Wordless Wednesday: Milky Way

By Michelle Plummer of Winners Drink Milk

July Screams for Ice Cream!

By Michelle Plummer of Winners Drink Milk

July being National Ice Cream month is quite an honor, but do you know why we celebrate this great treat?

Proclamation 5219 -- National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day, 1984

July 9, 1984 By the President of the United State of America

A Proclamation

Ice cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over ninety percent of the people in the United States. It enjoys a reputation as the perfect dessert and snack food. Over eight hundred and eighty-seven million gallons of ice cream were consumed in the United States in 1983.

The ice cream industry generates approximately $3.5 billion in annual sales and provides jobs for thousands of citizens. Indeed, nearly ten percent of all the milk produced by the United States dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, thereby contributing substantially to the economic well-being of the Nation's dairy industry.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 298, has designated July 1984 as ``National Ice Cream Month,'' and July 15, 1984, as ``National Ice Cream Day,'' and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of these events.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.

Ronald Reagan              [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:32 a.m., July 10, 1984]

….so now we know why and what and who about this day!  What else can we learn as we stroll down the sidewalk licking our cone, or enjoy a malted on a Sunday drive?

• It takes twelve gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream

• The United States has an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year

• It takes an average of 50 licks to finish off a single scoop ice cream cone

• The invention of the ice cream cone goes back to 1904 in St. Louis at the world fair.

• Vanilla is the number one selling flavor of ice cream

• The top five ice cream producing states are California, Indiana, Ohio, Texas and New York

• Children age 2 through 12 and adults over 45 eat the most ice cream

• More ice cream is sold on Sundays than any other day

• Ice cream is an 11 billion dollar retail industry

• 98 percent of homes in the United States have ice cream in them

The largest ice cream manufacturer in the world is in Indiana.  Edy’s Grand Ice Cream is located in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  Edy’s is the owner of the largest ice cream maker in the world.

As I write this, I am wondering, did President Reagan have a bit of sweet tooth?  Wasn’t he also the President who kept jelly beans on his desk?  Just think if jelly beans brought down a wall, what can ice cream do?

Summer on the Farm

By Lauren Ransom of Four Ransoms & Real Farmwives of America & Friends

Summer fun on the farm...oh boy, where do I begin?!  Our Spring and Summer is spent mostly outside.  The television is rarely turned on and supper isn’t ready until sundown (for us adults, at least).  It’s a time of year we thoroughly look forward to...and try to enjoy to its fullest before we hibernate after harvest...And it is not entirely consumed by tractor rides or late nights in the field...those days have passed until Fall. 

Aside from the regular kid friendly and fun farm duties...there is an endless amount of fun a kid can have.  With 18.5 acres to explore at our main base, life never gets boring for our 3 year old and 18 month old!  And in the midst of all the fun they are having...we are always teaching them how to respect our animals and how to be safe around dad and grandpas equipment...

Our kids need to know that a combine or tractor is not a jungle gym...though it seems like it sometimes.  Many life lessons are being taught through the Summer months without them evening knowing it...especially with our son!  The whole respecting of the farm starts at a very young age...and we can already see the passion in our sons eyes...It just amazes us.  

 And all we can hope for with this lifestyle is that we are instilling amazing memories for our children on our family farm.  Between picnics in the backyard while watching our cattle, running around on the dirt pad where our new barn will go, catching lightening bugs in the unused pasture, to late night rides on grandpas restored old tractors...their life is truly unique and something we hope they cherish forever. 

Our farm can be a child’s dream world where their imagination can run wild...without restriction (most of the time)!  And you know what the best part is?...Children that sleep until 8:30 the next day...mom likes that one a lot! 

June Dairy Month Events Connect Farmers and Consumers

By Kimmi Devaney of Winners Drink Milk

As we wrap up June Dairy Month, don’t forget to show appreciation for all the hard work dairy farmers do day in and day out to provide you with your favorite dairy products.

June is a time to celebrate the men and women who produce one of the safest products in our food supply—milk. Dairy farmers don’t work ‘9 to 5’ and they don’t always get weekends or holidays off. Cows may need attention in the middle of the night or on Christmas morning. But this means no two days are the same.

Dairy farmers are dedicated and passionate about the land they farm, cows they take care of and providing you with wholesome, nutritious dairy products. This past Saturday, more than 500 people attended Brunch on the Farm at Nor-Bert Farms in Bremen, Indiana, and saw this firsthand.

This was an excellent opportunity to tour a working dairy farm, see robotic milking machines in action (they are pretty neat!) and to enjoy breakfast with the family. The event was free, but participants were encouraged to bring canned goods to be donated to a local food pantry. In all, we donated 602.5 pounds of food! Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen.

Attendees ranged from dairy farmers to those who had never seen cows before. We caught up with a few of our younger visitors to get their opinion on the farm. Claire, Hanna and Joel from Osceola had never been to a farm before and thought it was “cool” and “fun.” After the tour, they all agreed their favorite part of the morning was watching the robots milk the cows. Laura from Muncie visited with her entire family. They are involved in agritourism, so she had a closer connection to the industry. “I really liked being on a farm,” she said. “I miss my cows!”  Like the others, Laura also enjoyed watching the robotic milking machines.

