Farm Tours

Our farm gets frequent requests to host farm tours. My husband and I typically decline the requests. It can be a lot of preparation. It takes time away from doing our daily chores that still need to get done. Our farm isn’t new. We don’t have the latest equipment or state-of-the-art facilities. Our farm isn’t big. Yes, we came up with a long lists of reasons to say no.

Now don't get me wrong- growing up, my family has participated in farm tours for decades. Growing up on my parents farm I rubbed elbows with eager young school children every Spring. Living only 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, we were often the destination for students to get their first chance to visit a real, live dairy and chicken farm!

When I was younger, all my grandparents and all six of my uncle’s families were dairy farmers. Notice I said were. Today only about 2% of the United States population lives on a farm. Most folks are two to three generations removed from farming.

With the decline in most people having little or no connection to farming, who is going to answer consumer questions? Who is going to refute misinformation? Who is going to defend farmers- our farming methods, our animal care, our supposed mistreatment of the land and our animals. So are we going to sit back and let this bashing and misinformation continue, or are we going to step up and tell our side of the story. And that’s how it happened. That’s what helped my family decide to host farm tours.

I’d like to share a bit about a recent farm tour. We hosted a youth orchestra from Germany. Eighty youth and their chaperones descended on our dairy farm. Since they were from an agricultural area in Germany, their host organization felt they would appreciate seeing the difference between our farming practices versus that of their homeland.  Upon arrival we discovered they were from wine country and knew very little about dairy farming.

Since there were 90 people in this tour, we broke into three groups and rotated between three stations. One was the calf barn hosted by Grandma Karen, our champion calf- raiser. She spoke about newborn calf care and feeding.

Our son Michael handled the milking station which explained cow care and the milking process.

My husband John then showed and described the feeding as well as the crops. The students were so eager to ask questions and learn as much as possible. And they didn’t refuse the ice cream treats at the end of the tour either!

Our family was honored guests at the concert the youth orchestra performed that evening. I am so happy that our farm was included in their American experience. 

So is it work to host farm tours? You bet. Is there preparation that needs to be done? Of course. Does it disrupt the flow of chores? Sometimes. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

I won!

Community service is nothing new to my family. For decades, my Grandpa and Dad served their hometowns as elected officials. My Dad served the Township, then Village, then City of Cottage Grove, Minnesota for over 30 years. As the population grew, the name changed, and the responsibilities increased. Grandpa Dankers was also very involved. He and Dad were always on various committees, boards, and commissions. Mom was too! We used to joke as kids growing up that it was nearly unheard of that Dad had a night without meetings! 

Perhaps we can blame it on heredity then that my brother, sister, and I are also serving. My brother will soon begin his first term on his local school board, and my sister is currently serving on committees and commissions in her hometown. This week, for the first time, I saw my name appear on our Township ballot. On Tuesday, I became the newly elected Treasurer of Nininger Township!

I have actually been the Treasurer for the past year, filling a vacancy, but now I can say I am an Elected Official! There is something exciting about seeing your name on a ballot. I can't explain the feeling other than I feel proud! And I'm sure my Mom and my Dad are proud of me too!

 As dairy farmers, some people think of our farms as an "island" in the middle of nowhere. That is certainly not true. Bremer Farms is 20 minutes from downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis. We even have a golf course directly across the street from our front door. What we do, and what our neighbors do, affects all of us. 

Dairy farmers are local small-business owners, parents, school supporters, and active members in community organizations, and government. We care about the health and well-being of our communities. We also create jobs that help to sustain the local economy. We purchase machinery, trucks, fuel, and more, which creates jobs and produces revenue locally. So why wouldn't I get involved in local government?

Thanks for the congratulations bouquet (and the pie), Ana!

Super Bowl and Super School Breakfast

If you are a Minnesotan, you probably know Minnesota will host the Super Bowl in 2018. If you are a football fan from Minnesota, like me and my family, you definitely know where the Super Bowl will be played next year...and I can't wait! I may not be one of the lucky ones to sit in the stands on game day, but there is still a lot to be excited about!

As we approach Super Bowl LII, Midwest Dairy Council and Fuel Up to Play 60 are working closely with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee (MNSBHC) to award Super School Breakfast grants to Minnesota Schools and celebrate school breakfast across the state in the 52 weeks leading up to the Big Game.

This past week, Adams Spanish Immersion School was host to the grant dedication celebration for St. Paul Schools.

As the students arrived, they were greeted by the Super Hero volunteers representing ECMC and General Mills,

and of course, Midwest Dairy Association was there too. That's my daughter Sara on the right!

After the students Super welcome, they headed to the cafeteria to collect their breakfast because everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

I had fun greeting the students as they went through the breakfast line. I shared smiles and high-fives as the students helped themselves to the nutritious, healthy choices including milk and yogurt.

Then it was off to the Media Center for the program where we were greeted by Maureen Bausch, (CEO, Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee) who shared that just like football players, students do their best when they fuel up with a nutritious breakfast. Through this 52 week campaign, the Legacy Fund has a goal of helping every Minnesota child build life-long healthy habits.

Next it was my turn to represent the Minnesota dairy farmers of Midwest Dairy. I shared with the students how starting their day with a good breakfast, including milk, prepares them for a full day of learning. I told them how proud my family is to be in partnership with the Super School Breakfast Initiative, and also a part of providing them with dairy foods, and that each time they choose milk, it makes my cows smile!

Iris Cumberbatch (ECMC) and Mary Jane Menlendez (Executive Director, General Mills Foundation) also stressed the importance of the Super School Breakfast. Did you know that more than 60 percent of students do not eat breakfast?

The celebration ended as we raised our milk cartons in a "milk toast" led by Dana Nelson (Vice President, Legacy and Community Partnerships, Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee) to celebrate school breakfast and the dedication dairy farmers have to providing wholesome, nutritious milk to schools. 

"We are committed to positively impacting the health of children across Minnesota as part of this campaign."

As a Minnesota dairy farmer I am proud to be a part of the Super School Breakfast program. About 140,000 school-age students will benefit from this program and that's Super! 

Thanks to Midwest Dairy and the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee for inviting Bremer Farms to the celebration.