Dairy Celebrates National Ag Day

National Ag Day is an opportunity for all Americans to celebrate and bring awareness about  the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives.

                 Think about it, agriculture provides almost everything we eat,use and wear on a daily basis. American agriculture is doing more and doing it better.

Dairy farmers today,thanks to science, proven research and technology,

                      produce a gallon of milk using 95 percent less land and 65 percent less water
                                    while producing 76 percent less manure compared with 1944.

Thank a Farmer!!

Dairy Good Luck

Whether you're an Irishman or a Holstein dairy heifer,

what's not to love about green?

Our pastures are not this green and lush yet but with a little luck, more sunshine, warmer temperatures,

and the hard work of a dairy farmer, we'll be enjoying a dairy good spring!

I'll be raising my glass of high quality milk  today.

How about you?

Dairy Celebrates National Pi Day

                      I know, it's not really National Pie Day, but we can celebrate the mathematical Pi Day
                                                                   with pie and ice cream.

                                                                         Count me in!

  Happy Pi Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

With March being National Nutrition Month, it's only right that registered dietitians

 have their own day (March 11)  during the month!

Happy Registered Dietitian Day!

This group of dietitians visited our farm last year to find out how we produce safe,high-quality milk. 

Registered dietitians work in a variety of settings to provide nutritional information.

I'm thankful for the interest and educational training  registered dietitians have in helping clients of all ages in making nutritional choices that improve lifestyles ,boost health and especially for their efforts to reduce childhood obesity.

Daylight Saving Recipe

Last week my friend sent me an email with a variety of fast and easy soup recipes with this description: "good the first day but even better the second." Even though I believed her, I had to try it for myself!
Tortilla Soup  fit her description perfectly and is a daylight saving recipe,too!  Even better, it makes enough for a couple of freezer portions to really help the cook when the days are too busy for burning daylight in the kitchen.


Tortilla Soup

3-4 Chicken Breasts,cooked and shredded
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 chopped onion
1 clove garlic,minced
3 cans chicken broth
2 Tablespoons Mexican seasoning or 1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can Great Northern beans

Toppings:Tortilla chips,jalapenos,shredded cheese

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chicken and all other ingredients. Simmer 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips,jalapenos, and shredded cheese.

                                     

                                                I recommend enjoying this with a cold  glass of milk!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Dairy cattle are cared for around the clock 365 days a year.

During these cold,snowy days, I love  watching the cows gather around the hay feeders to enjoy the crop that we harvested on a hot summer day. We care for our dairy cows everyday by providing  a nutritious diet,good medical care and healthy living conditions.

Even though the snow is beautiful and moisture for the soil is appreciated, I'm thankful that we are approaching the end of winter!

Dairy Fuels Greatness

 National School Breakfast Week (March 2-6) is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the importance of good nutrition and physical activity each day with emphasis on starting the day with breakfast.

Breakfast at school  changes lives according to the No Kid Hungry organization. The annual 'Hunger in Our Schools' report identified that 76 percent of educators say that their students come to school hungry and one out of five American kids struggle with hunger.

It's been shown that  on average, students that  eat school breakfast :

• Achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized math tests
• Attend 1.5 more days of school per year
• Improve chances of leading healthy lives
• Avoid food insecurity in adulthood due to achievement of higher academic performance

Dairy farmers are helping schools improve and expand their breakfast programs  through  Fuel Up to Play 60, a program founded by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League in collaboration with USDA, that empowers students to take charge in making small,everyday changes at school  that support lifelong health habits and reverse the problem of childhood obesity. Fuel Up to Play 60 is playing a key role in helping schools improve and expand their breakfast program such as the Grab and Go Breakfast, Breakfast in the Classroom and Second Chance Breakfast.

                                        I'm proud to be a supporting partner of this formula!