Beef Brisket

By Ginny Tauer of Indiana Beef

Ingredients

5 pound beef brisket

6 onions cut into 1/4-inch rings

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper

5 tablespoons olive oil

1-teaspoon thyme

1-teaspoon oregano

3 cups beef stock

Cooking Instructions

1. Sprinkle brisket with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. In a large heavy skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Brown brisket about 5 minutes per side. Remove brisket and place in a heavy roasting pan.  Preheat oven to 275.
2. Add remaining oil to skillet and add onions, garlic and crushed pepper. Sauté until golden over moderate heat stirring occasionally about 20 minutes. Stir in beef stock and bring to a boil.
3. Pour onion mixture over brisket and cover tightly with foil. Cook for 6 hours checking occasionally and adding more water or stock if necessary.  Transfer brisket to a cutting board cover with foil and let rest.
4. Discard excess fat from onion mixture and pan drippings . Using an emulsion blender, puree mixture until smooth.  Slice brisket across the grain into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and serve with pan sauce.

Servings: Yields 8 to 10 servings

Join Us at Earth Day Indiana

By Sarah Mahan of This Farm Family's Life 

Earth Day Indiana will be held this year at White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis tomorrow, Saturday, April 28th from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Indiana's Family of Farmers will once again be sponsoring the day.  Indiana Farmer Lynn Teel encourages everyone to attend, "It's an excellent event where we can meet our consumers, listen to them, and explain how we are raising the safest food in the world."

When asked what farmers do every day that makes them environmentalists, he replied, "Farmers spend every day planning for their farms.  They carefully plan what they are going to plant, how much fertilizer to use, and how to minimize erosion."

Lynn farms in White County where he raises corn, soybeans, and hogs.  He currently serves on the Indiana Soybean Alliance board, White County Pork Producers as well as White County Farm Bureau.  Lynn was able to attend Earth Day Indiana last year as part of Indiana's Family of Farmers.  He thought it was a great opportunity to talk to visitors about his farm and had some great discussions about planting and the way he cares for his land, crops, and animals.

Indiana's Family of Farmers invites you to come on out to Earth Day Indiana tomorrow and get to know some of your local farmers this year.

Come Strut Your Mutt with Us

By Sarah Mahan of This Farm Family's Life

In addition to Earth Day, Indiana's Family of Farmers will join dogs and their owners as they hit the pavement and take part in the annual Mutt Strut to benefit the Humane Society of Indianapolis on April 28th. They will walk the historic oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Indiana's Family of Farmers is taking part in Mutt Strut to show their support and start a dialogue between pet owners and farmers about how animals are raised on farms to ensure they are given the best care possible.

Sarah Ford, IFOF's chairperson for the event, said that Indy Humane is the first choice in providing services for shelter cats and dogs.  These services include adoption, foster home placement, behavior training, medical care, and affordable spay/neuter services.  In 2011, Indy Humane helped over 2,300 cats and dogs find homes.

Dr. Sandi Norman, a veterinarian and Director of Companion Animal/Equine at the Indiana State Board of Health, is a huge supporter of Mutt Strut.  "Humane Society of Indy is the largest private animal shelter in the state and works with all the rescues to benefit animals.  Money raised during Mutt Strut helps benefit animals all over the state by helping Indy Humane work with all the various rescue groups to impact Indiana animals."

You can see Dr. Norman most Mondays at noon on Channel 13 WTHR news where she shares tips for pet owners. Dr. Norman would like to personally invite all of you to the event. "Come on down and bring your dog, big or small.  There is a short course and a long course and all the dogs seem to get along.  There are a number of vendors who provide unique services for the pet owner.  Everybody has a great time!" 

For more information, or if you would like to donate, go to  http://indymuttstrut.org/ . 

Summer Fun and Eating the Dairy Way!

By Michelle Plummer of Winners Drink Milk

Spring Break may have given you a taste of summer….not weather wise, but how to keep the little ones occupied when school is out!  Summer camps are fun, exciting and encourage children to hydrate and eat on regular schedules…but what about when kids are just ‘messing around’ in their own neighborhoods, are they making the right choices.  Here are few ways to be sure you can keep the kids hydrated, making good nutrition choices and those choices! 

• Pack a picnic for them- not in a lunch box- (that is too much like school) but a neat old box, a basket, something creative that will hold a variety of foods.  Pack cheese sticks, lunch and go boxes, fruit that travels well and veggie sticks.Your little ones can go off for the day and still have lots of options for snacking until they return with their stories of adventure!
• Who does not love a lemonade stand? What about a smoothie stand instead?! This does need a bit more adult supervision, but well worth the outcome to be sure your neighborhood is getting their 3 servings of dairy a day!  This would be the perfect time to develop your smoothie making skills for a possible contest coming to the State Fair in August?  Milk, yogurt, fruit, ice along with a few cups and a blender! 
  