For more information on future events, visit WinnersDrinkMilk.com.

Real Farmwives Discuss: Differences Between Dairy Cows and Beef Cows

By Real Farmwives Ginny from Gin and Juicy Juice and Liz from Two Maids a Milking

1. Markings and Spots

Ginny – Beef cows can come in many different colors.  They can be black, red, white, or any combination of those colors with spots and stripes and more.  In the US, there are more than 20 different breeds and each breed began with its own distinct color pattern.  The most common colors include solid black, solid red, red with a white face or different shades of solid white.  There is even a breed of cow that is black with a white belt and looks like an Oreo Cookie.

Liz – There are 6 main breeds of dairy cows. The most popular is Holstein, with the black and white spots. Holsteins also have a recessive gene which can result in a red and white marking.

2. Does my butt look big?

Ginny – Beef cows tend to be shorter and stockier than dairy cows.  It’s kind of like comparing a body building competitor to a marathon runner.  The beef animal uses its energy to build muscle and store fat.  That’s why they taste so good.

Liz – Dairy cows are naturally taller (except for Jerseys) than beef cows and usually appear skinnier than beef cows. That is because dairy cows use the energy in their food to produce milk not cover on their body.

3. Battle of the Sexes

Ginny – Most male calves that are born in the US are steered (castrated) and fed so that they grow and can be used for their meat, just like a majority of the male dairy calves.  The very best male calves get to remain intact and are used to breed the females to produce the next generation.  Just like dairy cows, before a female beef animal has a calf, it’s called a heifer.  After it has had a calf, it is referred to as a cow.  The cow’s main job in life is to raise a baby every year so that we continue to have new animals that we can use for their meat.

Liz – Females, prior to giving birth, are called calves or heifers. Once they give birth, female dairy animals are called cows. All cows give milk once they have a calf. Most male dairy cows or bulls are raised for beef just like beef cows.

4. The next generation

Both beef and dairy cows have a 9 month gestation period.

Ginny – Most beef farmers use a bull to breed most of their cows naturally.  You have to be careful when handling the bulls though, because they grow up and there’s definitely a lot of BULL.  Some farmers also use artificial insemination (AI), using the best bulls out there, to help produce the next generation of beef cows.  The bulls that get used via artificial insemination are often so expensive that most farmers can’t afford to own them themselves, but by using AI, they can benefit from the good traits that those bulls have in their genes.

Liz - Due to the size of dairy bulls and safety concerns most dairy farmers use artificial insemination to breed their cows. Could you imagine 2,000 pounds of bull hopping on your back…yikes!

5. What’s on the menu?

Both Dairy farmers and Beef Cattle producers feed rations (diets) that are formulated by a nutritionist. It would be like every family having a dietitian to help them plan their meals everyday!

A cow has one stomach with four different chambers, which is why many people say that a cow has four stomachs

Ginny – Beef cattle can eat many different types of feed.  Most beef animals start their life at a cow-calf operation where the cows graze on pasture and may be supplemented during the winter or dry periods with hay, silage or by-products such as distiller’s grains from ethanol plants.  Once the babies are weaned, usually after 6 or 7 months of age, there are a lot of options available to farmers.  Some chose to move the animals to a feedlot where they get a specially balanced diet of corn, roughages such as hay or silage and supplements to help them grow and these animals are usually ready in about 12 to 14 months of age.  Some farmers move the calves to other pastures and let them eat grass and may provide other supplements as well.  It is very difficult to get grass to grow all year round so these calves tend to grow slower in some months, require more land (which isn’t cheap) and take more management to be efficient.  It often takes up to 18 to 24 months for these animals to reach market.  No matter how the beef animal is raised, they spend the majority of their lives grazing on grass pasture.

Dairy – Dairy cows eat nearly 100 pounds of feed a day which is a combination of hay, grain and silage (fermented corn or grass). They drink a lot of water too – up to 50 gallons a day. 

Grilled T-Bone Steaks with BBQ Rub

Have you seen this great Father's Day Recipe from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com ?

Father's Day

Father’s Day is a time for Dad to kick back and enjoy a great meal. Prepare his favorite steak or let him reign supreme as King of the Grill. Either way, Father’s Day is a great reason to make beef the center piece of a meaningful meal celebrating Dad.

Grilled T-Bone Steaks with BBQ Rub

Total recipe time: 25 minutes Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 to 4 beef T-Bone or Porterhouse steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 2 to 4 pounds)

Salt

BBQ Rub:

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Instructions

1.       Combine BBQ Rub ingredients; press evenly onto beef steaks.

2.       Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 11 to 16 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 15 to 19 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Remove bones and carve steaks into slices, if desired. Season with salt, as desired.

Wordless Wednesday: Thanks for a Great Vintage!