Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

More than 10 years ago , my Mother-in-Love Bonnah Lyn  presented me

with this blooming crab apple tree. Even though it's a bit crooked 

from a couple of bad storms causing a twist and loss of a  few branches,

you can't help but enjoy its beauty during the period of blooming 

and the sweet memories of my tree loving mother-in-law. 

There's a lot of assurance and hope in the unfolding of spring

 and  the routine  of daily life down on the dairy farm.

The impact of COVID-19 has removed alot of our normal in everyday

life but it can not remove our joy and hope!

I'm thankful that we are able to continue milking the cows, 

feeding the cows and calves  and producing high-quality milk

that feeds families in our community.

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually

grant you peace in every circumstance."

                   --II Thessalonians 3:16

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Spring has arrived!

The grass  greening up, the pollen count

 climbing with all the trees and flowers beginning to bloom and

the addition of new babies to the dairy farm brings an assurance

that there is still a "normal" to our daily life.

I'm thankful for these warmer, sunny days that we have

enjoyed this week and for the fact that

we are #StillFarming during this pandemic virus 

situation that we are all facing together.

                                         
                                             I'm sharing a video that I made this week of my
                                   favorite dairy farmer to assure you that we are still working
                                        to produce high-quality milk for you and your family.
                                         

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

 

      Although life on the dairy farm this week  has been much the same with

milking and feeding the cows and performing the daily chores 

 required in caring for our animals and the land everyday,

we have all been impacted personally by the impact of COVID-19

on our families and communities.

As each day this week has unfolded with a new request to 

change our schedules or conveniences to protect our 

families and communities,a new awareness for what we 

 easily take for granted has been exposed.

Change can create a lot of chaos but it also brings to light 

those things we hold most dear.

I'm thankful for the opportunities during this stressful

time of change like  the moments of fun and silliness

with my grandchildren

and 

the joy  in  celebrating  my very sweet and special

Mother's 89th birthday!

                                   "whatever is true, whatever is honorable,whatever is right,
                                  whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,
                                  if there is anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these                                                          things."
                                                                                         ---Philippians 4:8

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!