You're Never Too Old To Learn

 
Earlier this week John and I attended the Midwest Dairy Expo in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The expo is a great atmosphere for farmers to learn of the latest in their industry. Each of the three days there were exhibits to explore; to drool over the newest dairy equipment, to sit in a shiny, new combine, or to discuss finance and marketing strategies with the experts. 

There were also many seminar topics to choose from; managing employees, feeding strategies, cow management, and telling the dairy story through social media. Social media? Like blogging and Facebook and Twitter? That's right!  I was a panelist for the social media session on how we as farmers can share our farming story. I was joined by Seena, another Minnesota dairy mom, and Sami from Midwest Dairy who served as the moderator. We shared what we have done to tell our story; to educate and inform with a little entertainment along the way. Hopefully we inspired our audience to someday share their experiences of "life on the farm."

Seena, Sami and I after our Social Media presentation

And we can't go to a farm event without visiting with other farm folks who took some time away from the farm to make farming even better!

Ashley and Nikki are on Facebook (2farmgirlz)

The Skinny On Skim

While sitting around the Thanksgiving Table with my extremely supportive family, my blog came up in the conversation. Family members were giving me suggestions for topics that they would like discussed.  Some of the family wanted questions answered, while others wanted me to inform consumers about different topics. So Katie, this post is thanks to your suggestion.

How do we get skim milk?

Let's start from the beginning. The milk that comes directly from the cow is called whole milk.  Whole milk contains 3.5% fat by weight.

2% or 1% milk, which is also called reduced-fat or low-fat milk, has its fat and therefore its calories reduced. This milk has either 1% or 2% fat by weight, which is how it gets its name. Clever, huh?

Fat-free or skim milk has no more than 0.2% milk fat. This is the lowest in calories.

But how does the fat percentage get reduced? Milk goes through a centrifugal cream separator which separates the cream from the milk, therefore reducing the amount of fat in your milk. This is done at the milk plant where our milk is delivered fresh for packaging, so that it can be in your grocery store within two days of leaving our farm.

Here's more good news...All milk, no matter what the fat content, has the same nutrients as whole milk.  So you get to choose what fits your dietary needs AND your taste buds! Cheers!

Giving Thanks

  

I am thankful for my family; for my husband that loves my quirks, and my children that accept that I may embarrass  them once in a while. I am thankful for my friends, who put up with my crabby days as well as my silly days. I am thankful for my comfortable home, messy bathrooms and all. I am thankful for our farm and our animals, even when machinery needs repairing and a cow needs help giving birth in the middle of the night. Thank you God for my many Barnyard Blessings.

 

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

This Thanksgiving wooden plaque, which I love, is available at etsy.com 

(Patti's Primitives Tomorrow's Treasures)

Wishing all of you a peaceful, blessed Thanksgiving.

No "Pie Gene" From Me

My family takes turns hosting the holidays, and it's my sister that gets the honor this year. Since my sister is the hostess, she assigns what each of us brings to the table. This year I bring hot vegetables and a pie. If you read Santa Lives In Our Neighborhood (posted August 9, 2012) you know we have the vegetable taken care of, now on to the pie. I have accumulated a pretty vast collection of cookbooks and I chose a recipe from The Hershey's Homemade cookbook. Since my family did not aquire the "I like pie gene" from me, most pies were out of the question, but anything chocolate is a hit with my gang.

Chocolate Marble Cheesepie

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk), divided
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 4 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened, divided
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
•   CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST (recipe follows)
•   Chocolate curls (optional)

1. Stir together cocoa and 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk in small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and very thick. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
2. Beat 2 packages cream cheese in small bowl until fluffy; add cocoa mixture, beating until well blended. Cool thoroughly.
   
3. Beat remaining 2 packages cream cheese in medium bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in remaining sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla. Alternately spoon vanilla and chocolate mixtures into prepared pie crust; gently swirl with knife or spatula for marbled effect. Refrigerate 8 hours or until firm. Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. 6 to 8 servings.
   
   CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Stir together 1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter or margarine. Press mixture firmly on bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate; refrigerate about 2 hours before filling.

The Party's Over

Thanksgiving will soon be over for another year. Then it's time to relax, put your feet up and reminisce about the day. You've earned it! But wait, your out-of-town family is staying with you, and you still feel like you must be in hostess mode. Thinking ahead, here is a simple make-ahead breakfast or brunch recipe for Black Friday morning (before or after shopping.)  