• Rainy days can be extra challenging!  Grilled cheese cut into the best shape contest!  Have the kids make their own sandwiches and have a variety of cookie cutters on the table, cut their sandwiches into the selected shape and grill.  What to do with the leftovers?  Cut into cubes (bread and all), grill, skewer with veggies- these are sure to be a hit!
• Personal Pan Pizzas- English muffins, tortilla, and pita bread- any and all make a great base for quick and easy snacks or dinner pizzas.  Cover the table with a disposable cloth, arrange the sauce, cheese, vegetable toppings, turkey pepperoni, pineapple, mandarin oranges and let the kids go crazy with their own artist flair!  Top with cheese, bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes and a creation Monet would cherish!
•  Dips for Dunks-   Enjoy calcium one other way!  Make dips for dunking!   Using yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream.  Use some your favorite seasonings or a dip/salad dressing mix to blend into a container of Greek yogurt.  Leave bags of cut up veggies in the refrigerator so the little ones can make their own decision and a measuring cup on the counter as a scoop!

Summer time is a great time to add nutrition, calcium and hydration from Milk and other great tasting dairy products in a variety of ways.  Be sure your kids are getting their 3-Every-day of Dairy.

Meet an Indiana Dairy Farmer: Dave Forgey

By Kimmi Devaney of Winners Drink Milk

Dave Forgey

Dairy Farmer

Logansport, Indiana

Q: Why did you get into the dairy business?

A:  I began purchasing cows and equipment after graduation in 1962. My wife Helen and  I were married in 1966 and purchased the home farm from my Grandparents in 1968.

We purchased additional land in 1970, 1979 and 1981.

Q: How many generations are currently working on your farm?

A: I am the third generation on this farm. Our partners Scott & Darla Foerg and their daughter Allison are not immediate family members but started as employees and moved to ownership and have become a large part of our family. We currently have grandchildren who share an interest in dairy farming and could have an opportunity to return to the dairy at a later time.

Q: What do you love most about being in the dairy industry?

A: When I was the major operator on our dairy my passion was to operate a sound financial farm with very family oriented practices. Although I was involved at a small level in farm organizations early in my career I did not get deeply involved until I had additional management help available on the farm.  Over the last 20 years my involvement has grown a great deal as I see the need for finding ways to help educate and build strength for  producers in what the future holds for our industry.

Q: If you weren’t a dairy farmer, what would you do?

A: I was trained as an electrician and worked my own contracting business in my early career as a financial help to my dairy career.

Q: What do you want the general public to know about dairy farming?

A: Few other occupations require the passion and commitment that dairy farming does.  Time management and dedicated best management practices are essential for a sound and efficient operation. Managing an operation with enough scale to allow for individual time away for family members is critical for personal family involvement. However, a dairy quickly becomes a family venture as it allows for family members of all ages to be involved at a level that their age and development provides. It's easy to see why dairy farms are nearly all family farms because of the close ties they bring to families.

What is Fuel Up To Play 60?

By DeDe Hausmann of Winners Drink Milk

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 (FUTP60) is an in-school nutrition and physical activity wellness program that was developed in 2009 by the National Dairy Council (NDC) and the National Football League (NFL), along with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help combat our childhood obesity epidemic FUTP60 encourages our youth to eat nutrient-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free dairy products, fruits, veggies, and whole grains) and to work towards getting 60 minutes of physical activity daily. 

Our kids need to take action for their own health and FUTP60 will encourage this. With over 60% of adults in this country being overweight or obese, we’ve got to help our kids learn healthy lifestyle habits. We want them to see that eating healthy and engaging in daily physical activity should be what they WANT to do for themselves.

Any US school can become a part of this FREE program.  At least one adult in the school needs to be the advisor and then she/he signs up the school at the fueluptoplay60.com website. On the website advisors will find customizable and non-prescriptive components that are grounded in research. These include tools and resources, in-school promotion materials, youth challenges and many rewards and grants.  

The ultimate goal is to make sure that the changes in the school are sustainable, making it possible for our kids to have more opportunities to be physically active and that they want to eat nutrient-rich foods. We are short-changing ourselves when it comes to low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  FUTP60 encourages the consumption of these 4 food groups! And if we can get our kids up and moving and they enjoy being physically active every day then they are going to be more healthy!

If the school environment becomes more healthy and the kids like the changes (as in new foods on the breakfast/lunch lines, more chances during the day to be physically active, etc.) then the students will want to take these new, healthy foods and activities home.  If parents are receptive, healthful changes can occur for the whole family.  If a child comes home raving about some new foods they’ve tried in school, hopefully parents will want to try these foods too.  And wouldn’t it be great if a family started doing physical activities together, as in biking after dinner or just taking a walk together. 

Check out to see if your kids or grandkids schools’ are FUTP60 schools and if not, encourage someone in those schools to go to the fueluptoplay60.com website and get info on the program.  Do note that a school can apply for up to $4000 worth of grant funding per school year to help them enact this wonderful school wellness program.  I bet most schools could benefit from that funding, don’t you?