Memorial Day

Memorial Day means different things to many people.  On the farm, we were pretty much business as usual.  There's no going to the lake or going off for the weekend with friends or family.  This year it was a kick-off to hay season and just about every farmer in the area was cutting hay.  I made the trip to the cemetery to decorate the graves of loved ones (between milkings). 

We always take time to recognize the brave soldiers who are serving and have served our country to ensure we enjoy the freedom we have today.  We always have a special "Thanks" for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and their families in our prayers today as well as everyday.

So to everyone who has served, is serving and all of their families...THANK YOU. 

Young & Old (?) Agree...Chocolate Milk is Good!

Among the many jobs I have, I work part-time at a veterinary clinic.  Most of my fellow employees are young enough to be my kids.  (sigh)  Just another one of those facts that reminds me that I'm getting older.  It's amazing what I've learned from some of those "kids".  I may not always understand what they're talking about, but I try to keep an open mind. 

We were working right along the other day when one of the girls said "Did you hear THAT?"! Apparently we weren't all paying attention to the radio, then again, I don't always agree on their choice of radio stations. 

She was floored to hear that chocolate milk was being banned from some schools.  Please keep in mind this is a young woman still going to college and has no intentions of having kids any time in the near future.  The general concensus was that chocolate milk should be left in the schools.  Period.  End of discussion.  (There are more articles with more information about the facts on chocolate milk at http://www.midwestdairy.com/)   

So if the younger generation knows chocolate milk isn't a bad thing, why can't everyone else understand this?  It's not like we're asking everyone to listen to the same radio station all the time.  As a mom, I have to put my vote in favor of lowfat chocolate milk.  I can honestly say it was nice to find something that we could all agree on.

Animal Care is Priority

Sadly, it's happened yet again.  An animal rights group has posted a horrific video of a calf being abused.  As a farmer in animal agriculture, I'm angered, appalled and downright mad.  Who ARE these people?  It's bad enough that there are disturbed people who will harm animals (and other human beings) for amusement, but I find it equally disturbing that there are people who will film it instead of stepping in to stop the incident and report the abuse...immediately. 

My husband & I were raised on farms and have chosen this as our careers.  We have also chosen to raise our children much like we were raised.  At no point do we find it amusing to see an animal be hurt or suffer.  I can't think of a fellow farmer who finds animal cruelty acceptable.  Our animals are our livelihood, so why would we want any harm to come to them? 

We have spent countless hours over the years with our animals.  When a cow is calving, a calf is sick, a horse is lame or our farm dog isn't feeling well, we make them our priority.  Over the years, we've left family gatherings early (or got there late) to make sure everything is okay with one of our cows.  I left my great-aunt's 100th birthday party early to check on a cow who decided it was a good day to have a baby (everything  turned out just fine).  I can't count the many nights we've gotten up at midnight to check on a sick animal or expecting cow.  We cut our anniversary weekend short one year because there was hay to bale; the cows would need hay in the winter.  These are just a few of the things we do because we take caring for our animal seriously.  This is what responsible farmers do.  We don't abuse animals for the fun of it, nor do we find watching garbage like that entertaining.

Before you pass judgement on all farmers because of a sensationalized video on the Internet, take the time to check out a real farm.  There are numerous farmers on facebook, twitter and other sites that have pictures and stories to share with you.  You might start with www.midwestdairy.com and get the facts about dairy farming.   

Happy Birthday Biscuit!

My little Biscuit is a year old!  I can't believe it!  This time last year, I was making trips to the barn every 2 hours with a bottle of warm milk to feed our tiny preemie calf.  After the third or fourth night in barn boots, pajamas and a coat, I was pretty tempted to get a large pet carrier and keep her in the house at night.  We don't have premature calves very often, in fact the last one we had this small that I can remember was when I was in high school (and no, we're not going to start counting years).  Preemies can be difficult to keep alive, so the fact that she's a year old is a pretty big deal.

