Thump, Quack, Moo

Here's another book by the author of Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. Betsy Lewin is one of my favorite children's book authors.

It seems like the animals on Farmer Brown's farm are always getting into mischief. So often Duck seems to be the ringleader of this trouble. Let's see what the animals are up to today.

Do you think Farmer Brown was happy with duck?

There are a lot of animals on Farmer Brown's farm. We have learned to draw many of them during story time. If you missed a lesson, here's a list of where to find them. Just click on the name of the animal under their picture.

Cat

 Rabbit

Cow

Mouse

Pig

Chick

Lamb

Think Outside The (Pizza) Box

Tomorrow brings another reason to celebrate. February 9th is National Pizza Pie Day! Yes folks, here's another excuse to enjoy pizza for dinner. But I don't think Americans need too much convincing to chow down a slice, or two. According to Pizza Today-

$38 billion- Annual pizza sales in America

   
3 billion- Number of pizzas sold in the U.S. each year 

350- Slices of pizza sold every second

46- Slices of pizza the average American eats each year

93-  Percent of Americans who eat pizza at least once a month

And although we dairy farmers are happy to supply milk for all that pizza cheese, don't think mozzarella is your only option. Our cows are happy to contribute to any of these "think outside the (pizza) box" cheeses.

Asiago          Cheddar           Fontina          Parmesan 
Gorgonzola          Monterey Jack          Muenster          
Provolone          Romano          Smoked mozzarella

You may also want to see how daughter Sara makes 

homemade mozzarella cheese.

Or how about visiting Dairy Makes Sense to see how to make  

Cheese Lover's Pizza Squares.

And if you are watching the Winter Olympics, you may want to try a popular Russian pizza topping called mockba, which is a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. Enjoy!

 

This And That Thursday - 15

A little bit of this and a little bit of that- here's what we've been up to.

Seven inches of snow today and lots of wind.

Uff-da! We were blessed with more extreme winter weather again this week. Monday and Tuesday brought -50 degree wind chills and no school across most of our state. This meant Sara and I had two more days of vacation from our teaching positions. It also meant a day off for Michael since the local television studio he works at is also located at our high school. Since we were all home, that gave Farmer John more helpers with the daily chores. Extreme weather, or not, the chores still need to be done. Take a peek at Baby, It's Cold Outside to learn about what we do to keep our animals safe and comfortable in our "winter wonderland".  

One of my favorite paintings by Minnesota's own Bonnie Mohr hangs in our kitchen.

Did you know...One cow produces 144 servings of milk per day to provide 48 people with three daily servings of milk? Way to go girls! 

Visit Dairy Makes Sense

Farm 2 School And A Vote Too

 

October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections that are happening all over the country between schools and local food!

Carolyn Hudson, RD, Midwest Dairy supervises the cow milking.

Minneapolis (Minnesota) Public Schools recently hosted a Farm to School Community BBQ to raise awareness about recent efforts to improve the amount of healthy, locally grown foods in school meals. Nearly 1,000 students, parents, teachers, and community members gathered together to enjoy farm fresh food, learn about farm animals and crops, and hear about the exciting Farm to School activities coming up this school year. I was invited by Midwest Dairy to attend the BBQ to speak to folks about life on a dairy farm, and the importance of dairy foods. I was joined by Bessie the cow, who was happy to let everyone try their hand at milking her.

Numerous studies have found healthy eating behaviors contribute to better academic performance. As a dairy farmer, I know the importance of enjoying 3 servings of dairy each day to receive 9 essential nutrients. And milk is not just for school students either. Moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas too-you never outgrow the need for dairy in your diet!

Thanks to Minneapolis Public Schools for letting me (and Bessie) 

share our Farm To School story. 

 

Also, my family would appreciate your vote in the Show Your Pride contest where we show our enthusiasm for the Minnesota Vikings and

 Fuel Up To Play 60. The winner receives a farm visit from an NFL player! 

Please vote. (Hint-hint...you can vote everyday).

Q Is For Question

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z through the land of dairy! 

There's no need to pack your bags, just come along!

  Q Is For Question

Anna, a faithful follower, wants to know...

"What's the deal with cow's chewing their cud?"

Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute, and spend 8-10 hours a day chewing their cud. What's up with that?

