Dairy Farm Recycling

It's a fact--if you have cows, you have manure. 

Recycling cow manure is an important part of our  dairy farming operation.

Hauling manure  doesn't happen every day but it's on the weekly

 to do list.  In between hauling events,  the manure that our cows

 produce is stored in a large concrete pit by the dairy barn or in the

 dry stacking area  in the feed barn. 

All of our storage areas meet the requirements of the 

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

Nutrient management plans  are designed specifically for our farm by

 engineers and technicians. The plans  guide the amount,source, 

placement and timing of manure  to fertilize the soil and

 improve the water holding capacity for crop fields and pastures.

                                                                       

Storing and hauling manure is all about protecting the environment

 for our cows, our farm, our family and our neighbors and is important

 to the sustainability of our farm.

               

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Would you know how to create a recipe from a list of food ingredients 

and explain everything about your prepared dish that included

 nutrient content, nutritional value,cost and food safety?

Ten teams of Benton County 4-H members rose to the occasion of participating

 in the first Benton County 4-H Food Challenge contest last weekend.

As one of the judges representing Benton County Farm Bureau,

 I can say first hand that it was a blast watching kids

 from age 9 to 19 work together for learning and competition.

I'm thankful for the many youth activities supported 

by Benton County Farm Bureau and for the members

 and leaders of Benton County 4-H.

Happy Veteran's Day

As I traveled to the monthly Benton County Farm Bureau board meeting tonight, I tuned into a special KURM  radio broadcast of a Veteran's Day assembly at one of our local schools.

Students were singing the most beautiful  arrangement of America the Beautiful.

Listening to the music reminded me of all the blessings of freedom 

 we enjoy daily thanks to the service of  our Veterans.

May we never take our freedom for granted.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Policy making time at Farm Bureau is serious business.

 It's our policy framework that guides the work of our organization. 

As stated in a recent  membership brochure-- 

"Farm Bureau policy, because it is crafted by individuals, 

reflects a wide range of needs and interests. Issues are as far-ranging as

 soil testing,production research,public education, taxes,

 roads, trespassing,health and safety."

Resolutions for policy  are presented at the county annual meeting. 

Every member who chooses to do so can have a say in our policies and programs.

It's the grassroots process of policy development that sets us apart from other organization.

Last week the State Resolutions Committee, met in Little Rock 

to discuss the presented changes or additions to the 

policy adopted at the county level.

Discussion of each issue that is presented is interesting,enlightening and

 although we may not all agree, majority rules. 

The final step in policy development will be the presentation of these 

policy changes to the Delegates at the Arkansas Farm Bureau 

Annual Meeting in December.

I'm thankful to be involved in an organization 

where membership does really matter!

Dairy Time

As the sun was setting this afternoon, the dairy cows  were resting and 

 enjoying their leisure time in the pasture.  

It was obvious that even though we changed the milking times  

 to accommodate the time change, the cows didn't seem to notice that

 Daylight Savings Time ended today.

I'm afraid it will take me a couple of days to adjust to the schedule 

changes in chore times even though I did get that extra hour of sleep!

We live on dairy time regardless of the 

beginning or end of Daylight Savings Time.

                             
                       
                                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

You could set your clock by these pregnant  dairy cows. 

They know when they hear the little feed truck come down the lane

 that it's time to eat!

                                     I'm thankful for the daily scenes just like this because it
                                   reminds me that everything we do down on the dairy farm
                                          to care for our dairy cows  has value in producing
                                                                  safe, high-quality milk.

Dairymom Job Security

When I get the call, "Are you home?", I know that my plans have changed.

 It's how things operate down on the dairy farm. 

It wasn't a difficult task to follow the farmer and tractor to the field  but

 in the scheme of everyday farming life, it was one of the many

 measures of time efficiency and safety.

As our population has grown, so have the number of vehicles traveling our roads.

Not every one understands or cares  that a tractor and an implement 

like the culti-packer don't move at lightening speed and even dirt roads 

are not always easy to maneuver when you meet oncoming traffic.

For our safety and in trying to be considerate of  our neighbors

 traveling the same roads,

 we use  the least traveled roads and if possible, choose the time

 of day for less traffic.

Traveling behind the tractor in a vehicle with flashing lights is

 the least I can do to try protecting my family.

It's my job.