Biscuit - already a year old

Raising cattle can bring many different challenges and every day seems to bring new problems &/or accomplishments.  Dairy farming can be even more difficult at times because we commit so much time to our animals.  Taking a time off requires planning; a lot of planning.  Some dairy farmers I know are fortunate enough to have employees they trust their farms and animals with while they get away for a day or two.  We don't have any employees, so our time away from the farm is usually savored.  The milking still has to be done twice a day, every day...no exceptions.

I know my kids take living on a farm for granted at times, but having a preemie to care for definitely gave them a new appreciation for the huge responsibility we have.  It doesn't matter that Biscuit is a beef heifer and not dairy; we take the best possible care of all our animals.  We did give her some extra grain instead of  cake and ice cream (although she may have eaten the ice cream - she's quite spoiled).  I thought about trying to get a picture of her with a party hat but I'm pretty sure she would have tried to eat it.  Oh well, maybe I can get one of her with a Santa hat for Christmas.  Hmmm...

Hey, Mom...You're on YouTube!

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to hear: "Hey, Mom...you're on YouTube!" 

Nope, I can honestly say that I didn't see that one coming.  Apparently my youngest son and some of his friends were on the computer and found a video of our farm on YouTube.  It was the video from the Farmers Feed Us campaign.  You can take a virtual "tour" of our farm at http://bit.ly/youtubetopwinds and learn about what goes on at Topwinds Farm.

You just never know where your picture (or video) will show up these days!

These Yogurt & Banana Spice Muffins can be
 prepared the night before...just grab a glass
of milk & a muffin for a breakfast on the go!
http://bit.ly/ibHrlX

Spring has finally arrived!  New calves, warmer weather, longer days, green grass...yes, Spring is finally here!  The cows aren't as interested in their hay - they'd rather have the new grass that's coming up.  I can't blame them... it's like a choice between something garden fresh or something from a can.

As we spend more time working outside, I find it important that everyone gets a jump start on the day with a good breakfast.  Sometimes we don't have time to sit down and have a full breakfast, so it's important that the we have something that is easy to grab on our way out the door.  This muffin recipe can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com/ along with several other dairy good recipes! 

I knew Spring had officially arrived when I got home from work yesterday and our youngest son had already started mowing the yard.  I'll let you know how his enthusiasm holds out on that particular chore...  Happy Spring!

Celebrate National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month.  Probably no big deal to most people, but it should be...for a number of reasons.  I had a bit of a wake up call earlier this month when it comes to the school lunch menu.  Growing up, we had basically 3 choices: 1) Eat what the school cafeteria has for that day (only 1 choice); 2) Bring your lunch for home; 3) Don't eat...period.  Starting this month, the school my son attends (the same one I attended) now offers choices at lunch every day.  Honestly, I wasn't sure that was a great idea.  Do kids really need 3 menu choices?  After taking time to look the menu over, I had to agree that this was a good change.  The menu items sounded pretty good and they were healthier options.

So why all the fuss over National Nutrition Month?  Have you ever taken time to check what your kids eat?  Most busy moms on the run serve whatever's quick and/or easy.  There's nothing wrong with that, but  ssometimes a little planning ahead before you head to the grocery store can make meal time less stressful and more nutritious to boot.  There are some great recipes at www.midwestdairy.com along with tips and information if you need a little help.  Believe me, I need all the help I can get!  Since the time change, we seem to have pushed dinner time back here on the farm.  It's only been a few days and I've already started the "I need a quick recipe" mode on a daily basis...and I don't even have any kids going to baseball practice after school!

The other wake-up call I had was today.  I spent over an hour shopping with a couple of kids and their FFA advisor buying supplies for a backpack program.  We filled 3 carts with food that will be sent home with children who might not have enough to eat on weekends.  These kids usually get most of their meals at school (breakfast & lunch) but go without (for a variety of reasons) at home.  It's a wonderful program that our county Farm Bureau decided to contribute to in honor of National Food Check-Out Week that was held in February.  Snow and school closings postponed the shopping event and ironically our trip landed during National Ag Week.  We were able to work with an FFA chapter and get the members involved not only in the shopping, but preparing the packs as well.  It seems to be a win-win situation all the way around.

So Happy Ag Week and Nutrition Month from our farm to you!