You've Got Mail!

 

Hi Jan! 

I'm a 4th grade student and we are learning about farming in the Midwest.   One of my homework questions is, "If you could interview a farmer, what type of farmer would you interview and what things would you ask them?" I said dairy farmer. Would you mind answering my questions? Thanks so much! 

Miya, 

Woodbury, Minnesota

• How many cows do you milk? We milk about 120 to 130 Holstein (black and white) cows. 

• How do you milk the cows? Our cows are milked each morning and evening. Many years ago farmers milked by hand, but we milk 16 cows at a time using milking machines. Usually 2 or 3 people do the milking. You can learn all the steps by clicking HERE. 

Me in our milking barn.

 

 

• Has a cow ever kicked you, especially when you are milking them? I have never been kicked by a cow, but we do have cows that may kick. Usually cows only kick when they are first learning to be milked or if something frightens them. I've also seen cows kick when flies bother them, but perhaps that's their way of swatting those pesky flies just like when flies bother us!

• Are the cows nice? Our cows are nice because we are nice to them. Since we spend many hours caring, feeding and milking them every day we get to know them very well. Just like people, cows have personalities. Some cows even give us "cow smooches." 

• What do you do with all of the milk you get? Our milk is sold to Land O'Lakes  in Woodbury, Minnesota, the same city where your school is located! Land O'Lakes may package it to be sold as the milk you drink, or it may become butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or many other dairy foods. Do you have a favorite dairy food?

This tanker truck comes to our farm every other day to take the milk to the Land O'Lakes processing plant.

 

What else do you do on the farm when you're not milking cows? Twice each day we feed our animals. We plant and harvest the crops. These crops are the food we feed our cattle. We grow all the feed on our farm. Each day we also clean the animal pens. We want our cows and calves to stay healthy and happy, so we keep their barns very clean! Every day is super busy on a dairy farm, but we also take time to relax and have fun with our family. What do you like to do with your family?

Preparing the soil to plant the next crop.

Thanks for all the great questions, Miya. Let me know if you, your family, or any of your classmates have any other questions. Please visit My Barnyard View again, as I am always sharing our adventures of life on our dairy farm. Enjoy your summer, and best wishes in 5th grade!

Sincerely,
Jan

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

Road Trip, And A Date!

With oats, barley, and peas poking their heads through the soil, Farmer John has moved on to planting corn, with only a few hiccups along the way. There is a lot to know, and do, during Spring planting season.

Last week, while applying fertilizer to the soil before planting, Farmer John phoned me, "Janet, bring that roll of tubing over to the field by the County Park." Without question, because I know I have a somewhat frustrated, slightly impatient Farmer waiting in the field, I grabbed the tubing and the needed tools and headed down the road. Some of the property we farm was purchased from John's Grandpa when he retired, therefore it is about 5 miles from our home farm. This is always where break-downs occur, never directly behind our house. Go figure...

Within minutes the hose was fixed, Farmer John was back to work, and I was heading home to start calf chores.

Fast forward to today... Happy Memorial Day! The morning started with Michael and I milking cows so that Farmer John could get an early start on planting corn. "Trying to beat the rain", John said as he jumped into the tractor and started off toward the field. Yes, the same field I visited last week with the roll of tubing, however this time I got some advance warning that I would be making another excursion to that field. "About 1:30 I'll need lunch and more corn seed." "Will do," I said.

Packed and ready to go. Not everyone celebrates Memorial Day in a corn field, but many farmers do!

After lunch in the car (we farm wives call that a date) John was traveling down the field planting again, and I was heading back home to start chores, at least until the phone rings again..."I need more seed." Road trip for me!

Happy Memorial Day!

I love that our neighbor flies this huge flag every day.

A Step Closer To Princess Kay of the Milky Way

This is a fun, exciting and nail-biting weekend for dozens of young ladies from Minnesota. May 16-18 is the Dairy Princess Promotion Workshop in St. Joseph, MN. It is a weekend devoted to skill-building to share the message of dairy farmers commitment to providing safe, high-quality milk and dairy foods, including taking good care of our cows and the land. 

 

MarJenna McWilliam, 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way

 

 

But how are these young women chosen to attend this workshop? Each of them are from a dairy farm family, or they, or their parents or guardian are employed by a dairy farm. They are selected as their county's dairy ambassadors, and then move on to the May Event in St. Joseph. This is also where the 12 finalists are selected  for the Minnesota dairy industry's goodwill ambassador, Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Candidates are judged on a written application, a short speech, a professional interview, and a mock media interview. Live updates of the finalist announcements will be posted to Princess Kay’s Facebook page during the luncheon. On Twitter, updates can be obtained by following the hashtag #MNPrincessKay.

 

After a busy summer of June Dairy Month promotions, parades, and County Fairs, the 12 finalists come together again in August for more judging. Princess Kay is then crowned the night before the Minnesota State Fair opens and serves as the dairy industry’s goodwill ambassador for a year, helping people understand the dedication of dairy farmers to wholesome and nutritious food, and the way milk is produced. Dairy farmers sponsor the dairy princess program through Midwest Dairy Association.

 

 MarJenna McWilliam and her finished butterhead

All 12 of the Princess Kay finalists have their likeness carved in butter during the Minnesota State Fair and make public appearances during the Fair’s 12-day run.

 

Exhausting? You bet! Worth it? Absolutely!

