June Dairy Month--It's All About the Cows!

Just when you think there's not another minute to add another job  in the day on the dairy farm  during June Dairy Month , we begin a project! Quality water is essential to a dairy farm and  the good thing about our   project is   that when completed it  will protect, conserve, and recycle the water supply on our farm.  A water line from the dairy barn will provide recycled  water from the energy saving milk plate cooler  to two rubber tire water tanks in the pasture for a group of our milking cows.

 

 

Most of this project work began late in the afternoon after other chores and field work  were completed. It required a lot of coordinated  planning to be sure materials, machinery, and manpower were available.
 

 

 After installing the water lines, the work began to build the pad for the large rubber tire tanks.


 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



After the forms were built for the cement pad and the pipe placed for the water, the tire was set.

The devil is always  in the details!

 

 

Fortunately we had a beautiful sunny

Saturday for pouring the  cement  pad under the tires.

 

 

Hopefully by the end of the week, we'll finish this project and the cows will be enjoying water from the new tanks.

Providing our cows with clean water contributes to high-quality milk.

 

 

 

June Dairy Month--it's all about the cows!!

 

Dairy Foods Competition Celebrates June Dairy Month

I can't think of a better way to celebrate June Dairy Month than to sample recipes that utilize dairy products   created by 4-H youth! Yesterday  it was my privilege ( and a very tasty celebration)   to be a judge for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods contest in Little Rock. Judging this competition is tough because these recipes    were actually selected from the winning recipes of county dairy foods contests across the state.  It was a difficult  job because each recipe was soooo good!

Only eight recipes are selected for this contest: 4 in the Main Dish category and 4 in  Party Idea.
Each participant prepares their recipe while the judges observe the preparation. Participants this year ranged in age from 10 to 18 and I must say, watching the 10 year old boy prepare his recipe  was a treat in itself!

Sarah Bunch from Batesville won 1st Place in the Main Dish Category with Swiss Cheese Pie. I'm looking forward to giving this a try   for a weekend supper or even breakfast!

Swiss Cheese Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup fine butter cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
6 slices bacon,minced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For the crust, combine butter cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 10 inch pie pan.

Fry bacon and chopped onion together until bacon is browned and onion is softened. Drain. In mixing bowl, combine bacon and onion, eggs ,sour cream, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour into prepared cracker crust. Top with 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 4-6 serving

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It seems fitting that a dairy farmer celebrates his birthday just as we kick off June Dairy Month!
I'm thankful for all the fun we have together as a family and the blessings I have received from sharing life with a dedicated dairy farmer.

June Dairy Month Celebrates Sustainability

June Dairy Month is a perfect time to celebrate how we work to provide safe high-quality milk while caring for our cows and the land.

Last year our family dairy farm completed an energy audit to look at potential ways we could save energy to improve the sustainability of our farm and in the long run, work to reduce our carbon footprint.

It's easy to understand that one of the recommendations from the audit was to install a piece of equipment in the milk barn called a 'plate cooler' because it takes a lot of electricity to milk the cows, cool the milk and keep the milk cool in the refrigerated tank until it is transported to the processing plant. The plate cooler saves energy by cooling the milk before it reaches the
refrigerated tank.




Our new plate cooler was installed in January but we just flipped the switch and turned it on last week because it involved the addition of a variable speed milk pump and an additional water system to recycle the water used by the plate cooler to cool the milk.

 Although we're still installing the permanent rubber tire water tanks in the pasture, the recycled water from the plate cooler is flowing into the water tanks in the pasture.

 

I realize that you might not share my enthusiasm about a piece of equipment but for me and my third generation dairy farm family, it's exciting to see the new milk pump and plate cooler running efficiently to reduce energy and recycle water to improve the sustainability of our family farm and the efficient use of our natural resources. 

Calm Cows Prepare for June Dairy Month

Just before dark I stepped outside to see if the sky was billowing up with the dark storm clouds that are predicted to appear in the next few hours.  The air is heavy and after several windy days this week, it seems strange that  there is hardly a leaf stirring.

 The pregnant cows in the pasture next to the house are resting and don't seem bothered by the impending storm. It seems like they may know that it's the calm before the storm and  time to take this opportunity to rest.

 

After two months of rest, these cows are ready to give birth and a stormy night might be the perfect opportunity!

 

Wouldn't a new dairy calf be the perfect way for these calm cows  to kick-off  June Dairy Month?

 

 

 

 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Whether it's a birthday on the dairy  farm

 

 

or a celebration on the Bentonville Square (my hometown),

 

 

I'm thankful to celebrate my birthday this Thursday  with my Mother for the 58th time!!

 

 

Holiday Highlights on the Dairy Farm

This is how we're spending Memorial Day on the dairy farm.....

 

feeding the calves,

 

milking and feeding the cows,

 

 

feeding young calves around the farm,

 

 

continue harvesting the  spring crop of rye grass  that will feed our cows,

 

enjoying lunch with my family before they return to work in the field,

                                enjoying a spin to work off some of that ice cream I plan on eating!
                                                                             
                                                                 Happy Memorial Day!