Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Crystal clear water flows from this spring located in Cave Springs at the Illinois River Watershed Partnership's latest project at Lake Keith. As we walked around the Lake, we enjoyed learning about the history of this Lake located  on Main Street that thousands of people pass every day on their way to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.

 

 

Many years ago, this spring water supplied the water to the Cave Springs residents. The cave behind the spring is full of Arkansas bats.

 

 

 

In later years, it had a trout farm, a swimming pool, a skating rink and the  man-made lake filled with trout.

 

 

It was great to see people fishing and paddling canoes around the lake.

 

I'm thankful for  the dedication of organizations like the Illinois River Watershed Partnership and the Arkansas Game and Fish that are working together to preserve our beautiful habitats  and educate others about our precious natural resources. 

Milk Celebrates National Chocolate Cookie Day

What's not to love about a chocolate chip regardless if it's in cookies ,brownies  or any sweet treat!
Although today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, I celebrated by baking what must be a cousin to the chocolate chip cookie. This recipe got the dairy farmer stamp of approval!

 
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Brownies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 6-ounce package chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix peanut butter and butter. Gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour mixture until thoroughly mixed.  Mix in 1 (6-ounce)  package chocolate morsels before turning into pan. Turn into greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. Cool.
Yield: 16 (21/4-inch) squares

           The best thing about any treat that has chocolate chips---it's perfect with a glass of milk!

Rainy Day Dairy Rule

 

 

Rain-filled mud puddles  in August--what a blessing! After last year's drought, I've pretty much celebrated every rainfall this year. With rain in the last few weeks of July and now 2 inches of rain on the third day of August, our crop fields and pastures are spring green. 

 

 The cows didn't seem bothered by the rain--they went   to the barn to be milked and then  headed  straight for the feed barn to get their breakfast like usual!  It's obvious by their behavior that this is  part of the everyday dairy farm  routine--rain or shine. 

 

 

Even though we don't usually receive a lot of rain in July and August, we are always working to protect the environment by utilizing  our  nutrient management  system to recycle  the manure from our cows.  Nutrient management plans guide the amount, source, placement and timing of manure on fields designated by our farm plan. Federal, state and local clean water laws regulate how manure is applied on cropland, so nutrients are absorbed by crops, not groundwater. One of those rules is: No manure spreading on rainy days!

 

You won't find anyone on our dairy farm that is too upset to give up one job on a rainy August day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

There was little moisture for crop planting in the first week of July

 

 

but God provided a little over three inches of rain in the last week of July.

 

 

I'm thankful for crop and garden growing rain!

Grab 'N Go Breakfast Zucchini With Egg Info on the Side

I didn't go to the Ozark Empire Fair in search of recipes but I couldn't resist picking up a handful of recipe cards at the Rose Acre Farms booth. Rose Acre farms is a fifth generation  egg farm that began in southern Indiana in the 1930's. They now have farms in Indiana ,Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, and North Carolina.

It was interesting to read about the modern cage system used in egg production and the humane and ethical guidelines that are followed. Here are benefits of the cage system:

• Eggs from modern cage production typically are 50-70 percent less expensive than non-cage eggs.
• Modern cage systems allow for cleaner, safer eggs and provide a more stable supply to meet consumer demand.
• Modern cage systems provide hens with protection from soil and litter borne diseases, resulting in fewer health problems.
• Research shows that hens in modern cages do not have any greater levels of stress than free range hens.
• Research shows that eggs from modern cage systems have lower shell bacteria levels than eggs from cage-free range systems. Modern cage systems allow for daily inspections and monitoring of hens for illnesses and quick treatment.

Here's the  first recipe I plan to try since we have an abundance of zucchini squash from my neighbor's garden (he gave it to me):

Muffin Frittatas

6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon  salt
1/8 teaspoon  pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 Tablespoons  chopped red onion

Instructions:
 1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended. Add cheese, zucchini, sweet pepper and onion; mix well. Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each.

2) Bake in 350 degrees F oven until just set, about 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Remove  from cups, serve warm.

Quick breakfast solution: Bake muffin frittatas the night before and refrigerate. Quickly re-warm in the microwave to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the morning.

You can find this recipe, other great egg recipes and info on the side at incredibleegg.org.

Dairy Farmers of America Party

One of my favorite meetings to attend as a member of Dairy Farmers of America cooperative is the Summer Information Meeting held in Springfield, Missouri. As we left the farm this morning headed to the meeting,  it was drizzling rain  and overcast--perfect conditions for a farmer to leave the farm and not feel guilty about what we could be doing if it were hot and sunny!

This meeting is a mixture of fun and business with lots of children attending with their families, information booths filled with dairy farm specific information and the availability of all the milk and ice cream bars you can eat before, during and after the meeting. It's always a place of reunion with old dairy farmer friends that may or may not still be in the business.

We're proud to be one of more than 8,000 farm family members of Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative. Here are some facts about our cooperative:

• We represent 1/3 of the total United States milk production.
• 61 billion pounds of milk are produced annually by cooperative members.
• We own 31 diversified  manufacturing facilities that include dairy products, food components, and ingredients.
• High-quality milk  is produced on all sizes of farms across America.
• We are a leader in formulating and packaging shelf stable products.

After being filled with information and  a delicious lunch , we   topped off the party  with  M&M ice cream cookies and in a glorious rainy day in July,   headed to  the Ozark Empire Fair with our complimentary tickets to continue our party.

That's my kind of farmer  party!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

 

After spending two days in Hot Springs at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Officers and Leaders meeting this week, we made a quick stop in Little Rock before returning home to the farm. I'm thankful for the beauty all around us--whether it's the bright coneflowers around the Confederate Women's Statue at the Arkansas Capitol 

 

or

 

                                                                         
                                                                   home on the dairy farm!