June is National Dairy Month!

Milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter, cottage cheese, whipped cream, coffee creamer, cream cheese...

The list could go on and on! June is National Dairy Month, and to celebrate, we'd like to bring a different dairy recipe each week. Did you know that nutritionists recommend three servings of dairy food each day for adults? Well, rest assured, there are lots of options to get your "3-a-day!" Today, we're sharing a favorite recipe. 7 Layer Taco Dip is a hit at parties and family dinners alike. Serve it with tortilla chips (we prefer Tostitos Scoops), and you're sure to please the crowd. This dip includes both sour cream and cheese, so it uses two dairy products in one dish!



Feel free to comment on this post and tell us what your favorite dairy products are!

7-Layer Taco Dip

Ingredients

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives. Chill and serve with tortilla chips.

Time flies

I signed in today to see that it had been five months since we'd posted a blog. It's hard to believe that five months can come in go seemingly in the blink of an eye. I guess that old adage, "Time flies when you're having fun," really is true.

I've been thinking about what to post on this, the first blog post of the year. If you follow anything in the news about dairy farms, you know it's been a rough day to be a farmer. This morning, a video was released that showed cruelty on an Ohio dairy farm. It would be really easy to point fingers, but I think instead we should clear something up. It makes other farmers sad to see things happening on other farmers that clearly aren't right or humane. Myself, I shed a few tears for the cows in the video. It's awful to think that a human could physically induce chronic pain on another creature like that. It's not right. Here's the moral of the story, though: just because it happened on one farm, doesn't mean it happens on every farm.

I saw a story on the news not too long ago about a teacher that was fired for beating an autistic child. It caused sickness to watch the story. That one teacher's actions, however, do not indicate that all teachers treat their students that way. It's the same thing with farmers. One farmer's actions cannot cast a poor light on all farmers.

Our cows are our livelihood, and in many cases, they're part of our family. We are there when the calves enter the world, we care for them as they grow up, and we watch them maneuver their way through the circle of life. We want to take care of them, because it's our natural instinct. Farmers care.

When you flip on the news tonight, remember there's countless good stories out there for every bad one.

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

It's been a while since I've written you a letter. Thank you for your loyalty over the years. I hope you enjoyed the cookies. Enough with the small talk, however. I write to you today for somewhat selfish reasons. Instead of Barbies and Legos this year, I'm hoping for some intangible things. Don't worry, I'm not expecting world peace or anything like that, but the challenges I'm posing may be just as extreme. Here's what is on my wish list:

A Deeper Appreciation for American Agriculture

Santa, let's be honest, the majority of people don't know where their food comes from. It used to be that Americans had some sort of connection to farming, whether it be through their cousins in the country or their grandparents who fed and clothed their families. These days, times are different. Because some people do not understand the importance of farming, they think our country can do without it. Activists are quick to point fingers at farmers for causing global warming, mistreating their animals, polluting the environment, and shooting the Easter bunny. They do not realize that without farming, there is no food. Even those tofu pancakes wouldn't be possible without farmers. I'm not asking for miracles, but a little appreciation from the general public would be nice. Only 2% of the American public is involved with production agriculture. It's time that they are treated fairly and with respect. Farmers do things right, because they have a moral obligation to do so.

Better Prices for the Pork and Dairy Industries

How many glasses of milk will you have on Christmas night, Santa? Quite a few, but unfortunately still not enough to lower the supply of milk in the market and increase the demand for dairy products. The dairy industry has had a rough year. On average, the price U.S. dairy producers received for milk marketed in the summer of 2009 was about half of what it cost them to produce milk. What's this mean? It means some dairy farmers are PAYING to produce milk. While farming is an enjoyable profession, it still is the sole source of income for many in production agriculture. There has to be enough money to pay the bills, and this year has been rough, not only for the dairy industry, but for the pork industry as well. I hope you got your H1N1 vaccine this year, Santa, but more than that, I hope you know that it's not called the swine flu. You cannot contract it from eating pork. Some consumers don't understand this, however. The U.S. pork industry has lost about $1.5 billion since the virus was first reported, according to the National Pork Producers Council. I'm not sure how you can put this under my Christmas tree, but if there's any way you can bring better prices in 2010 for these two industries, there are many farmers who sure would appreciate it!

