Dreams and Determination Day

I didn't count on a volunteer activity making such a personal impact when our Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Committee decided to plan an event to educate 300 students about Benton County's agricultural history to celebrate the theme of Arkansas Heritage Month "Dreams and Determination:Arkansans at Work." The beautiful downtown Bentonville Square was the perfect historical place to present information how farmers in Benton County made life in our agricultural community progressive and enduring with their dreams and determination.

Students rotated through ten stations to learn about agriculture in our county and state. At four of the stations, dedicated volunteers transformed  into characters of our past to relate information about the beginning of the poultry industry in our county, how rural electricity changed farm life, the development of the dairy industry, and the once thriving apple industry that transitioned into other farming activities--all guided by the dreams and determination of Arkansans at work to make a better place for their families.

As I watched the children attentively listening to each character's presentation, I realized how I have personally benefited from the dreams and determination of the generations before us. Although there are fewer farms in Benton County due to the transition from rural to sprawling urbanization, agriculture is still thriving and will continue its place in our county's history because of the dreams and determination of  Arkansas farm families just like mine.

Dairymom's Mother's Day Tradition

Celebrating Mother's Day with a family dinner is our long standing tradition. After an action packed week of dairy farm chores and off the farm volunteer activities, I've got a zillion things to get done in preparation for our after church Mother's Day cookout. Tomorrow's dessert will be Crusty Cream Cheese Cream Pound Cake topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. You can't go wrong with this sweet treat and it's one of my Mother's favorite!

Crusty Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1 cup butter,softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese,softened
3 cups sifted flour
6 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream butter and shortening; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of electric mixer. Add cream cheese, beating well until light and fluffy. Alternately add flour and eggs, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.
Pour batter into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

                                                                                 
                                                                Happy Mother's Day!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

"Friends are flowers in the garden of life"

These hollyhocks came from seed shared by my mother and Helen, a dear family friend that passed away several years ago.  When the hollyhocks bloom, I always think of Helen making hollyhock dolls from the flowers to amuse my boys when they visited her garden. I'm thankful for the sweet memories of friendship and family.

Dairy Recycling

While shuffling papers and doing computer work this afternoon in the office, I kept hearing a constant whirring sound.  When I looked out the front window, I could see the tractor and hay mower in the field next to the house moving quickly across the field cutting hay. It was the perfect time and a good excuse  for leaving  the paperwork)  to  walk across the yard, smell the freshly mowed hay and capture the beauty of the aftenoon. While watching the hay being mowed, it brought to mind this complete picture of dairy recycling--cows eat the grass, cows produce manure,manure is applied on the land, grass is harvested to feed the cows.

Manure from our cows is a nutrient for the soil, builds up the soil and increases the water holding capacity which benefits crop or pasture growth. Since 1985, our farm has been permitted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality allowing us to store dry and liquid manure nutrient and use it to fertilize the soil on our farm. Manure is applied to each field in a prescribed amount that is guided by our farm plan that was designed by environmental engineers and technicians.

Dairy recycling is an ongoing manure management method on our farm that protects water quality for us and our  neighbors and contributes to the sustainability of our family farm!

Rest on the Dairy Farm

Who's resting on the dairy farm during spring time? It's not the dairy  farmer! Although  spring time harvesting and planting increase our workload and stress us to the max,   our pregnant  cows are resting and relaxing  in the last two months of their  pregnancy regardless of our  increased springtime  workload.

A cow will be pregnant for nine months   before giving birth.Two months before giving birth, a cow will be "turned dry" and moved from the milking herd to a pasture to rest and eat a special pregnancy diet to prepare for a healthy birth. Two weeks before the estimated birth, we bring our cows to the pasture next to our house so we can monitor them closely and provide assistance when necessary.

Last week when I was walking across the yard to feed baby calves, I noticed this expectant mama next to the fence. She looked pretty guilty--like she might have been nibbling on those iris! Even though watching our pregnant cows during this rest phase is part of our job, I find it to be a fun and entertaining part of our daily routine.

Rest during the dry period for dairy cows is important for the cow's health and to insure production of high-quality milk.  Providing high-quality milk begins with taking good care of our cows!

Dairy Diving

Our local Chick-fil-A provided a special cookie treat for each participant of this morning's National Day of Prayer breakfast.  I didn't notice the seal on the package until I pulled it from my purse late this afternoon for a tasty snack. I'm still smiling about the label and thought I would share one of my family's favorite cookie recipes in case you want to let your cookie  take a dive in a cold glass of milk!

Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cups softened butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda,salt, and spices, and mix well. Combine mixtures, and mix well. Stir in oats. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes in a 375 degree F. oven for a chewy cookie and 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet, and then remove to a wire rack. Makes 4 1/2 dozen.

                                                                   Take the Dairy Dive!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It must be a sign of maturity (nice word for old age) when the best part of any trip is coming home. I'm thankful for  a safe trip and  to be back  home on the farm with my family of humans and cows!