Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

We've  been baling and wrapping hay this week that will be used to feed our dairy cows. Even though drought has severly affected the amount of hay for harvest, I'm thankful  for every bale that is harvested and for these two sons that work diligently every day on our family farm.  

Celebrate World Milk Day

 

Routine is part of our every day life on the dairy  farm--feeding our cows,milking the cows, feeding baby calves and all the other chores that happen in a day to take care of the land and our animals.One of my favorite dairy farm  routines is   having a new calf born on our farm.  This mama gave birth just a few hours ago and I wanted to share this 'first kiss' picture in celebration of World Milk Day!

 

Routine for this baby today includes resting in the field with her mama, a bottle of colostrum to provide antibodies to protect from disease, and a name tag placed on her ear. Tomorrow she will be taxied to the calf raising area and become part of my daily routine! You can find more information about dairy routine and what's so good about dairy at Dairy Makes Sense.  

 

Hope you're having a dairy good  Wednesday! 

Scouting Naughty Armyworms

Just before we received our first inch of rain in the midst of our exceptional drought, our tractors and seed planting equipment were kicking up the dust planting haygrazer and millet seed in hope of growing a desperately needed fall forage crop. Thankfully, we have received enough rain to green up the pastures and the newly planted crops are growing. Now we are facing another challenge--those naughty fall armyworms! With a little moisture,warm temperatures and humidity, fall armyworms  have been reported in Northwest Arkansas. Besides being extremely naughty in devastating a crop or pasture, they are also ugly to look at!

According to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension, fall armyworms are one of the most devastating pests of pastures,hayfields and crops with damage appearing almost overnight. Here are a few armyworm scouting tips:

• Diligently scout pastures,hayfields and cropland by examining at least 10 one square foot samples at random across the field.
• Include a few samples in areas of abundant growth because this is where female armyworm moths prefer to lay eggs.
• Chemical control is needed when 3 or more worms per square foot are found. If chemical control is necessary, there are a number of insecticides available for control. It's important to read label instructions before purchasing and follow harvesting and grazing restrictions.

 

As we drove from pasture to crop fields Friday night scouting for those naughty armyworms, I couldn't help but feel like I was on the look-out for a desperate criminal that's out to steal our crop. Exceptional drought continues to provide plenty of challenge as we're scouting for those naughty armyworms!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

  

                                                                                  
             I'm thankful for the rain we received in the last week that watered our millet crop, 
        brought cooler weather for our cows to enjoy and encouraged our drought weary souls!

2012 Nutrition+Physical Learning Connection Summit

Ten years ago the 16th Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, released the report about the need to prevent and decrease America's obesity epidemic. Food insecurity, poor dietary choices and lack of physical activity are still contributing factors that are being addressed by a variety of concerned groups and organizations. It's been stated that there is a growing amount of research that shows a link between proper nutrition,physical activity, and academic achievement. Now we need a plan to take our knowledge and research to  work through the barriers that keep preventing us from conquering childhood obesity.

For the next couple of days, the 2012 Nutrition + Physical Activity Learning Connection Summit will be taking place in Arlington,Virginia. The goal of the meeting is to identify knowledge gaps, draw meaningful conclusions, highlight practical approaches to leverage the current science and move the agenda forward on working with and through schools to enhance children's health and readiness to learn. This summit is presented by the GENYouth Foundation, in partnership with the National Dairy Council, National Football League, American College of Sports Medicine, and American School Health Association.

 

As a dairy farmer, I'm very proud to produce a nutritious product and support programs like Fuel Up to Play 60 that are striving to educate children to make healthy food choices and increase physical activity daily to ensure lifelong good health habits.

Holstein Yard Ornament

I was so excited to see the rain Saturday morning that I nearly missed the new black and white yard ornament in the iris bed just outside the patio door. When this ornament moved, it was a sure sign that it was not a concrete yard ornament!  The new baby Holstein heifer that was born late Friday afternoon had managed to get under the bottom wire of the yard fence and cuddle up in the flower bed.

Soon after being discovered, she was taxied to the calf raising  area and placed inside her own individual hutch. Before escaping to the yard,she had already received her first bottle of colostrum and will receive her mother's colostrum milk in a bottle for the next couple of days. Colostrum is needed for every calf because it contains the protective antibodies to fight disease. We monitor the quality of the colostrum with a colostrometer to make sure we are providing the best for each calf.
Freezing extra colostrum provides a supply of quality colostrum when needed for other newborn calves.

 

No longer a Holstein yard ornament, she is now enjoying being fed milk twice a day,individual care and   monitored for any problems. High quality milk is produced by a healthy cow and that begins with the quality colostrum and care each calf receives from the start!

Friday Night Fiesta

Even though we work on the dairy farm seven days a week, I  always look forward to Friday night. I'm all about celebrating Friday nights with an easy to prepare meal that doesn't require a lot of cooking time or dishpan hands!  Fiesta  Rice Skillet Dinner fits this criteria perfectly!

Fiesta Rice Skillet Dinner originated from Miss Arkansas Rice-Jillian Harper in 2005. Jillian promoted rice in a variety of ways at many activities and functions in Benton County  to inform consumers that Arkansas is number one in rice production and to educate others about rice production and the nutritional value of rice. Fiesta Rice Skillet Dinner is featured as a Dairymom approved recipe along with other tasty nutritious recipes at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

Fiesta Rice Skillet Dinner

3 cups cooked rice (brown or white)
1 lb ground beef**
1 cup onion,diced
1 can black beans,drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers,drained
1 cup mild picante sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup shredded  Monterey Jack Cheese
1 can Rotel

Brown onion and ground beef together. Drain any excess fat. Add rice,beans,Rotel,corn,picante sauce,and chili powder. Stir to mix well. Heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Serve hot as entre,a chili with Fritos or a wrap.

** Options: Substitute 1 lb ground turkey or 1 lb boneless,skinless diced chicken with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet to brown meat.

                              I can't think of a better way to celebrate Rice Month and Friday night!