Friday, February 28, 2014

This And That Thursday -17

A little bit of this and a little bit of that - here's what we've been up to.


As the snowy, frigid month of February draws to a close (thank goodness) sadly, so does our month as the featured photo on the Midwest Dairy Face Book page. This family photo was taken on the day Minnesota Viking Toby Gerhart visited Bremer Farms. Wow! Great photography! You can't even tell our teeth were chattering!



I returned home late last night from Kansas City where I attended the Midwest Dairy Dairy Ambassador Workshop. This was my third year of soaking up the enthusiasm, friendliness, and knowledge of my fellow dairy advocates. I'll be posting more about this wonderful experience in the next few days. Stay tuned...

Spicy Cauliflower Soup
One of the many perks of going to a dairy workshop, is meeting passionate dairy supporters like Amber Pankonin, Registered Dietitian, who writes a tasty blog, Stirlist . I can't wait to try her Kick It Up A Notch Spicy Cauliflower Soup filled with the dairy goodness of milk, cheese and greek yogurt, too!


What's a farm without a cat...or two ...or ten? One of our favorites is Cookie. Well, Cookie seems to be just as tired of winter as we all are. She is getting very sneaky about silently tiptoeing into our toasty, warm house when Sara returns from doing her evening calf-feeding chores.

And lastly,
Real Women Milk Cows. Heck yeah! 

I love my new shirt!


Monday, February 24, 2014

Ole' Let's Celebrate!

It's National Tortilla Chip Day!
Let's Celebrate!


February 24th is a day set aside to honor this delicious snack food made from corn tortillas. Tortilla chips are a favorite snack at our house. Eaten alone, they are great... eaten with cheese, they are even better! Whether we dunk them in homemade salsa, drench them in melted cheese, or enjoy them with this Hot Corn Dip; it's hard to say no to this snack.

Hot Corn Dip With Crispy Tortilla Chips. Photo by gailanng 

Hot Corn Dip
 
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (if desired)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2-1 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces monterey jack cheese or 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
tortilla chips, for dipping

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the corn, salt, and pepper.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels turn deep golden brown, about  5 minutes.
5. Transfer to a bowl.
6. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet.
7. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until the onions are wilted, about 2 minutes.
8. Add the green onions, jalapeno, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
9. Transfer to the bowl with the corn.
10. Add the mayonnaise, 1/2 of the monterey jack and half of the cheddar, and the cayenne and mix well.
11. Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
12. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
13. Serve hot with the chips.
14. NOTE: This recipe does NOT reheat well after freezing.

Thanks to Food.com for this recipe.

This may be a corny, cheesy holiday- 
but it's still worth celebrating!


Visit Dairy Makes Sense for more dairy recipes

Thursday, February 20, 2014

This And That Thursday - 16

A little bit of this and a little bit of that- here's what we've been up to.


Our local CBS television station has an ongoing segment called "Good Question" where viewers are encouraged to submit questions that need answers. Last nights "Good Question" was "Why are we drinking less milk?" Here is the link to the interesting and informative response-"Why are we drinking less milk?" 

Quote from "Good Question"-
“I think it’s because a lot of people don’t understand that even as adults we need to be having dairy products every day,” said Deb Sheats, the director of the Nutrition and Dietetics program at St. Catherine University.

And also this week...

My previous post Don't Get Mad...Get Even? was my response to Chipotles online satire comedy series about "industrial farming" and its effect on consumers. I disagreed with their approach to satisfying "consumer curiosity." Chipotle responded to my post, via Twitter.


The conversation continued after this initial interaction. You can see the entire conversation on Twitter. 

I chose to leave the conversation after several exchanges, and here is my reasons for doing so- Mr. Arnold is being paid by Chipotle to endorse their stand on this issue and therefore will not agree with my thoughts even if, by chance, he personally did agreed. Secondly, Mr. Arnold did not broaden the conversation by using #hashtags, therefore not encouraging others to jump into the conversation. It appeared it was becoming a one-on-one battle of words.

I have not given-up on sharing my perception on our ethically grounded, scientifically verified and economically viable way of farming, I am just doing it my way...answering consumers questions, being open about what we do on our farm, and building trust between us farmers and your family. I'm choosing to take the high road!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Don't Get Mad...Get Even?

“Farmed and Dangerous,” Chipotle’s new online-only television series, launched this week. In typical Chipotle fashion, it does not speak kindly of current farming practices. It promotes the idea that today's food system is controlled by "corporate agribusiness" and therefore it is unsustainable and unhealthy. "Much of our marketing is aimed at making consumers more curious about where their food comes from and how it is prepared," said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle. 

O.k., Mr. Crumpacker, it's my turn. I watched your satire, "Farmed and Dangerous." I realize it is supposed to be funny, but I also realize you are trying to make a point about what you and your company feel are questionable farming practices. I could get mad, or try to get even, but I have chosen to educate instead. Since your goal is to "make consumers more curious about where their food comes from" I have chosen to write about what I know about our farm. My hope is that it satisfies some of that "consumer curiosity."