We at Bremer Farms are proud to support this program and anxiously look forward to the announcement of the finalists, and the crowning of our 61st Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

  

 

A Dairy Good Summer

As the weather warms, and summer is fast approaching, it is time for me to say "see you later" to my other job...working as a Title One Instructional Assistant at one of our local elementary schools. Each day I am blessed to help some of the most incredible students with their reading and math skills. As I wave good-bye to some wonderful students and their teachers, I step back into my other job at our dairy farm. 

Here are some farewell greetings from a few of my students...

"Have fun milking the cows?" Sure will!

"I love you more than cows do."

Can you tell they know I live on a dairy farm?

I always loved finding a prize in my cereal box. So sweet!

Saying good-bye is difficult for all of us.

What a lucky person I am to have two careers that I love. So for now I say "see you later" to my students, it's time for this lucky lady to be a full-time farmer, so until next fall...

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Not Your Typical Mother's Day

Since our career is not a "typical" 9-5 job, why should we expect our holidays to be "typical"? Mother's Day is no exception. Whether it be a holiday or just any old day, we are committed to taking care of our animals. And we are o.k. with that. We knew about this commitment when we signed on to this somewhat crazy journey called farming.

So what is our holiday tradition to celebrate Mother's Day? Chores, church, and family lunch; usually with a few twists along the way. I remember Mother's Days that began with a visit from the veterinarian because a new momma cow was having difficulty bringing her newborn calf into the world. I remember times when we missed church on Mom's Day because the Spring weather did not cooperate and the corn seeds were desperately in need of being planted. Other years Farmer John worked in the fields while the kiddos and I went to church and then brought slightly cold fast food to the field, spread a blanket on the edge of that newly plowed field and enjoyed our gourmet feast for Mother's Day. But I'm o.k. with that. Being with family is what matters to this mom...and I enjoy a few twists along the way! 

Happy Mother's Day!

Sara and I celebrating Mother's Day, farmer style.

Daughter Sara shared her Mother's Day thoughts as a guest blogger for Dairy Makes Sense. Read about her 132 Mother's Day Wishes On A Dairy Farm.

Teacher Of The Year

The milking machines were humming as the cows contentedly gave their milk. Only an occasional "moo"  broke the silence. Just another typical Thursday evening milking session on Bremer Farms. At 6:00 I turned to Farmer John and said, "Well, do you think we are the parents of Teacher Of The Year, yet?" You see, daughter Sara was nominated by her peers as a finalist for our school district's Teacher Of The Year. Sara was surprised to be nominated, and of course we all felt just being nominated was a great honor, but deep down this proud mom (me) hoped she would receive the title. 

A few moo-ments later, John and I both turned towards the door, as we heard it slowly creep open. There stood Sara in her dress and jeans jacket, complemented with her slightly manure covered barn boots. "Well?" I said. With a bit of a smile on her face, she presented the Teacher Of The Year plaque she had been hiding under her jeans jacket!

Not a great photo, but still a moment worth capturing.

It goes without saying that we are extremely proud of our daughter... today and every day. She is part of an amazing team of over 300 dedicated teachers in our school district that educates 4,700 students, but I bet she is the only teacher that would make the milking barn her first stop after receiving this award!

Sara after being named Hastings Teacher Of The Year.

Antibiotics And Milk? What's The Deal?

So what's the deal on antibiotics in milk? It is a frequently asked question when I share my life as a farmer with groups and individuals. I have always been very honest, open and transparent about what we do on our farm, and I will continue to do so with this topic as well. 

As consumers, you and I want to serve our family the safest foods available. We farmers have the same concerns as the people who buy our products. Remember, we at Bremer Farms not only produce milk, we buy it too.

We spend much of our day caring for our animals to keep them healthy (and happy). Healthy cows are a priority with farmers. Unfortunately, just like you and me, even healthy creatures get sick. On Bremer Farms, and other farms too, antibiotics are given only when they are needed to treat and cure illness, just like when you or your children aren't feeling well. When we make the decision to use antibiotics they are given for a prescribed period of time to treat a specific illness so our cows don't suffer. They are NOT routinely given as prevention to keep our animals healthy. They are used on an "as-needed" basis.

Waiting to be milked.

If a cow is treated with needed antibiotics to deal with a sickness, the milk from that cow goes directly into a separate milking bucket. It never goes into the bulk milk tank or makes it into the food supply. We continue this procedure until all antibiotic residue has left the cows system. After repeated testing for this residue, only after there is no trace of antibiotics in the milk, will this cows milk be allowed to go into the bulk tank.

Another load of antibiotic-free milk heads to the processing plant.

 Our milk processing plant also helps to keep milk safe. Every single load of milk that leaves our farm (and every farm) is tested for antibiotic residue. Rarely is any found but if it is, the entire load of milk is discarded immediately, and the responsible farmer must pay for the entire load of milk...not just the milk from his farm, but the milk from the other farms that were in the truck too. This can amount to thousands of dollars. Besides financial losses, dairy farmers run the risk of reputation damage and the risk of losing their license to sell milk. Everyone involved in milk production takes antibiotic residue very seriously! I can say with confidence and pride that all milk you purchase from your local grocery store is antibiotic free. So that's the real deal about antibiotics and milk. Any more questions?

 

 

I need your help in preparation for June Dairy Month. Each June I write an
A to Z Dairy blog-a-day celebrating dairy farming and dairy foods. I'm looking for topic suggestions for each letter of the alphabet. What would you like to know? So leave me a comment, click on the contact me tab, tweet me or use Google+. Thanks for your help!