Breakfast Casserole Bites

Ingredients

2 pieces whole wheat bread
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces grated cheese, I like sharp cheddar
1/2 lb cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage or bacon

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Distribute 12 foil muffin cups into a muffin pan. Cut the bread into half inch squares and evenly distribute them on the bottom of the muffin cups. In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup with a pour spout, thoroughly whisk together the eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the mixture into each muffin cup. Bread may float to top.
Sprinkle an equal amount of both the grated cheese and the crumbled bacon or sausage into each cup on top of the egg mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are set. Enjoy now or freeze for later.

Make a big batch and freeze. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Heat in microwave (after removing foil muffin cups) or reheat in toaster oven.

Thanks to Pinterest and 100daysofrealfood.com for this recipe.

MyBarnyardView is on Pinterest. I'd love to have you as a follower!

And The Winner Is...

I just got in from milking cows, and as promised, here are the answers to the Dairy Trivia Game I posted yesterday.

• How many servings of dairy are recommended each day ? Adults and children nine years and older are encouraged to have three servings of milk and milk products each day.
• What percentage of dairy farms in the United States are family owned? 99 percent of U.S. farms are family owned.
• Which dairy product is proven to refuel tired muscles after physical activity? Chocolate milk contains an optimal ratio of carbohydrate to protein. It is almost twice as effective as commercial sports drinks.
• How much milk does an average dairy cow produce per day? The average dairy cow produces anywhere from six to eight gallons of milk each day. That's 2,000 gallons of milk every year!
• How far away does a cow's sense of smell reach? Cows can smell something up to six miles away.
• What is the approximate cost of milk per glass? Milk is a nutritional bargain costing about 25 cents per glass.
• How many hours a day do most cows chew their cud? Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute, and spend 10 hours a day chewing their cud in order to aid in digestion.
• How many spots are identical on the average dairy cow? Every cow spot is like a snowflake; no two are the same.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little Dairy Trivia. 

The girls and I say thanks for playing!

Food For Thought

Thanksgiving celebrations center around food and family. But when all that's left of our family Thanksgiving feast is empty bowls, turkey bones, and full tummys, then what? At our family holiday festivities we go nuts over board games. Some of us play like we are the big cheese, or cool as a cucumber, while others find themselves in a pickle, but either way there's no sour grapes. It's always fun to end up being the top banana, but if not, oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. No use crying over spilt milk!

Here's some food for thought. Why not try this Dairy Trivia game on your family?

How many servings of dairy are recommended each day?
What percentage of dairy farms in the United States are family owned?
Which dairy product is proven to refuel tired muscles after physical activity?
How much milk does an average dairy cow produce per day?
How far away does a cow's sense of smell reach?
What is the approximate cost of milk per glass?
How many hours a day do most cows chew their cud? 
How many spots are identical on the average cow?

I'll post the Dairy Trivia answers on tomorrow's post. Let the games begin! 

To learn every thing from soup to nuts about dairy go to Midwest Dairy You may just find some answers to the Dairy Trivia!
 




 

Competition For Norman Rockwell

As a child, my family always celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad's family. Dad had four brothers, all farmers, all living within 5 miles of each other. Even though we saw each other often, it was special to come together on Thanksgiving. The moms kept themselves busy in the kitchen, complete with aprons to protect their holiday dresses. The dad's waited anxiously for the feast, while discussing farming and football. And the cousins played, and played until we were coaxed to the dinner table to join in the table prayer. We shared a wonderful meal, shared stories, and shared lots of laughs. As late afternoon rolled around, we all headed home to feed and milk the cows, thinking about our "Norman Rockwell" Thanksgiving celebration.


This mashed potato recipe often finds its way to our holiday table. I love that it can be made ahead and even frozen so every day can seem like a holiday.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
5 pounds potatoes
8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream

4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Put potatoes in pot and fill with cold water. Cook 25 minutes until fork tender. Drain potatoes and keep them in hot pot. Add all other ingredients. Mash all together. Place in freezer containers to freeze. Thaw in refrigerator for 2 days. Spray interior of slow cooker and add potatoes. Brush the top with 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with paprika. Cook on low 2-4 hours. If preferred, bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

For other Dairy Mom favorite recipes, check out Dairy Makes Sense

Show and Tell

One of the best things about traveling is meeting new people. Many of you know that in October I attended the Show Me the Blog Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.  I have been posting about some of my experiences, but in this post, Janice Person does the show and tell for me! Janice is a wonderful new friend and blogger telling her story at Janice Person - A Colorful Adventure. While in St. Louis, Janice asked me about dairy farming and I am excited to share this video with you that Janice posted on her blog.