* Our farm is family owned.  Farms can be smaller or larger than ours, but according to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) 97% of U.S. dairy farms are family owned and operated. Our children are sixth generation farmers, and proud of the fact that they can carry on the same values of caring for the land and animals.

* Although farms may not look like they have in the past, cow comfort is still our top priority. We are committed to providing you with safe, high quality milk and dairy products, and it all begins with taking good care of our cows. Our cows are housed in our free-stall barn which allows them to move about to eat, drink and rest whenever they like.

* Our cows receive good medical care, including the use of antibiotics when necessary. Just like people, cows sometimes need medicine when they are sick. Milk from cows treated with antibiotics is separated from the rest of the milk supply, and tested repeatedly on our farm. It is again tested at the dairy plant since it cannot be sold to the public.

* Our farm chooses to not use supplemental hormones, therefore our milk is sold to Land-O-Lakes and packaged under the label "rBST free" in response to consumer requests for choices in the dairy aisle. All milk naturally contains very small amounts of hormones and even farms that chose to use supplemental hormones for their cows produce the same safe, wholesome product.

* Yes, our animal feed does contain genetically modified organisms (GMO's). This biotechnology is found in most of the corn we plant to feed our cows. This allows us to grow more crops using the same amount of land, water and other natural resources since we care about and respect our land. We follow strict rules in regard to the amount of GMO's we can plant.The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration have all confirmed the safety of food and animal feed containing GMO's.  



No, I'm not mad at Chipotle. No, I'm not trying to get even with Chipotle. My family and I are just going to continue to be the hard-working, honest, responsible farmers that my family and I have been for generations. 

Consumers...still curious? The best way to learn about farming, 
is to ask a farmer. What would you like to know?


 

Monday, February 17, 2014

Water... I Need Water


 This is the view out our front door today. We are again met with an additional 5" of the beautiful (?) white snow.


This is the view out our back door today. Yes, that is a hose winding its way through the snow. It reaches from the faucet on the back of our house to the heifer (young females) barn. It seems that buried water lines that are six feet underground CAN freeze. Since farmers are notorious for improvising when necessary, Farmer John brought the garden hose out of retirement so that our girls could receive their much needed drinks. Milk cows drink about a bathtub of water each day, and even though these ladies are not old enough to milk yet, you can bet they still need a lot of water. Caring for our animals is our top priority, even on snowy days!

Friday, February 14, 2014

It's All About Love

I'm guessing since today is Valentine's Day that you're thinking this is just another reminder to show your sweetie some extra love today. I agree, we probably don't tell those nearest to us how much they touch and enrich our lives, and maybe a day devoted to that is a good gentle reminder. (Farmer John and kids...Love you bunches!) But today I'm reflecting on the love I have witnessed this week.

Thanks to "Farm Life" for the photo.
Our family has been touched by some difficult times lately. As you may know, my mom is now home from her three month "vacation" in the hospital. My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece were in a serious car accident this past week. A very close family friend passed away suddenly last week, and our neighbors 2 year old son also passed away. Why am I telling you all of this? Through the grace of God we have been blessed with many close friends. Our friends have comforted us through our family's illnesses, accidents, and deaths. They have been by our side to say an encouraging word, comfort us with their prayers, bring meals or send greetings via phone calls and cards. For all these things, we are grateful.

What's my point? Acknowledge your friendships. Tell them you love and appreciate them. Friendships have helped lighten our load. For this, I am grateful. 

Thank you to all our friends. We love and appreciate you. When times turn difficult for you, you can count on us to be there for you!

Happy Valentine's Day!
from Bremer Farms and Dairy Makes Sense

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Think Outside The (Pizza) Box

Tomorrow brings another reason to celebrate. February 9th is National Pizza Pie Day! Yes folks, here's another excuse to enjoy pizza for dinner. But I don't think Americans need too much convincing to chow down a slice, or two. According to Pizza Today-

$38 billion- Annual pizza sales in America

   
3 billion- Number of pizzas sold in the U.S. each year 

350- Slices of pizza sold every second


46- Slices of pizza the average American eats each year

93-  Percent of Americans who eat pizza at least once a month



And although we dairy farmers are happy to supply milk for all that pizza cheese, don't think mozzarella is your only option. Our cows are happy to contribute to any of these "think outside the (pizza) box" cheeses.

Asiago          Cheddar           Fontina          Parmesan 
Gorgonzola          Monterey Jack          Muenster          
Provolone          Romano          Smoked mozzarella

You may also want to see how daughter Sara makes 

Or how about visiting Dairy Makes Sense to see how to make  
Cheese Lover's Pizza Squares.

And if you are watching the Winter Olympics, you may want to try a popular Russian pizza topping called mockba, which is a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. Enjoy!