Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

The fog thickened as we were feeding calves this morning.

 As I looked at the cows resting in the pasture, it was beautiful in an odd way.

For me it was  a  moment of peace in a crazy week.

                                            I'm thankful for the peaceful God-given moments
                                                                down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                         Happy Fall,Y'all!

                                                        

                                        I love these seasonal transitions down on the dairy farm.

                                          Even though  there's a little bit of farmer frenzy as they

                                   work to finish harvesting the hay and silage crops before winter,

                                                   

                                              I'm thankful for the abundance of hay that will

                                                     feed our cows and calves this winter,

the cooler weather for our calves,

and

                                         the beauty of summer flowers that brighten the fall days.

Kick Off Fall With All-Star Breakfast

Last month at the Arkansas Women Bloggers Conference,  I received a gift box filled with a variety of rice products from  Riceland Foods. All that rice in my pantry has given me the perfect reason to enjoy and celebrate  National Rice Month and the fact that Arkansas is the number one producer of rice in the United States!

 You can find a wealth of information about rice production, how to use the different rice varieties and a great collection of rice recipes at Riceland.com.  

One of our favorite ways to eat rice is with milk and sugar either for breakfast or as a sweet treat.  Milk and rice make a great nutrition team. All-Star Breakfast Rice  is perfect for fall's  kick-off during National Rice Month!


All-Star Breakfast Rice

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 cup cooked rice
Fresh blueberries,raspberries or strawberries*

*Or use sliced peaches or bananas if desired

Directions:

Combine rice,milk,brown sugar and cinnamon in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Spoon into serving bowl; let cool 3 minutes. Top with fresh fruit.

Serves: 1

                                    Thank-you  Arkansas Rice Farmers!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

As I watch  these beautiful Holstein cows grazing in the pasture, I am also reminded that

 my dairy farm  family and I are working everyday

 to produce nutritious food for hungry people.

 Food security is a shared responsibility 

that dairy farmers commit to seven days a week.

I'm thankful that dairy farmers across the nation partner with Feeding America,

 the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the National Dairy Council to help

 fight hunger in America and promote healthy food choices

 not only during Hunger Action Month but throughout the year.

Marketing Farming

Benton County Farm Bureau provided a little bit of fun and information about Benton County agriculture to   hundreds of people at the Bentonville Farmer's Market this past Saturday. 

Basically, we were marketing farming.

Consumers of all ages enjoyed the beauty of this antique tractor and a lot of 

tractor talking from Benton County farmer Bob Shofner,

milking the cow that never goes dry,

and

petting the  chicks.

It's not a hard job to market farming because 

we have a great story to communicate at every opportunity.

 It's obvious that the look of the family farm and the technologies

have changed but we have the same values of caring for the land 

and the animals to provide safe,healthy food for America's consumers.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Labor Day,like all the other days of the year, 

 found  us busy with the daily chores of feeding calves,

                                                                   
                                                            milking and feeding the cows,

and

welcoming a new calf to the farm.

I'm thankful for the opportunity we have to labor everyday together as a family

down on the Arkansas dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Hot Springs was the meeting place last weekend for the fifth 

Arkansas Women Bloggers Conference. 

As a blogging member, I've attended four conferences and made sure to

 attend the food blogging option called Foodie Friday. 

As part of this year's Foodie Friday, women in agriculture provided 

information about our involvement in food production in Arkansas.

I'm thankful for any opportunity to share information about agriculture, 

to see the passion and dedication of other women in agriculture like Lori and Donette, 

to enjoy the products produced in Arkansas

 generously give to us at the conference, 

and

to be inspired by the group known as 

Arkansas Women Bloggers.

Funnel Fun

                                                  Have you been to a Feed the Funnel Party?

 If not, you really need to put this on the top of your bucket list, especially if you want to make a difference in the fight against hunger. The Pack Shack of Northwest Arkansas provided the opportunity to feed the funnel and pack meals during the Arkansas Women Bloggers Conference this past weekend.

After removing loose jewelry, washing our hands and donning hairnets and gloves, we were assigned to stations on an assembly line to measure,funnel and seal a  bag of  ingredients.  Bags of  Cheesy Rice and Vegetable Soup were carefully boxed for distribution  to our hungry Arkansas neighbors in  Hot Springs and Siloam Springs. With a lot of loud music, unbelievable dance moves from several of our rock star women and organized  assembly  labor,  we packed 10,300 meals in just a little over an hour.

Unfortunately, hunger affects all people  and all ages in the United States. Food insecurity  is defined by the United State Department of Agriculture as the measure of lack of success, at times, to have enough food for an active,healthy life for all household members or the uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate food. Sadly, food insecurity exists in every county in the United States. 

 Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap 2015 Study states:

•  49 million Americans are food insecure
• 1 in six Americans are hungry
• 1 in 5 children are hungry

Arkansas has more than 200,000 children that are considered food insecure. That is reason enough to have Fun at the Funnel!

I challenge you during the month of September--Hunger Action Month--to Feed the Funnel or participate in other activities  in your community to fight against hunger.