W Is For Wee Ones

It's June dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy. 

  W Is For Wee Ones

Wee ones, as in children, (not Leprechauns),  came to visit Bremer Farms. It is always enjoyable to have visitors and share what it is like to be dairy farmers, but there is nothing more fun than hosting wee visitors, many who have never been on a farm.

Picture first, then cows.

 Our first stop was the cows. As you can see they were a bit shy this morning. Was it the sounds of the children, or the fact that the cows were eating after being milked? I'm thinking it was a combination. They did finally show up.

After touring the milking barn, explaining how cows are milked, and where the milk goes after leaving the cow, and leaving our farm, 

it was off to see the calves.

This is always the favorite stop on the tour. Is it because the kiddos can see eye-to-eye with the calves, or because the calves are so gosh darn cute? 

You decide...

It's always fun to pet a calf...

scratch the itch a calf can't reach...

 

name a calf (Licky)...

or let a calf nibble on your shirt.

And then, of course there are the kittens. No one could resist 

cuddling with a kitty. Ten kittens...

but they all took turns holding the gray one...

a very patient kitten!

After a glass of chocolate milk (to refuel from the exhausting tour) and an ice cream sandwich (just because) it was time for Nanette's wee ones to head off. Thanks for visiting!

V Is For Video

It's June dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy. 

  V Is For Video

"Hi Janet!
Congrats on your nomination for the 2014 Social Media Farmer of the Year award. My name is Allison B. and for the past seven years I have interviewed farmers in our Q&A series for Food Nutrition & Science from the Lempert Report. We also do a video series that shows our readers a day in the life of a farmer."

 

 What's this? I believe I owe my readers an explanation. This spring I was notified by Midwest Dairy that they were nominating me for Social Media Farmer of the Year.  This is a nation-wide, first annual recognition of farmers and ranchers who promote their industry using social media in an effective way. I just received an email last week letting me know that I was not the winner (insert sad face here) and that the winner would be announced in August. If I were a highly paid Hollywood actor, this would be the time to smile politely and say, "It was an honor just to be nominated." I may not be a movie star, but I do agree with the sentiment, it really is an honor to even be mentioned. 

Back to V Is For Video...
Since telling my dairy farming story is the goal of my blog, I jumped at the opportunity to share a video with the Lempert Report. But who is Phil Lempert?

"Known as The Supermarket Guru ^® , Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends, and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions. For twenty plus years Phil has served as food trends editor and correspondent for NBC News’ Today show, reporting on consumer trends, food safety and money-saving tips, as well as showcasing new products, as well as regular appearances on ABC’s The View , The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, FOX , as well as on local television morning and news programs throughout the country."

And now I am proud to present "Bremer Farms" a video

 produced by my son Michael.

You can also view the video by visiting these sites...

Food, Nuitrition & Science from the Lempert Report.

or

Phil Lempert Supermarket Guru

My Farmer spotlight "Q and A" will be in an upcoming Food, Nutrition & Science posting. I'll let you know when that happens. 

Until then, please share my video of Bremer farms. I want everyone to see how much we dairy farmers care about that glass of cold milk you enjoy! 

U Is For United

It's June dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy. 

U Is For United

We have had a lot of rain here in Minnesota...and I mean a lot! Rain can be a farmers best friend, or worst enemy. Yes, crops need rain to grow, but farmers also need dry weather to get those crops out of the field. Besides the weather being a bit uncooperative, perhaps you remember that we are going through quite a few transitions lately due to some serious health issues of my in-laws, who are also our farming partners. You can learn about our changes "in the blink of an eye".

Farmers are like a community. We are united. We look out for each other. We come to each others rescue when someone is in need. You may know the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." The same is true of farming. It takes a community to raise a farm. With the help of our neighbors, the Sorg family, while Sara, Michael, and I miked the cows and did chores- Farmer John, 4 men, 4 tractors, 2 choppers, 4 wagons, and a payloader put up 40 acres of haylage.

Haylage is green, freshly cut alfalfa that is cut a few days earlier, then chopped to be served to our cows later. Since we have had so much rain lately, this is a good alternative to baling hay which requires that the alfalfa be drier. This video shows the chopping process. You will also see a second tractor, chopper, and wagon pass in front of the camera, as we were able to have two choppers going at the same time (thanks neighbors)!

Once the haylage leaves the field it is stored in a concrete bunker until it is fed to our cows. The haylage is  tightly packed, using a tractor, or, in this video, a payloader. This reduces the air from causing the haylage to rot. The end of this video shows unloading the wagon that just came from the field. After it is unloaded, the payloader adds the haylage to the pile which is being packed.

*Typically when we do not have our neighbors help, and equipment, unloading is done slightly different. Usually we use a blower to unload the wagons, and our tractor to pack the haylage tightly in the bunker.

 

The final step is to cover the fresh haylage with a plastic sheet, weighed down with discarded tires. This is again to keep the haylage from rotting. We only serve healthy food for our cows!

 

John is starting to unroll the plastic. Yep, I'm supposed to be helping.

 

Thanks to our neighborhood of "united" farmers, we were able to finish our 40 acres of haylage in about six hours. Without additional help, this project would have taken days...weather permitting.

 

 

T Is For Tour

It's June dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy. 

  Today T Is For Tour

Have you ever visited a dairy farm? 

