Dairy Technology Yields Efficiency

It's easy to work every day on the dairy farm and take for granted how utilizing dairy science and technology allows us to produce a nutritious product with great efficiency.  Last week when I was gathering cow information from one of our young employees, I noticed he was looking at the antique wall telephone hanging in our kitchen and comparing it to the cell phone he was holding in his hand.  "Did they really use that phone?" he asked. I explained to him that this was the original phone used on our third generation farm in the early 1930's and was also the community phone used for emergencies by many neighbors. Telephone technology provides efficiency on the farm.  We use our cell phones every day to record information with pictures and data and communicate with each other about farm activities. Our conversation then turned to how technology has improved dairy farming and our everyday life on the farm. When our farm was established in the late 1920's, there was no electricity,no telephone,a few cows were milked by hand, and apple crops went to market by a wagon pulled by a team of mules.  That phrase,"you've come a long way,baby"--keeps coming to mind!

Efficiency is one of the core elements of sustainability on any farm.  Today's dairy farmers are producing almost three times more milk with about half the number of cows compared to 1960.  Improved genetics, feed and management have enabled dairy farms to become more efficient and productive. Efficiency-enhancing technologies also reduce resource usage on the farm. Compared to 1944, producing a gallon of milk today uses 65% less water,uses 90% less land, produces 76% less manure, and has decreased the carbon footprint by 63%.(Capper,J.,Cady,R. and Bauman,D. 2009."The environmental impact of dairy production:1944 compared with 2007".J.Anim.Sci.87:2160-2167.)  You can find more information  about sustainability and dairy farming  at http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

Thank goodness today we have cell phones, electricity, milk in a milk parlor with electric milking machines,cool the milk in a refrigerated tank and have tractors and equipment to feed our three hundred dairy cows every day.  It's hard for me to imagine not having all these necessities that my mother-in-law considered a convenience!
Our commitment to producing high quality milk on our family dairy farm  includes caring for our dairy animals and protecting our natural resources by using sound science and technology for the greatest efficiencies.

Dairymom's Fall Yard Harvest

Happy Fall Ya'll!  It's finally here after our long,hot dry summer.  I love every season and the changes that we enjoy and adapt to as we work on the dairy farm everyday.  Yesterday's perfect first day of fall in Northwest Arkansas inspired me to work in the yard after feeding calves in the afternoon.  I'm not wishing my life away, but one of my fall chores is going to get me ready for spring!  I planted several caladium plants in pots in the shady areas of my yard.  My plan is to try saving the caladium bulbs for planting next spring.  The caladiums are still pretty but beginning to look a little tired after summer.  Experts say it is time to dig the bulbs when the leaves begin to turn brown and the plant stops growing.  You must dig the bulbs before frost.  When I decide the day has arrived to dig the bulbs, these are the steps to follow according to online expert gardeners:

• Remove the bulbs with a hand tool such as a trowel by loosening the soil around the bulbs and then gently tugging to pull up.
• Don't cut into the bulbs because this could cause them to rot.
• If small bulbs are attached, you can leave them and divide into new plants in the spring if desired.
• Let the bulbs dry for 1 week, then remove the soil and pack in single layer in dry peat moss or vermiculite;you may also store bulbs  in a cardboard box or hang in mesh bags.
• Store in single layer at 50 degree temperature.
• Check bulbs frequently for rotting.

Hopefully, I still have a few weeks to enjoy this colorful plant before frost!  I'd love to hear any tips or tricks  about your experience with saving caladium bulbs.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                  

Quality milk begins with caring for our animals everyday on the dairy farm. One of my daily chores is to feed and care for the baby calves. Every heifer calf that we raise is important to the future of our milking herd.   I'm thankful for each new calf that is born on our farm and for the opportunity to live and work on a dairy farm. 

Chocolate Milk-A Healthy Choice

Chocolate milk has been a favorite healthy choice for a very long time.  I can remember enjoying chocolate milk when I was in elementary school  fifty years ago. Choices then were limited to whole white or chocolate milk.  In the last five years, the dairy industry has responded to nutrition concerns about flavored milk by developing reduced or fat-free milk and reduced the added sugar. In fact, the amount of added sugar in flavored milk has declined by thirty percent.  All milk has 12 grams of natural sugar straight from the cow.  Fat-free chocolate milk has 22 grams of total sugar, that's twelve grams from naturally-occurring lactose and 10 grams of added sugar.

