Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

There's nothing prettier or more peaceful than to watch cows grazing in a field at dusk. This group of young Holstein heifers were the perfect example of  "pretty as a picture"!

                                                  I'm thankful for the green grass of August 

                                                                                and

 for the opportunity to work everyday with my family to raise healthy cows that produce high quality milk!

Farmers in the Zoo

Next week, you won't find the farmers in the dell, but you can see them working  at the  new Benton County Farm Bureau Petting Zoo  when the Benton County Fair kicks off it's 109th year!  

Benton County Farm Bureau has sponsored the Petting Zoo at the Benton County Fair for more than twenty years to give children and adults an opportunity to learn a little about animals and  Arkansas agriculture.

 In the beginning, the zoo was a big tractor tire filled with baby chicks covered with a tent for protection from the rain that seemed to be a normal part of the fair.  We graduated to a carport awning structure that we actually moved to the new fairground facility. It was obvious after last year's fair, that our petting zoo would probably not stand up to another season of stormy,windy weather.    I'm so  thankful and excited to see this new structure that will serve not only as a petting zoo, but will be large enough for other events on the fairgrounds  during the year.

 I invite you to visit our Farmers in the Zoo   next week at the Benton County Fair, August 12-16.

Pigs and Chickens, and Farmers--oh my! 

Saturday Night's Calf Bath

A Saturday night bath given by a new mama down on the dairy farm is always a special event!

 I was actually surprised to find that the arrival of this new baby happened so quickly. After  watching this pregnant  mama all afternoon trying to claim another cow's calf,  we  made the decision to move her to the maternity barn in anticipation of  needing to assist with  delivery.  Removing her from the distraction of the other calf, obviously worked to encourage her to  focus on her job to deliver this new baby. For me, it's always a relief  and a time of appreciation   to watch the natural process of the new mother cleaning her baby as  part of a healthy welcome.

Saturday night baths down on the dairy farm are always exciting!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last week while I was working at the computer on farm records, the lights flickered and a wind gust brought two stories of a six story sycamore tree crashing down in front of the house. From the sound of the crash and the vibration I felt in the house, I ran upstairs to see if I might see the sky! 

Although I was sad to see this old,beautiful  tree broken, I am very thankful that no damage occurred to the house and that my family, our employees, and our cattle were safe during this unexpected wind storm.

Wednesday's Dairy Wrap

Barbecue chicken is perfect for wrapping up these  crazy days of summer down on the dairy farm.  I'm wrapping up my week with  BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Foil Packet Dinner  from the Dairy Makes Sense recipe collection. 

BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Foil Packet Dinner

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons barbecue sauce

4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts 

2 small unpeeled red potatoes,thinly sliced

1 green onion,finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a foil sheet, approximately 12x12 inches, on a work surface. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the barbecue sauce in the center of the foil. Place one chicken breast half over barbecue sauce and spread another teaspoon of sauce over chicken. Top with quarter of the potato,bell pepper and onion.

Fold foil in half to cover contents; make narrow folds along edges to seat. Repeat with remaining ingredients to assemble three more packets. Place the four packets on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

Open foil packets with scissors and carefully pull back edges as contents may be very hot. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the top of each chicken breast and return to oven, unsealed for two minutes or until cheese is melted. With a spatula, transfer the contents of each packet onto individual serving plates. 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It's not unusual to have mechanical failures when farming but it seems to happen at the least convenient times. Monday's task was to bale 40 acres of good quality hay.  When the first bale kicked out of the baler, a bearing went out and stopped everything. 

I'm thankful for the generous neighbor who loaned us his baler so that we could get every bale harvested before the wind storm  struck just an hour after the last bale was rolled up!

Wednesday Wake-up

Would you like this kind of wake-up call?

This baby was born after midnight and is enjoying a time of rest but this new mama says it's time to get the day started!

In just a couple of hours, this new mama will join the milking herd and the care of this baby will become my daily responsibility.

Calves grow up to become the cows that produce milk, so we make it a priority to get them off to a healthy start. For the first three months, this baby will live in an individual pen called a calf hutch that allows the calf to freely move about but provide protection from the heat and cold weather. 

Happy Wednesday !!