My parents, and grandparents, and all of my aunts and uncles were dairy farmers. So besides living on a farm, whenever my family visited our relatives, we always went to a farm. Didn't everyone have relatives that were farmers? Nowadays, most people are two or three generations removed from farming, meaning most folks have never been on a farm.  

Today you are going to visit a dairy farm! Now I can't expect all of you to visit us here at Bremer Farms, so through the magic of television (and the internet) I'm doing the next best thing and inviting you to a virtual tour of several dairy farms. No need to pack your bags, just sit back, relax, click on the links below, and enjoy your visit!

"Twin Cities Live" visits Haubenschild Dairy Farm in Princeton, Minn.

Also my friend, Midwest Dairy Registered Dietician, Stephanie Cundith shares some ama-ZING spreads to spice up your sliders!

Stephanie with the hosts of "Twin Cities Live"

"Morning Blend Omaha" visits Vi-View Farms, in Hooper, Nebraska

 "Ozarks First" visits Gunter Farms in Conway, Mo. 

"Momma Cuisine" visits Lindale Holsteins in Hampshire, Ill. 

S Is For Stories

It's June dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy. 

  Today S Is For Stories

 

 

In celebration of June Dairy Month, our local public library invited me to read my favorite cow books during Preschool Story Time. Wednesday morning 51 preschoolers, some big brothers and sisters, oodles of mommies, and even a few grandpas came to hear my cow tails tales.

Now, what to read? I am a collector of cow and farm themed books. It took much effort to narrow down the ones that I talked about. After a brief overview of my favorites, I began by reading Out and About at the Dairy Farm.

I like this book as it takes us along with a group of school kids who go on a field trip to a dairy farm.

 

 

After learning how milk goes from the farm to the grocery store, we learned that we need three servings of dairy every day to stay healthy. This seemed like a moo-velous time to talk about what can be made from all that milk. We played a game trying to name all the dairy foods we could think of. And nope, potatoes are not a dairy food. Neither is noodles, in case you weren't sure. 

 

 

After sharing what our cows do, eat, and how they are milked, it was time to read Dooby Dooby Moo! I LOVE this book! Have you read it? It's an udderly goofy book about the animals on Farmer Brown's farm who think they should enter the talent contest at the County Fair to win the grand prize. Can you guess what the prize is? BOING! BOING!

  

 

 

 

Look who I invited to join us. It's Gabriella, Dakota County Dairy Princess,

with mommies Melissa and Michelle and their sons! Gabriella helped me hand out goodie bags to the kids, and treat bags to the mom's and the grandpa's too! Everyone left the library with a cheese stick to munch on the way home. Three servings of dairy every day...1 down, 2 to go!

 

 

 Check out some of my other visits with wee ones-

 

Back To School 

 

Farm 2 School 

 

 

 

 

 

R Is For Refueling

It's June dairy Month! The barn doors are open, 

so join me on my daily A to Z journey 

to learn more about dairy. 

  Today R Is For Refueling

Meet Alex, today's guest blogger. 

Alexandra Larson, MS, RD, LD is a registered and licensed dietitian. She has worked the past four years as a supermarket dietitian for Hy-Vee, Inc., and will soon begin her new position with Midwest Dairy Association as a Health and Wellness Program Manager. Alex is currently training for Ironman Wisconsin, a 2.4 mi swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mi run event in Madison, Wisconsin on September 7, 2014. She blogs about her training, as well as providing sports nutrition and triathlon information on her blog Dietitian That “Tri”s. 

Whether you are training for a 5K walk/run race or an Ironman triathlon, athletes of all ages, shapes and sizes need a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat to keep their bodies fueled and performing at their peak. There are hundreds of different sports-specific products on the market with claims of providing you with the edge over your competition.

 

As a registered dietitian and a triathlete I always aim to receive my nutrition first and foremost through food. Fortunately, dairy is a nutritional powerhouse providing superior quality protein, and makes an easy and affordable way to fuel your body. In fact, research shows that chocolate milk is almost twice as effective in refueling exhausted muscles and helps athletes build more muscle and perform better.

What makes chocolate milk so superior? Here is a list of its assets:

•   An ideal ratio of carbohydrates-to-protein that is scientifically shown to refuel and rebuild exhausted muscles.
•  High quality whey protein, that is easy for our body to digest and absorb quickly.
•   Fluids to rehydrate.
•   Electrolytes including calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium to help replenish what’s lost through sweat. These nutrients combined with the vitamin D provided in milk will also help build and maintain strong bones and reduce risk for stress fractures.
•   B vitamins for energy.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and The American College of Sports Medicine, athletes should consume a mix of carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes after the completion of a workout. It is within this window of time that our body will replenish depleted carbohydrate stores the fastest allowing for a quick recovery.

As a training athlete, I always keep dairy options handy in the refrigerator to keep myself fueled and ready to go. When I need a snack between meals, I can’t go wrong with whole-grain crackers and string cheese or fresh fruit with Greek yogurt.

 

I can say without a doubt that dairy products have been my saving grace during training. Many times I lack an appetite after a hard workout, and fortunately flavored milk always seems appetizing post-training. I also enjoy carrying dairy products such as Nesquik that have been ultra-pasteurized making them shelf stable until opened. These work great when I’m constantly on-the-go and traveling.

Check out Alex’s Dietitian That “Tri”s blog for more detailed information on post-workout refueling. 

To read more of Alex's guest blog posts on My Barnyard View see

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