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.

Our Pat on the Back

 L-R, Roy and Karen Bremer, Commissioner Schouweiler, John, Michael, Sara and Janet Bremer Back row- Dakota County Commissioners

Everyone enjoys an acknowledgement of a job well done. Farmers are no different. Our "pat on the back" came on Tuesday of this week when we received the 2012 Farm Family of the Year award given by the University Of Minnesota. The Farm Family recognition program has existed for three decades and honors several farm families throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agriculture industry and their communities. The presentation was made at the Dakota County Board of Commissioners meeting. After thanking the University and the Commissioners for this honor and their continued support of the agriculture industry, we concluded by saying- Farming can be a rewarding as well as challenging occupation. As a Farm Family we have done a lot of hard work to make our farm successful. We are a proud Farm Family that cares for, and respects our animals and our land. Lastly, in the spirit of June Dairy Month, we presented each attendee with a "3 Every Day" pen and an "I Met a Dairy Farmer!" sticker, which the County Attorney assured us he would proudly show everyone at the meeting he was going to. A perfect compliment to June Dairy Month!