 

Cows have a stomach organized into sections to take care of hard-to-digest food. When the cow first takes in food, it chews it just enough to moisten it. Once swallowed, the food goes to the stomach’s first section, where it is mixed with chemicals and softened. This softened food is called the cud, small balls of food. Next, the stomach’s muscles send the cud back up to the cow’s mouth, where it is re-chewed and swallowed again, this time going to another section of the stomach, where moisture is squeezed out of the cud. Finally, the food enters the last section of the stomach, the true stomach, where digestive juices mix with the food and start it on its way to the intestine to be completely digested. A cow chewing its cud is a sign of a happy, healthy cow.  

 Thanks for asking, Anna!

For more questions and answers- check out 
They Picked Farm Day and Back To School.

Do you have a question for me? Add it to the comments or email me at bremerfarms@hotmail.com

Learn more about dairy at Dairy Makes Sense
I am making a commitment to share as much as I can with you each day this month, about the life of our dairy farm family including what we do, how we share our passion for dairy, and dairy foods we enjoy.

G Is For Growing

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z through the land of dairy! 

There's no need to pack your bags, just come along!

  G is for Growing.

A newborn calf weighs about 90 pounds and can stand and walk, all within minutes of being born. The newborn calf is fed colostrum, which is the first milk from a cow. It receives colostrum within hours of birth to receive antibodies from its mom, which protect the calf against disease in its early life. Our calves are housed in individual pens and fed milk twice daily until they are about 2 months old.

At this time the calves are moved to group pens and no longer drink milk, just lots of water, grain and hay. Size and age are used to determine when heifers should be bred. Typically this is when they are 12-15 months old. She will be
pregnant for 9 months. A cow gives birth to her first calf at about 2 years.

Cows usually have 1 calf per year and usually one calf at a time, but they can have twins or even triplets. When a dairy cow gives birth, it is called calving or freshening. A cow must give birth to produce milk. If this is not the first time a cow is giving birth, she will already be a milk cow. If so, two months before a cow gives birth, she takes a rest from milking to grow her calf. At this time, she is called a dry cow. 

No matter what stage of life our "girls" are in, their care and comfort is our number one priority; after all they are the future of our herd!

Source- University of Minnesota, Google image search

  

Learn more about dairy at Dairy Makes Sense

 
I am making a commitment to share as much as I can with you each day this month, about the life of our dairy farm family including what we do, how we share our passion for dairy, and dairy foods we enjoy.

 See you here tomorrow...H is for Holstein.

A Day In the Life

" Hi, it's Flat Aggie again. Today I want to share with you a few more things that are done every day on the farm I am visiting."

"Every morning and every evening, every day, the cows are milked. Cow milking 101 will tell you all about how it is done. Dad John and son Michael milk in the morning and John and Jan milk at night. If you remember the other day I told you that Jan, Sara, and Michael work off the farm too. With this milking schedule, everyone is able to do the farm chores, as well as their job off the farm!"

Ready for the milking to begin

I got to help put on the milking machines!

"After morning milking, it is time to do the feeding. Grandpa Roy uses a big machine called a feed mill that mixes corn and oats and other nutrients together. Besides this feed, the animals eat hay and drink lots of water. Did you know a cow drinks about a bathtub full of water each day?"

Grandpa lifted me up to see the feed through the little window.

Dad John is feeding some of the heifers (that's what cows are called when they aren't old enough to milk.) 

"After the feeding is finished, it's time to clean up. Grandma Karen cleans the milking barn and John or Michael clean the animal pens. The manure (cow poop, in kid language) is removed everyday to keep every animal as clean and healthy as possible. The manure is loaded into a wagon (pulled by a tractor) called a manure spreader that spreads the manure on the fields. This helps the fields get back the important things called nutrients that help the crops grow. John said the crops will be planted again in the Spring and I can come back and learn about that too!"

Mike and I used a skid steer loader to put the manure into the manure spreader.

"Today I say good bye to Minnesota, but I am not heading back to California just yet. Jan has made arrangements for me to visit Susan and her family farm in Arkansas. Although I am sad to leave Minnesota and my new friends here, I am excited for my Arkansas adventure. And to Miss Sarah and her students- Jan sent you a package full of surprises for each of you, and there is something tiny and purple in the package too!"