Click here to view the video  "From a Minnesota Dairy Farm to a St. Louis Bloggers Conference"

Thanks Janice, for helping me share my Barnyard News and Views about my life down on the farm. The video is wonderful and I love that you gave me the opportunity to share about my dairy life that I am proud to be a part of.

It's Sundae Sunday

How appropriate that National Sundae Day is on a Sunday. 

Cousins Dara, Sara and Michael

My family has a long Sundae history. We have always been huge supporters of dairy farming and dairy foods. Along with my family, all of my mom and dad's siblings were dairy farmers, and many of my cousins too. You can bet there is always milk and ice cream at our family gatherings.

My mom and dad took their love of Sundaes to another level. My parents own and operate the "Dairy Diner," or what I like to call "Driving Miss Dairy." Miss Dairy served her tasty treats to fair-goers, auction buyers, and festival friends. Every delicious treat served was our way of promoting dairy and showing the pride we have as dairy farmers.  Besides Sundaes, malts, ice cream cones, and ice cold milk, Mom and dad also served other treats, but everything served included dairy. But with age comes change, and the Dairy Diner is now in semi-retirement. Miss Dairy, however, is a frequent guest at family events. Family reunion picnics, my mom and dad's 60th wedding anniversary and Sara's butterhead party held after she was named a Princess Kay finalist, have all played host to the Dairy Diner.

Ice cream Sundaes, I salute you. You are like a member of our family, and always will be! 

So what's your favorite Sundae topping? Leave a comment.

Time To Change The Sheets

It's time to change the sheets. No it's not laundry day. I'm talking about our cows bedding. Our goal is to "change their sheets" frequently so our cows are clean and dry, which helps keep them healthy. We provide our animals with comfortable beds to encourage resting so they can concentrate on producing that milk we love! 

Each bale is about 4 feet tall and weighs about 500 pounds.

Besides using straw (the stalk of the oat plant) for bedding, we also use corn stalks. This is what is left in the field after the corn is removed. The stalks do well at absorbing moisture and they are readily available. Even after baling the corn stalks, this process still leaves behind plenty of crop residue in the fields to protect and enhance the soil. The residue provides cover which aides in preventing erosion and adds to the soil's organic matter. And when the "sheets" get soiled, the mix of stalks and manure is again returned to the field, to enrich the soil for the next crop. 

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Sara poses among some of the 900 stalk bales ready for bedding.

To see what else farmers do to utilize our resources, visit Dairy Farming Today 

The Real Deal

As a child, I spent a lot of time at my friend Kay's house. Her family had a metal insulated box by their back door that collected their fresh milk delivery. How great was that? Since I was a farm kid, we did not have such a delivery service. We did however get Schwans products delivered to our door. "The ice cream man is here!" my mom called. That was back in the 1960's. 

Fast forward to 2012. Jeremy, our Schwans driver, came last week with his delivery truck filled with delicious products, including ice cream. He and I got into a big discussion about real whipped cream vs non-dairy topping, and I am happy to announce that Schwan products proudly wear the REAL® Seal.

The Real Seal is a great tool in the fight against imitation dairy products. Only products made in America with real dairy ingredients are eligible to use it on their packaging. The REAL® Seal logo on dairy products serves as a promise to consumers and food producers that its contents have undergone a rigorous certification process. 

Jeremy delivers the REAL goods!

Shopping at home, or at the grocery store, I always look for the REAL® Seal. I demand good tasting, good quality dairy foods. Don't you?

PS- Schwans was started by a Minnesota dairy farmer!

Whoooo Goes There?

Milky Way, Milk Duds, Cow Tails, these are some of my favorite candy treats. (Notice the dairy theme here?) Wash them down with a cold glass of milk. Yummy!

Since we live in the country, there are not many Trick-Or-Treaters that haunt our house. But the few that visited were too cute not to share their photos.

You butter believe Sara and Michael love Halloween!

Cooper, the cowardly lion, brought mom and dad.

Alex and Scott, as Boba Fett and Mario, say cheese!