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...

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!

My Barnyard Blessings

While milking cows last night, my mind started making a list of all of the blessings I have received this week. Here are just a few.

I traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to mentor a group of Dairy Moms at a Midwest Dairy social media workshop; sharing ideas and stories, renewing friendships and creating new ones. Thank you for this blessing.

Some of the Dairy Moms at the 2013 workshop

After 29 days in the hospital and a transitional care facility, my Dad is returning home tomorrow! Thank you for this blessing!

Welcome home Dad!

And lastly, God welcomed another Farmer to heaven this week, as my Uncle LaVerne died unexpectedly. I know God has wrapped him in His loving arms. Thank you for this blessing.

What if we woke up tomorrow with only the things 

we thanked God for today?

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

Last year at this time, I was preparing for a trip to Kansas City, Missouri. I was invited to attend a dairy moms workshop, exploring the possibilities of social media. I was anxious, nervous and excited to attend. I knew nothing about social media, other than my Facebook account, (which my kids helped me set-up). Would I be able to keep up with the discussion and the terminology? Well, I am proof that you can teach an "old dog" new tricks! Even though I left Kansas City with my head spinning with all of the new information I had gained, I knew a blog was a project I wanted to tackle!

Some of the 2012 Workshop Attendees

This blog was born in May of 2012. My plan was to give my readers an inside look at my family's love of dairy foods and dairy farming. Most people are two or more generations removed from farming, and because of this, many folks don't know what we do "down on the farm."  Soon after beginning My Barnyard View, I began a Pinterest account, and quickly followed with a Twitter account. Last February I never thought I would be this involved in social media, but over the past year I have seen the benefits of sharing my dairy story. I have been approached by folks of all ages that are eager to get answers to their farm related questions. I have discovered that people truly want to know the story of how that delicious dairy food got to their table. I am happy to share my story, even if it means this "old dog" had to learn some new tricks!

This week I will be heading back to Kansas City. Another dairy moms workshop will be held, and I have been invited back as a mentor. I am hoping I can instill confidence in other dairy moms to take the journey and share their stories of life "down on the farm."

Visit me at my other social media locations:

Pinterest - mybarnyardview  (dairy recipes and other things I enjoy)
Twitter - @mybarnyardview  (my thoughts while I'm on the run)


Workshop sponsored by Midwest Dairy, which represents more than 9,500 dairy farm families to nearly 38 million consumers across 10 Midwestern states. Midwest Dairy works on behalf of dairy farmers to increase dairy sales, foster innovation and inspire consumer confidence in dairy products and practices.