Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

It's beginning to look a lot more like spring with sprigs of green grass and weeds,

 new calves and daylight savings time!

Just the mention of daylight savings time brings smiles

to the farmers because it allows them to work so much later

as we begin spring and swing into summer.

After all these years on the farm, I still need at least a 

week to adjust to the dark mornings and the attitude adjustment

that comes with giving up that hour of sleep!

I've had a few friends ask how the cows adjust to daylight savings time.

Honestly, the cows are champions of adaptation!

 Over the years,

we have tried different ways to adapt to the time change and none

have seemed to really make a difference in how the cows adjust in their daily

activities of eating and producing milk.

If you get down to the real rub, it's probably a bigger

 adjustment for the humans on the farm!

Calves don't even consider daylight savings time when

it's time to be born!

I'm thankful for the joy I see from the farmers with the time change 

that begins  the new season of spring activities down on the dairy farm.

Pineapple Cream Pie

Pineapple Cream Pie

Sunday dinner is just not complete without some kind of dessert. Our family favorite  seems to be pie and I felt the need to break out of the usual pie choices and try a new recipe. For some reason, I was intrigued with the idea of pineapple pie.

When I asked Ryan if he had ever had Pineapple Pie, I learned a little bit of our Centerton  history. Before I even thought about marrying a dairy farmer, Centerton had a couple, Thelma and Dale Woody,  that owned a restaurant business in Centerton on Main Street. Ryan had fond memories of Pineapple Pie made by Dale and served by Thelma. The story definitely pushed me to try the Pineapple Cream Pie recipe. The fact that the recipe I chose to use called for Dairy sour cream cinched the decision!

I had looked online for a recipe but decided to go to my old Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. My copy is nearly vintage now but  the outcome of this pie still proves its usefulness--at least for my kitchen! 

Pineapple Cream Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1-pound 41/2 ounce can

   (2 1/2 cups) crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup dairy sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 slightly beaten egg yolks

1 9-in baked pastry shell

Meringue (made with 2 egg whites)

Directions:

In saucepan, combine sugar, flour, salt. Stir in next 3 ingredients. Cook and stir till mixture thickens and bubbles; cook and stir 2 minutes.Stir small amount hot mixture into yolks; return to hot mixture,

stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Spoon into cooled pastry shell. Spread meringue a top pie, sealing meringue to edge of pastry. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

We strive to wean a small group of calves from their

individual hutches to a group in a small pasture within

a 10 to 12 week time frame.  

This last  weaned group are a little bit older due

to trying to avoid rainy weather in a winter  season that seemed

like it rained every day! 

Newly weaned calves are still fed grain twice a day

and checked closely for any signs of illness.

 I  am thankful that this group of my babies are adapting

and thriving in their new pasture environment and

for the pride we feel in growing healthy calves that 

will eventually produce high-quality milk.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Once a month for the last twenty plus years, we get what we call a "test"

of each cow milking in the herd.  The test will tell us  how much milk

each cow is producing and a variety of information that is used in  caring 

for and managing the herd. 

My job before the test day is to make sure all the information about each

cow is updated in the computer system so Greg, our test technician,can update 

the system after he collects each sample of milk.

Greg is not just a technician that works for Mid-South Dairy Records.

He is our friend and part of the family. Even though we are both only children, 

we can almost fight like a brother and sister.

For the first time since being diagnosed with kidney disease, 

Greg was too ill to come test this month.

Technician Tiffany, Greg's fill-in, and I worked through our

test day. It wasn't perfect but we managed to get the job done.

I certainly appreciated her patience!

                                    I'm thankful for Greg's love of dairy cows, his phenomenal
                                         memory about dairy cows,  his devotion to his job
                                                         and most of all his friendship.
                                     Hurry and get well Greg--we've got a lot more fighting to do!

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

It was just an ordinary day down on the dairy farm.

It's common to see the cows resting in the pasture but

I noticed several were gathered around the hay manger.

Two were resting, two were eating and one was keeping

a close eye on what we were doing in the calf hutches.

Her posture made me think that she might come over to ask

us a question!

I'm thankful for the moments that we just simply feel

blessed by the opportunity to  watch normal resting activities of 

our dairy herd, care for our animals and work to produce nutritious 

milk for your family and mine.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Have you ever known a dog that gets a ride to work?

Ever since Dudley figured out how to escape the yard 

fence at Casey's house, he starts walking to the dairy farm

and usually catches a ride halfway with Casey or any

 employee or family member heading our  way.

You just can't help but love this guy!

Once he arrives at the farm,

he  is busy barking at the cows, tries  to corral cows

 when his assistance is not needed or stealing any 

one's lunch left in the shop unprotected.

As you can see, he springs into action!

I'm thankful for the smiles and laughs Dudley brings

to everyone on the farm and for the fact that he loves 

all of us unconditionally.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

What happened to our snow?

I was hoping for at least enough to cover up the mud

that we have been dealing with this winter!

The cows weren't a bit impressed with the big snow either.

We have had 2 new calves born in the last 24 hours and both are

doing well. It's obvious that weather conditions are not

a factor in delaying activity on the farm.

Due to the muddy conditions experienced all winter, 

we have unrolled hay in the pasture where cows are calving. 

These expectant cows are always

monitored closely for the anticipated birth of a calf but

with changes in temperature and weather conditions, we 

become even more alert to the need for rapid response

 to provide for a safe delivery.

                                         I'm thankful for just the little bit of snow down on the
                                  dairy farm and for the opportunity to be a part of this new
                                  beginning that is part of  our farm's sustainability in producing
                                                         milk for your family and mine.