It's About Time- Tater Tot Hotdish

Other than my college stint in Iowa, I have lived in Minnesota all my life. For some reason Minnesotans are associated with hotdish, or to those of you non-Minnesotans...casseroles. According to Wikipedia hotdish is served at family gatherings and church dinners. 

This past weekend I decided it was about time. We were invited to a 4th of July potluck picnic at the Pemble's and I had never made Tater Tot Hotdish before. It's about time! I mean from what I hear, it is supposed to be THE Minnesota hotdish! See what you think...

Tater Tot Hotdish

recipe from Just A Pinch Recipes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned, seasoned & drained

2-3 c of canned (drained) or frozen vegetable of choice: green beans, corn, peas or mixed vegetables (optional)

3 lb frozen tater tots

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 c milk

8-12 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Directions 

1. Spread browned meat in a greased 9x13 pan.

2. Add a layer of vegetables. 

3. Cover with tater tots.

4. Combine the soups and milk, and pour over tots.

5. Bake for 45 minutes at 350'. Add the cheese & bake for 10-15 more minutes. 

 

It's a simple, tasty meal, and that's the way this farm mom likes to cook! 

What's your simple, quick, go-to meal?

 

We Need Your Help

We, and farmers like us, need your help. 

 

A new coalition called A Greater Minnesota (AGM) has been created to inform Minnesotans about the issues surrounding farming and food production and the economic impacts to the state.

What's AGM's purpose?

  Policies and regulations that support agriculture are paramount to protecting and growing Minnesota’s status as a major player in the farm and food production industry. To help ensure its sustainability, a new coalition called A Greater Minnesota (AGM) has been created to inform Minnesotans about the issues surrounding farming and food production and the economic impacts to the state.  This new coalition is launching a campaign to raise awareness – specifically among legislative candidates who can adopt and maintain policies that support a thriving food and agricultural sector. A key component of the campaign is to inform the public about key issues and ask Minnesota voters to encourage legislative candidates to take the 5-Point MN Farm and Food Pledge. The pledge encourages support for all good MN farms (big or small, traditional or organic), environmental stewardship, caring for farm animals, sensible food labeling and food safety. The Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, the Chicken And Egg Association of Minnesota, the Minnesota Milk Producers Association and various other Minnesota farm and food entities support the AGM coalition. 

 But I'm not a farmer. Why should I care? 

  Minnesota farmers and food producers play an essential role in the state’s economy and are largely responsible for the quality food consumed on a daily basis. The market value of food and farm products sold in Minnesota each year is about $21.3 billion, according to the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Additionally, jobs provided by the food and farm industry employ hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans.

 

“If you live in Minnesota, the agriculture industry benefits you. It puts good food on your table, supports hundreds of thousands of good jobs in both greater Minnesota and the metro, and is a huge contributor to our state economy,” said Perry Aasness, executive director of Minnesota Agri-Growth Council.  “We need legislators to put good farms, food and jobs first, and we need Minnesota residents to help us hold them accountable to keep our extensive and diverse food and agriculture sector strong.”

So it does affect me. What can I do about it?

AGM encourages Minnesota residents to visit Farm and Food MN to learn more about agriculture and how they have a vested interest in its vitality. The website is also home to a platform that helps people easily discover candidates for office in their district and offers them a simple on-line tool to urge candidates to support the critical farms and food agenda.

Despite its importance, farming advocates are on the decline. The disconnect between farmers/food producers and everyday folks continues to grow. A recent poll found that only 42 percent of people in Minnesota personally know someone who operates or works on a farm. Those numbers are even lower in urban areas and among the young.

Concerns regarding the safety and methods of how our food is produced have increased dramatically in recent years, but the care, safety and protected environment of our farm animals has never been better. Crops, today, are producing higher yields, nourishing more people, all while using less water, fuel and other chemicals. 

 Please visit Farm and Food MN to learn more about agriculture in Minnesota. I also ask that you consider contacting your local candidates to express your concern for agriculture in Minnesota. It's as easy as a click of a button at Farm and Food MN.

But I'm not from Minnesota...

I still encourage you to check out Farm and Food MN. You will learn a lot about agriculture, view videos, and witness the passion we farmers have for our important industry that affects us all.

A Tale Of Three Bridges

 Today is a long awaited day for me and my fellow 

Hastings, Minnesota residents!

Since our town sits on the banks of the  Mississippi River, we are home to a bridge that takes us across the  "Mighty Mississip." So why is this a long awaited day? Hold on, I'll get there, but first a little history.

Hastings' first bridge was the Spiral Bridge, built in 1895. Since the Spiral Bridge was built for horse traffic, it was very narrow. This bridge served the community well for many years, but towards the end of its lifespan it was rusted and could only support a 4-ton load. School buses filled with children were too heavy to make the trip, so the children had to walk across the bridge while the driver drove the empty bus across.

In 1951 the Spiral Bridge was replaced by a two-lane  steel bridge. Showing wear and tear, it had been scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a new bridge in the year 2019, but after the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it was re-prioritized and construction started in 2010.

Last year I blogged about a milestone in the construction of Hastings' newest bridge. If you click here you can watch the video of our new bridge being moved into place. 

Which brings us to today, a long awaited day for me and my fellow Hastings, Minnesota residents. After 3 years of driving through bridge construction, waiting in long lines, and contending with some drivers who were not always "Minnesota nice," our new, 4-lane bridge is open for business!

I feel blessed to live in a beautiful part of the country, 

complete with a beautiful bridge!

