Dairymom's Sunset Adventure

 

Early in the summer, Ryan cut the hay on an acreage surrounded by subdivisions   at the edge of Centerton, not too far from our farm. Since we're considering renting the pasture for cattle, I was asked if I would like to take a ride on the four wheeler to check fences all around the property. Sunset adventure  rides with a dairy farmer are pretty irresistible!

 

It was worth all the adventure --blackberry briar scratches, chigger bites and a few tense moments when I wasn't sure the four wheeler would carry us out of the jungle of weeds above our heads--to see the beauty of an  overgrown Arkansas  meadow in early fall.

 

 

 

Underneath all these colorful weeds (I call them flowers), is a pasture of carpet thick grass.

When you compare this year to last year's drought--we are so blessed!

 

 

 

The earth is the Lord's and all it contains.

The world, and those who dwell in it.

---Psalm 24:1

 

Happy Sunday!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Silage chopping has a lot of moments of frustration and irritation when dealing with a machine that has so many moving parts that often create mechanical breakdowns.

 

 

 

 

I'm thankful for the never give-up attitude of these young farmers and the not so easy lessons learned on the farm about dealing with disappointment and frustrations beyond our control on the dairy farm.

 

 

Celebrate World School Milk Day

 World School Milk Day  is an international, annual event started in 2000 to celebrate the importance of school milk in children's diets and increase global awareness. Students from over forty countries throughout the world will be celebrating World School Milk Day on September 25th.

Midwest Dairy Council is sponsoring a World School Milk Day Contest to help schools kickoff Fuel Up to Play 60 for the 2013-14 school year.

 

All participating Fuel Up to Play 60 schools are eligible to enter the World School Milk Day Contest by October 2nd. You can find contest information at  Midwest Dairy. 

 

Happy World School Milk Day!

                             

Moovin' Into Fall

 We've been moovin' into fall for the past week...


                           as we harvested  a field of Bermuda hay for small  square bales to
                                 feed our young calves  and moved it to the barn for storage,

 

added new cows to the milking herd and new babies to the calf hutches,

 

 

 shared a little  dairy love with young consumers during a farm tour,

 

 

 

and watched the flowers breathe a sigh of relief  with the rain and cooler temperatures.

 

 

Just signs of the season down on the dairy farm.

 

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

It isn't hard to love these babies who are in my care for the first three months on the farm.

I'm thankful that I have been able to utilize my nursing education in raising healthy calves and kids on the farm!

Do Cows Have Hormones?

 

Like all mammals, cows have hormones.  Cows have a naturally occurring protein hormone produced in the pituitary gland called bovine somatotropin (bST). This hormone regulates metabolic activities and helps young cattle grow and adult cattle to  produce milk. This natural hormone does not have any physiological effect on humans consuming the milk because:

• bST is species-specific, meaning that it is biologically inactive in humans
• When milk is consumed, the small amount of bST present is broken down completely by the body's digestive system, just like any other protein.
• Pasteurization destroys 90% of bST in milk.

In 1993,  artificial bovine somatotropin hormone (rbST) was developed and after extensive review  approved by the Food and Drug Administration   that could boost milk production and ensure a plentiful supply of milk. 

While  scientific studies have found no difference between milk from cows that are given the artificial hormone from cows that are not, consumers wanted a choice in how milk is produced. You now find milk labeled with the pledge from dairy farmers that produce milk without using this approved technology tool .

 

We support consumer choices but it's important to understand that carton to carton, bottle to bottle, all milk is wholesome, safe and nutritious.

Dairy Celebrates Food Safety

Although September is  recognized as National Food Safety Month, food safety is a priority everyday of the year  on our   dairy farm.  As a Grade A dairy farm, we are licensed by the Arkansas Health Department  to produce milk for bottling or manufactured dairy products by following the    rules and regulations established by the Food and Drug Administration and state regulatory officials by  utilizing  the guidelines of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point systems.

  These food safety systems make  milk and dairy foods  among the safest and most highly regulated foods in the world:

-The  Pasteurized Milk Ordinance ( also known as PMO) sets requirements for milk production, milk hauling, pasteurization, product safety, equipment sanitation and labeling.

 Pasteurization has been recognized for more than a century as an essential tool for ensuring that milk and dairy products are safe.

-The Hazard  Analysis and Critical Control  Point (HACCP) system is used throughout the food industry to help ensure food safety. Dairy processing plants identify critical steps throughout the manufacturing process and establish plans to monitor and minimize any risks. HACCP plans are reviewed, approved and enforced by food safety agencies.

Thanks to these safety rules, less than 1 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States involve dairy products!

                                                               Happy Food Safety Month!