2016, Gone But Not Forgotten

2016 Top Ten Most Viewed Blog Posts

My Barnyard View

If you haven't read them, click on the post title and you'll be there.

10. P Is For Planting I planted corn for the first time in our nearly 33 years of marriage. Here is how planting is done, from a rookies point of view.

9. G Is For Greek Yogurt What's the difference between Greek yogurt and traditional yogurt? Also find out why I almost named this blog, "G is for Good Gosh, Why Do We Farm?"

8. T Is For Teeth and Trivia Do cows bite? I get this question a lot. I also share other cow trivia in this blog post.

7. F Is For Farmer John There is a familiar saying, "If you love your job, you will never work a day in your life." I believe this is Farmer John's motto.

6. X, Y, Z, All Done After blogging every day during June Dairy Month, and as June Dairy Month draws to a close, I hope you have come to realize how passionate my family and I are about the farming lifestyle we live. I also included the top ten reasons I love dairy.

5. L Is For Local Did you know that milk travels from my farm to a grocery store within 48 hours? Also, I share how you can find out where the milk you buy comes from.

4. D Is For Dairy3ForMe A letter to Fair Oaks Elementary where I shared my story of life on a dairy farm to 437 students and their teachers. What is Dairy3ForMe and what did the students pledge to do?

3. I Is For Ice Cream (With Topping and History) I share a bit of family history about Farmer John's grandparents who farmed, and also Grandma Schaar's Butter Pecan Sauce recipe. Yummy!

2. Miss America, The Farm Girl I was invited to attend a gathering to meet Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell as she visited a local dairy farm. She's a farm girl too who shared her passion of "Healthy Children, Strong America."

1. Saying Goodbye To Mom I still cry each time I read this post. This was a tough year, as my Mom passed away just one week before I spent the next 14 days at the Minnesota State Fair fulfilling my duties as the State Dairy Princess Coordinator. Through the love and care from all of you, I  moved forward just as Mom would have wanted, as she also shared my dairy passion as a fellow farmer. It makes my heart smile to know that so many of you read my tribute to her, therefore putting this post as the most read of 2016. I am thankful to each of you!

Thank you for continuing to follow me and my family on our journey as we go through life as passionate and proud dairy farmers. 

PS- Have you checked out my other social media sites?

Miss America, The Farm Girl

I loved watching the Miss America pageant as a little girl. All my friends did too. I think secretly we all thought, one day that will be me! The closest I ever got to being Miss America was being crowned Washington County Dairy Princess. Don't get me wrong, as that too was a huge honor, but I never got to be serenaded by host Bert Parks. 

Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell didn't get to be serenaded either, as Bert Parks retired before Betty was even born! Did you notice I called her Betty. Yep, we're on a first name basis. You see Betty is one of us, a farm girl.  

Here I am with Miss America. Who would have thought...

 I met Betty at her recent visit to  Wolf Creek Dairy a dairy farm in Dundas, Minnesota owned by the Liebebstein family. Betty's platform, "Healthy Children, Strong America" encourages children to make healthy choices and stay physically active. It is in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Foundation For Agriculture.

Miss America and Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Kyla Mauk, touring with Mary Liebenstein.

This partnership brought her to Minnesota to visit schools in the area that participated in the First Peas To The Table contest.  This national competition for schools encourages children in kindergarten through fifth grade to plant, raise and harvest peas this spring. What better way to learn, than to get your hands dirty!

This farm girl loves cows!

 So why not visit a few farms while you're here promoting agriculture?

Betty not only talks-the-talk for agriculture, Betty walks-the-walk. After our lunch at Wolf Creek Dairy, she shared about her life growing up on a 700 acre farm in Georgia, her journey to becoming Miss America, (she watched the contest only one year before competing!) and she sang for us (Jesus Take The Wheel). Finally, Betty shared her passion for "Healthy Children, Strong America".

Betty learned to drive a tractor at the age of 9.

  Princess Kay, Kyla Mauk, then had the opportunity to share about a similar program we dairy farmers are passionate about, Fuel Up To Play 60. This program, sponsored by The National Football League and dairy farmers across America, also encourages healthy eating and exercise. 

Miss America greets Dakota County Farm Bureau members.

Here's what Miss America, Betty Cantrell, said on Face Book about her recent visit to Minnesota, "Spending my day in my kinda territory, with our Minnesotan farmers thanks to my partner with my platform, the American Farm Bureau Federation. 🚜 I feel right at home!" ‪

Thanks for visiting Betty! You're welcome back any time...any time at all!