My Minute Of Fame

Fame is usually not associated with farming, unless  of course you are Lisa and Oliver Douglas from the old TV show "Green Acres." Their fame as farmers came because they moved from New York to Hooterville, with no knowledge of how to farm. Although they gave us lots of laughs, Green Acres was not an accurate portrayal of farming. Now here's where my "minute of fame" comes in. A few days ago I received a call asking if I would give some "accurate knowledge" on the reduction of fluid milk consumption by consumers. The request came from WCCO, our local CBS affiliated radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The next morning I was being interviewed by Susie Jones, of WCCO, here at Bremer Farms. Of course there was much more I wanted to say, but the completed news story that was heard on the radio was only one minute. You can hear the news story here.

Ms. Jones also created a story for WCCO's web page which you can see, and also hear the complete interview by clicking here.

Knowing that fewer people are drinking milk doesn't change what we do on the farm. Everyday we are still committed to taking good care of our land, and our cows. So what would make a dairy farmer happy? Drink up! We farmers, and our cows, are doing our part, so now we need everyone to do theirs!

It's Show Time!

Just a reminder (taken from Part 1- A Farm-Style Vacation, and Part 2- A Vacation For The Cows Too!)...Here in Minnesota we are deep into county fair time. Whether you are farm folks, or not, this is the time of year when many of us attend a fair to see the exhibits, enjoy the carnival, and indulge in the ooey, gooey, fair food. For generations my family has been very involved in exhibiting at county fairs. Today I am sharing the first of a three-part series about why farmers take their cattle to a fair, and the preparations it takes. I enjoyed exhibiting and showing my animals at the fair, but I was not an authority. It's time to call in the experts! I recruited my cousins from Brown's Apple Acres. Terri Dallas, Kristi Ruen, Staci Brown, and Heidi Anderson will let you in on a behind-the-scenes look at their "Farm-Style" Vacation.

Part 3 - It's Show Time!


Finally show day arrives and all the work and energy throughout the year is now tested!  Cattle enter the show ring and are evaluated by a judge, a pageant of sorts, as the animals are paraded around the ring. Led by their proud owner, the two work together to make the animal look it's very best, hoping for that first place blue ribbon.  They are critiqued based on their characteristics that make them productive to you the consumer, traits that allow them to produce milk and live a long, comfortable life.  Udder, feet and legs and dairy form are some of the terms you might hear as the judge uses the microphone to explain, to the exhibitors and onlookers, his reasons for placing the class. 

Terri and her heifer, Precious Princess, with their trophy.

There is much more to showing cattle then the grand champion purple ribbon. Friendships are made, traditions like the winner buying pizza for all the other exhibitors, and getting less sleep than anyone should get while on a vacation (remember, there are still a number of girls at home that still need their care too) are all some of the best memories of time at the fair.  Many of our very best friendships are rooted deep in our showing days.  It’s fun to see our kids excited to see their "fair" friends at the county fair, and again when they gather at the great Minnesota Get Together, the Minnesota State Fair in August.

The Apple Acres grandkids ready for the show ring in their white show clothes.

While other families may go up north or to the lake for vacation, our family's vacations, although not traditional, served a similar purpose of spending time with each other while doing something we absolutely loved.  

Brother Jim with his son Danny, the future of "Farm-Style" Vacations.

To learn more about dairy farming and dairy foods visit Dairy Makes Sense

A Vacation For The Cows Too!

Just a reminder (taken from Part 1- A Farm-Style Vacation)...Here in Minnesota we are deep into county fair time. Whether you are farm folks, or not, this is the time of year when many of us attend a fair to see the exhibits, enjoy the carnival, and indulge in the ooey, gooey, fair food. For generations my family has been very involved in exhibiting at county fairs. Today I am sharing the first of a three-part series about why farmers take their cattle to a fair, and the preparations it takes. I enjoyed exhibiting and showing my animals at the fair, but I was not an authority. It's time to call in the experts! I recruited my cousins from Brown's Apple Acres. Terri Dallas, Kristi Ruen, Staci Brown, and Heidi Anderson will let you in on a behind-the-scenes look at their "Farm-Style" Vacation.

Part 2 - A Vacation For The Cows Too!

