sure it will include grilling hamburgers or steaks to go with my okra. Seasonal celebrations also include recipes that are quick and easy to prepare like BBQ-Ranch Quesadilla Wedges.

BBQ-Ranch Quesadilla Wedges

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) frozen pepper stir-fry blend(green,yellow,red)peppers

1/4 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cups prepared shredded barbecue beef

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup light ranch dressing

8 (8in.) whole wheat tortilla

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Non-stick cooking spray

Preparation

Prepare stir-fry pepper blend with diced onion added and heat barbecue beef according to package directions.While vegetables and beef are cooking,mix barbecue sauce and ranch dressing in small serving bowl; set aside for dipping sauce.

On a tortilla, evenly layer 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons each of shredded beef and cheese. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetables. Cover with a second tortilla.

Repeat for total of 4 quesadillas. Spray large skillet or counter-top grill with non-stick cooking spray. Cook each quesadilla for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cheese is melted.

Cut into 8 wedges; serve with barbecue-ranch.

Substitution Idea:

For fajita-ranch quesadillas, substitute chicken strips for the shredded beef. Mix light ranch dressing with salsa instead of barbecue sauce for dipping.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

You can find other great recipes for your family at http://www.midwestdairy.com/. While I'm enjoying my fried okra and working on the farm this weekend I hope you and your family enjoy a dairy good Labor Day!

Celebrating Seasons on the Dairy Farm

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

August always seems to melt slowly into September as the seasons begin to change,school starts and we are beginning to harvest our crops. It's also the time for a birthday celebration in our family. Our birthday traditions include dinner with the family, birthday cake and ice cream. I'm thankful for the twenty one birthdays that we have celebrated with Casey!

Reasons to Serve Chocolate Milk for Breakfast

Tonight's local news announced that Fayetteville School District in Northwest Arkansas will no longer offer chocolate milk for school breakfast to decrease the sugar that kids are getting in the morning but it will remain a choice for lunch. Why would you decide to decrease milk consumption? Studies in other school systems have shown that if you remove chocolate milk as a choice, consumption will decrease. School age children are needing the nutrients in milk to support bone development during these peak bone building years. I'm not sure what rationale supports the school district's decision but I do know that flavored milk accounts for less than 3.5% of added sugar intake among children ages 6-12 and less than 2% of added sugar intake among teens. Studies have shown that children who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs, do not consume more added sugar,fat, or calories and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers.

Reasons to support flavored milk as a school breakfast choice include:

• Flavored milk provides essential nutrients for good health and kids drink more when flavored.





• Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk.





• Flavored milk helps kids get three daily servings recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.





• Lowfat chocolate milk is the most popular choice and kids drink less if taken away.

You can find more information about the nutritional benefits and the scientific research supporting flavored milk in child nutrition at http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/ or http://www.midwestdairy.com/. I'm raising my glass for chocolate milk! Will you join me?

Cheese Lover's Enthusiasm Flows Like Lava

Earlier in the month, Ryan and I drove to Cooper's Cafe in Anderson,Missouri, to meet with other family members for supper. To our pleasant surprise, the owner of Cooper's Cafe was none other than Roger King, the winner of Midwest Dairy's "Put Some Cheese On It" contest in 2010. As the contest winner, Roger received a new HHR Chevrolet car decked out in a cheese theme, complete with a slice of cheese on the top. Roger is still driving the cheese car and enjoying the curious looks when driving in the area. You will find the cheese car parked in front of the cafe everyday to entice those cheese loving customers to come in for a tasty entree' with cheese or other dairy delight. Dairy farmers are definitely benefiting from Roger's love of cheese and dairy products and the promotion he does through his restaurant business and in his community.

Just a couple of days ago, we stopped at Cooper's Cafe for lunch before traveling on to Springfield for farm business. As I looked at the menu, I was intrigued with the many types of burgers, the unusual names and the fact that most of them contained cheese. Lava Burger caught my attention as I read the description--"flowing with cheese on top". Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered the Lava Burger. I was so intrigued by the cheese on top that I did not notice it was a double meat burger. When the waitress presented me with the Lava Burger, the cheese was mounded on top of the bun and flowing over the top and sides just like lava from a volcano. I knew then why the waitress looked at me funny when she took my order. From my experience, I would say you need to be very,very hungry or plan to share with others if you intend to order this burger!

If you need a little enthusiasm and a smile to start the week, think about Roger and the cheese car and put some cheese on it! How could you not smile when a cheese slice passes by?

Routine Transitions Provide Quality Milk

Planning for transition is part of our dairy farm routine. Preparing a dairy cow for the birth of a calf includes a two month rest period before she gives birth. On the farm we call this transition the "dry period". During this sixty day dry period the cow will rest in the pasture and be fed a specially designed low energy diet that provides adequate protein,vitamins and mineral to maintain body condition . The inputs of good nutrition and health care during the dry period will be returned by a more productive and healthy cow after giving birth.

We had three cows this week that needed to begin their sixty day dry period. After the morning milking, each cow was dry treated. Because cows are most susceptible to environmental mastitis infections during this rest period,dry treating a cow includes treating all four quarters with an approved long-lasting antibiotic product. When the cow calves and returns to the milking herd, the milk is thrown away until it is tested by our dairy cooperative lab and shown to be free of antibiotic because any milk that tests positive for antibiotics cannot be sold to the public.

After dry treatment was completed with a prescribed vitamin shot and wormer, Cody loaded the cows into the trailer and moved them to the dry pasture located a couple of miles from the dairy to begin their days of rest and rejuvenation. These cows will be fed and monitored daily. Two weeks before they are expected to give birth, we will move them to the pasture by our house. Since we have calves born through out the year, we are basically on pasture call twenty four hours a day,seven days a week!

It's a fact--healthy cows produce more milk. Our commitment to providing high-quality milk begins with taking good care of our cows everyday--24/7!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Watching the school bus pass by this week reminded me of the many transitions that we watch on our farm and in our family life. This is the first time that both boys will be working on the farm together since Cody started school in 1994. I'm thankful for all the milestone moments with my family and for the transitions that we see daily on the farm as we care for our dairy cows and work to produce a delicious healthy product.