Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Frannie, the Arkansas Farm Bureau cow, 

 was on her best behavior today as Westside Elementary students  milked for the first time. 

It's always fun to watch the kids try their hand at milking the cow and give them first hand information about dairy farming and Arkansas agriculture.

                                      I'm thankful for the opportunity to share how we work
                                      on the dairy farm to produce high-quality milk and the
                                             importance of agriculture to our everyday lives.

Dairy Truth Telling

My mother-in-law never gave any farm tours. It wasn't necessary

 because in her generation, every one she knew lived on a farm or had family

 that grew up on the farm and knew where food came from.

 Her generation didn't have fears about how their food was produced,

In fact,  many of her generation  were happy and grateful  to just  have food.

It's quite a change ninety years later.

We now have at least three generations of consumers with no direct 

connection to a farm or family that were connected to a farm. 

Opening the barn doors and inviting consumers to the farm  is now an 

important way we   farmers can share

 how we produce food for  all of our families.

It's a great opportunity for dairy truth telling!

When it comes to food,we have a lot in common, no matter what age:

We love to eat!

As I prepare for a  dairy farm tour this week, it's my hope that our visitors

 will learn the truth about dairy farming  and experience the commitment 

we have to providing high-quality milk and dairy products by taking good

 care of our cows and the land we call home.

If you can't make the tour, you can find more dairy truth telling

 at Midwest Dairy and DairyGood.

Happy Mother's Day

A Mother's Love

A mother's love is special 

It's present every day.

A gift that came from heaven

That God has sent our way.

Her job is never ending

She's there all day and night,

To be there for her children

And be their guiding light.

Her thoughts are with them always

Even if they are apart,

Her children have a special place 

Deep down inside her heart.

Mother's are a special gift-

A gift from up above.

The world would seem so empty 

Without a Mother's love.

                       --T. Entzminger

Happy Mother's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Having a new baby in the family has brought a new dimension to family birthday celebrations.

There is no shortage of someone to hold the baby!

Hattie Claire slept through most of the celebration for her Daddy's 28th birthday but it was the sweetest moment when Cody said that she was the best present he could have for any birthday.

I'm thankful for these sweet memories of my son and his new daughter.

Dairy May Day

What's not to love about the month of May?

That was my thought as I stepped out the back door 

this morning  on my way to feed calves. 

Although the  air was chilly and crisp, it was evident that the

 dairy cows were loving the weather and the green pasture as

 they slowly moved towards the barn to be milked. 

.

Framed by the blooming iris, it was a perfect picture 

of a May day down on the dairy farm.

For 95 years, a member of our family has been 

 opening the  same back door into the month of May. 

We take pride in caring for our dairy  animals, growing crops

 to feed our animals and most important, 

producing healthy high-quality milk for you and your family.

Happy May!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

In the late afternoon on a beautiful spring day in Northwest Arkansas ,

 there's nothing more peaceful than watching the dairy cows graze or rest in the field. 

 This new calf was born in the early hours this morning 

after a terrific wind and  thunderstorm.

                                 I'm thankful for this picture of peace down on the dairy farm
                                      that serves as  a reminder  there is calm after any storm.

Mother's Day Trifle

A couple of years ago, I thought it would be great to have some mint growing in a flower bed. You probably know the rest of the story. With the invasive characteristic of mint, I could share mint beyond my local community!

What better way to use a few sprigs of mint than on servings of Midwest Dairy's 

Mint Brownie Trifle.

It will be a perfect addition to any Mother's Day celebration

 and a delicious way to share an abundance of mint. 

Mint Brownie Trifle

Ingredients

Non-stick cooking spray

1 package (19.5 oz.) milk chocolate brownie mix

1/3 cup vanilla non-fat Greek-style yogurt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

14 creme de menthe chocolate layered

      mints (Andes mints) cut into small pieces

For pudding:

1 package (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding mix

2 cups fat-free milk

For topping:

3 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese

1/3 cup vanilla non-fat Greek-style yogurt

4 teaspoons confectioners sugar

For mint curl decoration: 6 creme de

menthe chocolate layered mints

Directions:

For brownies,preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of a 9x13 in. baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine brownie mix,eggs,yogurt, and vegetable oil. Stir with a spoon until well blended. Stir in mint pieces. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 22 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of brownies has moist crumbs attached. allow brownies to cool completely. Cut into small pieces.

For pudding, combine pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl. Mix according to package directions.

For topping, combine cream cheese, yogurt and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Beat with electric mixer until well blended.

For mint curl decoration, use a vegetable peeler to make small curls by shaving down the long edge of the mint.

Layer the pudding and brownies in a 3 quart trifle bowl in two layers. Spoon the topping over the top layer. Decorate with mint curls. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Yields approximately 20 servings.

To serve as individual portions: Use 12 4-ounce jelly jars. Spoon one tablespoon of pudding in each jar.Then cut approximately 2" square brownie and break it apart into 4-6 chunky pieces. Drop brownie pieces into the jar on top of pudding. Repeat process with one tablespoon of pudding and chunky brownie pieces until jar is full. Finish with one tablespoon of topping and garnish with mint curl decoration. Cover and chill until ready to serve. This method yields approximately 12 servings.