The fair is not only a vacation for the farm families, it is also a vacation for the cows! It is kind of like a five day trip to the spa for the girls!  The cows are pampered and primped in preparation for the big day. There are countless hours spent washing and clipping them to the point where they are just perfect. The cows also get their nails done…oops, hooves clipped…before the show. They spend all five days laying on a pack of fresh straw, being served hay, corn, and grain on a continuous cycle, getting daily “baths,” having fans blowing on them to cool them off, and basically their every need tended to. It is our number one job to watch and care for them at all times while we are on our vacation to the fair. It’s not that cow’s lives on the farm aren’t luxurious, but they do get extra special treatment at the fair during those five days!

Heidi clipping the hair on the legs so they look perfect for the show.

Another fun part of our family vacation is the ability to educate people who are not familiar with dairy cows as they pass through the barn. They are very curious and have a lot of questions.  We have heard just about every question you can imagine. We appreciate that people ask and have a desire to learn.  It gives us a chance to educate the community. They commonly want to know how cows are milked, how often they are milked, how we pick their names, how old they are, how much they weigh, what breed they are, how much milk a cow gives, etc. The number one question we have heard over the years is definitely, “Why are they so skinny?” You see, at the Washington County Fair, one side of the cattle barn is filled with dairy cows and the other is filled with beef cows. The people that walk through are very curious why dairy cows bones stick out and they don’t look as “healthy” as the beef. The answer is quite simple. That is how dairy cows are made.  For example, just like dog breeds are different sizes, shapes, and colors, the same is true of cows. To be thin, or dairy, is a characteristic of dairy cows. They spend much of their energy and food intake on making milk, not gaining weight. If a dairy cow is heavy, she is either pregnant or not milking very much. So when you see a "skinny" dairy cow don’t worry, that is a desirable characteristic!  

  

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Fresh feed is measured and fed several times a day at the fair, courtesy of Staci and the boys.

Stay tuned for Part 3- It's Show Time!

A Farm-Style Vacation

Here in Minnesota we are deep into county fair time. Whether you are farm folks, or not, this is the time of year when many of us attend a fair to see the exhibits, enjoy the carnival, and indulge in the ooey, gooey, fair food. For generations my family has been very involved in exhibiting at county fairs. Today I am sharing the first of a three-part series about why farmers take their cattle to a fair, and the preparations it takes. I enjoyed exhibiting and showing my animals at the fair, but I was not an authority. It's time to call in the experts! I recruited my cousins from Brown's Apple Acres. Terri Dallas, Kristi Ruen, Staci Brown, and Heidi Anderson will let you in on a behind-the-scenes look at their "Farm-Style" Vacation.

The Apple Acres Cattle on vacation at the Washington County Fair.

Many childhood memories revolve around family vacations.  The family would pile into a car and head for the beach, the cabin, the campgrounds or even the resort.  Whatever the destination, a good time was had by all.

  

Growing up on a farm, our family vacations were a little bit different.  We piled into a pick up and headed to the Washington County Fairgrounds for five days of family fun in the dairy barn! Preparing for a vacation takes a lot of planning, organizing and packing.  This was true of our family vacation too. However, instead of packing a suitcase, we were packing supplies we needed to make our heifers and cows look their best at the fair.  Hoses, brushes, soap and hair spray were carefully placed in a show box along with clippers, halters and combs.  Next, we had to gather feed tubs and pails and grain and hay to feed the cows and heifers, and straw for bedding.  Rule number one on the family vacation – cows and heifers come first.

Now that the cows/heifers are packed, we could pack for the rest of the family.  First and foremost was finding the bag of white show clothes.  Yes, you read that correctly, white show clothes.  A long time ago someone decided that dairy cattle exhibitors should wear white clothes when showing their cattle.  The idea was to have a neat appearance so as not to detract from the general appearance of the animal.  And, did I mention the county fair was always the first week of August? It never failed that it was about 90 degrees in the shade; and there was no shade.  That “neat appearance” lasted about 2 minutes!

Kristi proudly presenting her heifer and a Reserve Champion ribbon.

You are probably thinking, “Now that sounds like a FUN vacation.  Where do I sign up?”  The truth is, farmers show their dairy animals for more than the fun and vacation. Like any other exhibit at the fair, dairy farmers bring their heifers and cows to see how they compare to other cows in their county/state and to the ideal cow.  Yes, there is an ideal cow with particular characteristics for each breed to which all cows are compared.  Each animal is shown in a class against other heifers or cows of the same breed and age.  An overall champion and reserve champion is awarded at the end of the show.  There is much pride for the farmers and exhibitors to showcase their animals at the fair, no matter how the heifers or cows placed at the show.   

Stay tuned for Part 2- A Vacation For The Cows Too!

 

To learn more about dairy farming and dairy foods visit Dairy Makes Sense