Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

There's no other month quite like May down on the dairy farm.

All of a sudden, everything  needs to be done at once.

Everything includes not only milking twice a day and caring for 

our cows,heifers and calves but also hay cutting,wheat harvesting

 and corn planting.

Our feeling of being out of control happens every year but

                                        as crazy as it sounds, I still love the month of May.

I'm thankful for the new calves that are being born almost on a daily schedule,

for the smell of the first cutting of hay,

             

and 

for the appearance of the old fashioned flowers that 

brighten the landscape as we work down on the dairy farm.

                                                                                       

Happy May!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                       As a dairy farmer, I was honored to attend the recent
                                annual conference for registered dietitians in Arkansas held at
                                           Arkansas Children's Nutrition Campus  in Little Rock.
                   
                             Learning about the latest research in nutrition and how that
                               research  is used in helping patients or clients is fascinating
                                                  to me as a nurse and dairy farmer.

                              Dr. Jim Painter, a conference speaker sponsored by Midwest Dairy,
                    presented a talk  called "Finding Truth in Failed Theories of Heart Disease".

                          The gist of his talk was that by digging for the truth and looking at
                        current research on the good fat in dairy, consumption of  whole
                            fat dairy is most  likely on the forefront of being preventive 
                                                         for cardiovascular problems.
                                           I must say that was music to my dairy farmer ears!
                                                           

                                          I also  appreciated Dr. Painter  sharing his expertise
                           in wine tasting and cheese pairing during the Networking Reception.
                                 

During the conference, I met many of the dietitians and shared 

how we work everyday on the farm to produce nutritious milk. 

It's always fun to talk about how we use a dairy nutritionist  

and share our appreciation for what nutritionists and dietitians

  do for all of us.

                             
                                 I'm thankful for the work of Midwest Dairy to foster the unique
                                  relationship between dairy farmers and dietitians and for the
                              research that supports  dairy as an important part of a healthy diet.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee sponsors a 

Dairy Foods Contest for 4-H members  every year  as an effort to 

promote dairy products and provide a learning experience for our youth.

Each contestant chooses to make a recipe in either the Main Dish or Party Idea category.

As a dairy farmer, I love this promotion of the product we work to produce.

It's always inspiring to see how the contestants use their creative talents 

to select a recipe that  will use as many dairy ingredients as possible,  

 present their creation in a beautiful table setting and describe how 

they enjoy  serving their particular recipe at home or with friends.

The winning recipe of each category will be submitted

 to the Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest.

I'm thankful for the judges who take on the task of choosing the best recipe,

the 4-H members who choose to learn about dairy foods,

and 

for other dairy farmers  and members of our committee 

who support  youth activities and dairy foods!

                                                        It was an Undeniably Dairy event!

Earth Day is Everyday

                                          Down on the dairy farm, Earth Day is everyday.
                                            Every day in each season  is filled with tasks
                                         that utilize the land for sustaining our family farm.
                               
                                       It's our job as caretakers of the Earth to use our natural
                                            resources wisely and strive to leave the land in
                                                 better condition for the next generation.
                                             
                                       As farmers, we take our job seriously  and recognize
                                       that we are blessed to have the responsibility of being
                                               caretakers of the Earth and producers of food
                                                              for families across America.
                                         

                                                                Happy Earth Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Watching my family of farmers work together vaccinating and worming 

cattle with  our veterinarian  is one of my favorite spring

 time pictures down on the dairy farm. 

These periodic checkups and vaccinations work to prevent illness 

and insure high-quality milk from healthy cows.

After receiving vaccinations, the calves are sorted and moved to new pastures.

When moving calves to new pastures it is not uncommon for

 them to find the hole in the fence that the farmer missed seeing.

I'm very  thankful for the great neighbors that live around us.

They not only call to let us know we have cattle out but offer help 

in rounding them up so we can haul them home until the fence is repaired.

                                                     
                                            There's no doubt, dairy farmers are on call 24/7.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Just when we thought winter was over,

it snowed.

I'm thankful that it was just a little April snow

that  melted in a few short hours,

that all of the new calves born during this crazy  weather week 

 have been born without complications,

and 

real spring is finally emerging just in time for

the two year old to teach us a few new ways

                                                       to enjoy life down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Last week I was invited to speak to students at Kirksey Middle School 

about dairy farming. Students at this school are involved in the

 Fuel Up to Play 60 program that is proudly sponsored by the dairy checkoff,

 the National Dairy Council and the National Football League.

I am thankful for this in-school health and wellness program that 

encourages physical activity and good nutrition among youth and 

utilizes our dairy farmer dollars to make a difference for all of us.

I never get tired of sharing  about our Spotted Cows,

 life down on the dairy farm and how we work

 everyday to produce high-quality milk.