Cap and Trade to Go Away

I'm not sure how energy works up there in the North Pole, but here in the United States, it's in the news quite a bit. Lately, Congress is pursuing Cap and Trade. If you have time, could you maybe send a few elves down to D.C. to make Cap and Tax, as some call it, go away? Basically, cap and trade is all about carbon credits. It’s part of the climate change bill, and it regulates how much carbon certain industries can emit. It penalizes the industries that are more energy extensive. One of the fundamental problems with such a system, however, is if countries such as India and China aren’t on board, then it’s not worth us pursuing. Additionally, it will likely raise the costs of basic ag inputs such as fuel and fertilizer, because they require energy to produce. It will even affect the local home owner by raising the cost of electricity. Basically, it's bad news. It'll be a punch in the gut to farmers across the country. We're not harming the environment; we live where we farm, why would we want to hurt the land or air?

I know you have many other people to care for, Santa, but these three things would help out many American agriculturalists. Farming is a noble profession, and farmers do it because they love it, but it's not always easy. As more and more people become removed from the farm, the challenges continue to mount. Your help would make farmers' lives a lot easier.

And, one more thing, Santa. While you're visiting, a new Case 9120 combine would be nice too. You don't even have to wrap it. Since they cost around $350,000, you don't have to get me anything next year, either.

Thanks,
An American Farmer

Farmers care.

I remember the first time I walked through the cow barn with Greg. Prior to this day, the only time I'd been around 175 cows at once was at the county fair. Unlike the cows at the fair, I was sure that these cows would just be numbers in the book without faces or stories behind them. I couldn't have been more wrong.

As we trekked through the barn, Greg pointed out this cow and that. He called them by their names and scratched them behind their ears. He told me when they had entered the family's herd and the shows that they had competed in. He explained their production records and lineage. They were more than just "milking machines." It was evident that Greg wanted the animals to be comfortable and productive, not because they had rights, but instead, because he had a responsibility to care for them.

Given the opportunity, farmers will do the right thing. Unfortunately, there are bad apples here and there that take actions that are absolutely not condonable, but they are the exception not the rule. Farmers every day make choices based upon science and more importantly, ethics. They choose to care for their animals, because the creatures have been entrusted to them. Greg and his family are like farmers all across this country. They love what they do, and they take good care of their animals.

Ohio Issue 2 sets up the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, a group of farmers, veterinarians, local humane society officials, and others that will form policy to oversee Ohio agriculture. I trust that the Livestock Care Standards Board will make the right decisions about animal care, not because of politics, but because it's the right thing to do, and farmers want to do what's right. Please join us in voting yes.





Cows top to bottom: Bree, Morgan, and Erin. They receive excellent care every day, because farmers want to treat them humanely.

Issue 2 Letter to the Editor

This letter was submitted to local papers today.

Dear Editor:

As the wife of a fourth-generation family farmer, I understand the importance of agriculture in our state. Therefore, voting yes for Ohio Issue 2 is imperative in order to protect an industry that contributes $93 billion annually to our state’s economy and that affords consumers with valuable options at the grocery store.

A yes vote for issue 2 on November 3, 2009, will create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. This board will be comprised of 13 Ohioans, including the Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, three family farmers, two veterinarians, a food safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, two members representing statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college, and two consumers. These individuals will work together to assure a safe, locally grown food supply, to determine the best course of action for livestock care, and to protect the viability of Ohio agriculture. 

I value Ohio agriculture and support Ohio Issue 2. Like you, I appreciate the choices we have as consumers in selecting safe and wholesome food products for my family. By establishing a board of experts to make decisions for Ohio livestock production, we can ensure that the food we buy is grown as local as possible and is not shipped in from out of state or out of the country. Issue 2 is a step to protect our state’s family farmers and is a step to keep Ohio agriculture strong.

Ohio Issue 2 makes sense for family farmers and consumers alike. You can learn more about it at www.ohiolivestockcare.com. This is our time to take ownership of how our food is grown. Vote yes on November 3.

Sincerely,

Rose Hartschuh

Bloomville