Thanks to Dave Youngren for the current photos. 
To see more, visit Hastings Bridge Watch

Who's Number 60?

Christine Reitsma, 59th Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2012-2013

This year the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title marks its 60th anniversary. Dozens of dairy princesses from across Minnesota are gathered at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, May 17-19 to participate in workshops and judging.  At the weekend’s conclusion, the Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists will be announced. 

Dairy princesses are young women who are from dairy farm families or are involved in the dairy industry through their employment or that of their parents.  They make appearances in classrooms, at parades and community events, and county fairs.  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.

Princess Kay candidates are judged on a written application, a short speech, a professional interview and a simulated media interview. The 12 finalists are named May 19.  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.

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.

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 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. 

Flat Aggie From California

Perhaps you have heard the story of Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. Stanley is a young man who wakes up one morning to discover he has been flattened while he was sleeping. Yes flat...as a pancake (only thinner, like paper.) Imagine the adventures you could have if you were small enough to stow away in an envelope to see the world. Stanley did just that! Now think about what a great way this would be to learn about agriculture around the United States. Sarah's blog, House Ag Built along with her first grade students, constructed Flat Aggie (Agriculture, cute, huh?) to visit farms to learn every thing they can through the eyes of Aggie. I invited Flat Aggie to visit our dairy farm in Minnesota. Here is the first of our adventures that I am sharing with Sarah and her first graders.

Flat Aggie went to the Midwest Dairy Expo with John and I. This is one place farmers can go to learn more about being a great farmer and about the newest farm machinery and supplies. Flat Aggie really liked this big plastic cow at the Dairy Farmers of America booth. Aggie learned that the milk from our farm is sold to Kemps, which makes it into yummy ice cream. 

After a tasty ice cream snack, we visited the Midwest Dairy booth. Barb, Jodi, and Sami explained to Flat Aggie that dairy farmers get paid to sell their cows milk and a little money each month goes to Midwest Dairy to advertise how important it is to have dairy foods every day to keep our teeth and bones strong and healthy. Midwest Dairy also teaches people how dairy farmers, like us, care for our animals and our land.

After a busy day, Flat Aggie was getting pretty worn out. His tired little feet couldn't hardly walk another step, but wow, you should have seen him perk up when he saw the sparkly crown on Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Christine Reitsma. She spends many days traveling around Minnesota, representing Minnesota Dairy farmers, to help share our story about how much we love what we do to make delicious milk for everyone to enjoy! (I think Flat Aggie would have liked a little kiss from Princess Kay, but he was too shy to ask.)

Flat Aggie was so sleepy from our long day, he slept all the way home. But he is so excited to help with calf feeding and cow milking tomorrow! Stay tuned!

When It Rains, It Pours!

I wish the title of this post was a commentary about the weather, but sadly it is not. Unfortunately, we are in need of rain here in Minnesota, but more about that in a moment. My plan is to post on my blog once or twice a week and as you can see, it has been longer than that, much longer. When it rains, it pours is in reference to the busy, crazy times going on here. In the past 2 weeks I have helped plan and execute a retirement celebration for our Pastor of 31 years, sewed 6 costumes for my son's work and a pirate costume for my daughter, and helped construct a booth and a float for our annual summer festival in town. Whew! All of this on top of the day-to-day duties that continue. I'm not complaining, in fact, I look forward to this kind of additional "busyness." I love working with family and friends to accomplish goals, and we've accomplished a lot in the last 2 week. Now, about the weather...

According to the National Weather Service- Climate Prediction Center, "The drought and heat arrived at a critical time for Midwestern agriculture, especially corn. The combination of heat and dryness has severely reduced the quality and quantity of the corn and soybean crop, with 38 percent of the corn and 30 percent of the soybeans rated as poor or very poor as of July 15 by NASS/USDA. Some states, such as Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana, had  over 70 percent of their corn adversely rated. Unfortunately,drought is expected to develop, persist, or intensify across  these areas, and temperatures are likely to average above normal."  

Although not as desperate, our area is praying for rain too. We have had some, but not enough to provide the moisture we need. Our farm is fortunate to have mostly irrigated land. Granted this watering system is not free like what Mother Nature provides, but it is a welcome back-up plan for this dry, hot weather. 

My prayer is that rain will be provided and we will see relief from the heat so that farmers can continue to FEED THE NATION that we are so proud to do!

PS- I am still sporting the "Rambo" look. See my previous post for an   explanation.

Don't Have a Cow, Man!

The last day of June also means the last day of June Dairy Month. But the "last day" doesn't mean "the end." Every day of every month we, on Bremer Farms, are proud to produce wholesome, tasty dairy products for you. So don't have a cow, man! June Dairy Month may be drawing to a close but our commitment to the dairy foods we all enjoy, goes on year round.

I thought this was the perfect time to share some dairy facts about Minnesota. 98% of all farms in Minnesota are owned by families. In Minnesota, the average dairy cow will produce 7.5 gallons of milk per day. That's more than 2,257 gallons over the course of a typical year. Minnesota dairy farms produce 1.06 billion gallons of milk annually. Dairy is the 2nd largest agricultural business in Minnesota, and generates $1.66 billion a year. That's a total economic impact to Minnesota of $11.5 billion.

To learn more about dairy, I invite you to visit midwestdairy. While you're there, look for my dairy makes sense blog post, "Dairy, Here, There, and Everywhere."

So don't have a cow, man! Dairy is here to stay!