Dairy Paradise

I can't think of a better way to kick-off June Dairy Month than getting to taste  delicious recipes made with a variety of dairy products at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest in Little Rock. It truly is a dairy paradise of good eating!

Recipes are judged on the use of dairy products, originality,the availability of ingredients and preparation and  serving technique. It's always fun and rewarding to observe the contestants, who can range in age from 9 to 19, preparing their recipes for the contest.  As a Farm Bureau member I take pride in the programs that support the development of our young people because it's obvious that each one has learned a variety of life-long skills by participating in this contest.

Congratulations to this year's winner of the Party Idea category  Emma Williams of Searcy (White County). She described her recipe as a mixture of all the foods she loves. When you taste this pie, you will definitely agree it's a bit of dairy paradise!



Paradise Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

20 pecan shortbread cookies (crushed)
1 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup butter (melted)

Filling:

1 small package vanilla instant pudding
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large banana (sliced)

Topping:

1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
11/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup toasted flaked coconut

Directions:

Crust: Mix cookie crumbs, 1 cup coconut and melted butter in a small mixing bowl and blend well.
Press into a pie plate to make crust. Bake at 10 minutes at 325 degrees or until lightly browned.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine milk and vanilla pudding and whisk until stiffened. Fold in 1 cup coconut and sour cream until blended. Set aside. Arrange sliced bananas on the bottom of cooled crust. Cover with pudding mixture; Set aside.

Topping: Combine whipping cream in a bowl and beat until stiff. Add sugar and continue to beat until mixed. Fold drained pineapple and prepared whipping cream together, spoon over the pudding mixture of the pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Planning a harvest time for any crop can be tricky when the weatherman

 is predicting a chance of rain everyday.

When it looked like we might have a day of sunny weather  to allow

 just enough drying time before chopping and hauling to the silo,

 the mowing began

Watching this process is fascinating when it goes according to the plan.

Most of the crop was hauled to the silo but  when mechanical

 issues stopped the process,

I'm thankful 

we still managed to harvest the crop by 

changing the plan to  wrapping and baling.

June Dairy Month

Dairy farm families have been celebrating June Dairy Month since 1937.  

It has become our opportunity to promote our delicious nutritious milk 

and dairy products and to share how we work to care 

for our cows and the land we call home.

I'm kicking off my June Dairy Month in Little Rock judging  the 

Arkansas  Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest. I can't think of a better way to 

celebrate than tasting delicious recipes loaded with dairy products!

How will you celebrate June Dairy Month?                                                     

Memorial Day

Even though we're working down on the dairy farm today like every day,

it's a special day...Memorial Day.

It's the opportunity to pause and  celebrate those who have given the 

ultimate sacrifice that has provided the freedom we enjoy each day.

"We don't know them all, but we owe them all."

That sentence says it all.

Happy Memorial Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Did you ever get the "look" from your mother when

 your behavior was less than perfect?

This new mama was giving the "look" to the family dogs that followed

 me to the pasture and  wandered just a little too close to her new baby. 

                      Watching the behavior of our cows and thinking about my own experiences
                          of mothering and being mothered, I'm thankful for the God given gift
                                      of maternal instinct that protects our young  and the "look"
                                           that often provides a boundary of safe behavior.

Dairy Farm Test Day

Once a month our cows have a test day. I'm pretty sure  it's a lot easier and 

less stressful  being a cow on  test day than it is for students taking final 

exams at the end of the semester!

All our cows have to do is come to the barn and  be milked on their regular schedule.

 The real work for test day  is done by our  MidSouth Dairy Herd Improvement 

Technician Greg. He arrives before milking  to place his measuring meters

 in the barn, organizes his milk vials and  prepares to collect each sample.

When sampling is finished, information is typed into our computer system 

and   the samples will be shipped  to the lab for analysis.

 In  less than a week we will have information at our fingertips via email.

The test results provide us with an analysis of the milk volume and

 components of each cow's milk  and are used  as part of the record keeping 

 system to guide us  in the  management of our dairy herd.

Greg provides dairy herd improvement  service to dairy

 farms in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky.

It's dedicated people like Greg that work with us down on 

the dairy farm to produce high quality milk. 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Before Casey was in sight of the pasture with the feed wagon, these pregnant  cows 

 were ready and waiting for their morning treat. They weren't a bit 

bothered by the chilly,rainy weather that's been

 hanging around for the last few days.

                              I'm thankful for the routine of our everyday life on the dairy farm.
                                     No day is the same because of the things we don't control
                                               and  yet it's our routine to care for our cattle
                                            and the land we call home everyday of the year.