Flavored milk is a healthy choice because it contains the same nine essential nutrients just like white milk.  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans listed four nutrients of concern for adults and children: calcium,vitamin D, potassium and dietary fiber. White and chocolate milk contain three of these: calcium,vitamin D and potassium.  Low consumption of these nutrients can affect not only health in childhood but in the future.  Here's a few facts about  flavored milk:

• kids who drink flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs
• kids who drink flavored milk do not consume more added sugar,fat or calories
• kids who drink flavored milk  are not heavier than non-milk drinkers

• studies have shown when chocolate milk is removed from the menu, kids drink less milk and get fewer nutrients

Bessie, the Midwest Dairy Cow, invites you to find more  information about flavored milk and dairy nutrition at http://www.dairymakessense.com/.  I just love hanging around with Bessie, how about you?

How to Make How Now Brown Cow Pudding in Eight Easy Steps

As the harvest continues in the  Arkansas rice fields in September, we'll enjoy cooking with rice and celebrating the harvest with our east Arkansas farmer friends.   For a midweek treat for your family, you may want to try this Kids in the Kitchen recipe from  the USA Rice Federation.

How Now Brown Cow
Chocolate Rice Pudding

2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine milk,rice,sugar and chocolate chips in 2-to3-quart saucepan.
2. Place saucepan on burner and turn to medium heat.
3. Cook,stirring often,until pudding is thick and creamy, about 20 minutes.
4. Turn burner off.
5. Remove saucepan from heat and place on hot pad.
6. Stir in vanilla.
7. Spoon into serving dishes; cool 10 minutes.
8. Serve warm or cold

Makes: 6 servings

Have a dairy good week!

Dairy Builds Bone for Healthy Aging

As I anticipate a visit to the doctor for my yearly check-up, I'm thinking about my healthy and unhealthy habits that I will be quizzed about,confess to and take responsibiity for my actions or lack of action.  As a Baby Boomer born in the mid fifties, I really wasn't thinking I would get old some day.  Guess what --I'm aging!  The first time the doctor used the phrase,"at your age", I realized that I was transitioning into my era of healthy aging.

Healthy bones are needed for healthy aging.  Do you ever think about how important your bones are? Bones give support, allow movement, protect your heart, lungs and brain from injury and store vital minerals.  Calcium and Vitamin D  are needed for strong bones.  According to the National Institute of Health, calcium is one of the nutrients most likely to be lacking in the American diet and has been singled out as a major public health concern.   Calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis weakens bones and may result in fracture of the spine,hip or wrist.  Although osteoporosis is considered a woman's disease, it can also affect men. 

Bone health begins in early childhood.  Healthy nutritonal choices begin  in early childhood  and have a huge impact on healthy aging.  The strength of our bones depends on their size and density which depends in part on the amount of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals bones contain. Our bones have been continuously changing since childhood,reaching peak bone mass around age thirty.  The higher your peak bone mass is at age thirty, the less likely you will develop osteoporosis as you age.  Including calcium rich dairy foods such as milk,yogurt and cheese in your daily diet can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.You can find helpful nutrition information at  http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/.

It's never too late to evaluate your health habits and strive for improvements. Osteoporosis prevention includes:

• Adequate amounts of calcium
• Adequate amounts of vitamin D
• Regular weight bearing exercise such as walking,jogging,running, or stair climbing.

Recommended calcium intakes and other information about bone health can be found at the National Institue of Health website: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition.
Healthy habits help us keep the bones we have.   What are you doing for bone health "at your age"?

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

  A cool  weather front moved in to Northwest Arkansas today and it is a welcome relief to dairy cows and dairy farmers. I'm not going to miss summer one bit (at least not until we have twenty four inches of snow).   I am thankful for the  cooler weather so  our cows will be more comfortable, will eat more and produce more milk!