Carrie Mess is so passionate about agriculture that she has created an online persona for Dairy Carrie.  You can connect with her via Twitter (@DairyCarrie); like her on Facebook; and join her as she blogs about The Adventures of Dairy Carrie. 

“Carrie’s blog is a dynamic blend of information and explanations of dairy practices plus hilarious, sincere and heartfelt stories about the things she loves most: cows, cheese, beer, and the farming life,” said Kelly Rivard. 

I couldn’t agree more!  When following the Adventures of Dairy Carrie, you’re likely to end up with a smile on your face or doubled-over from laughing at some of her antics.  She provides a fresh voice for agriculture.  Just take a couple of minutes to watch her “Shocking Undercover Dairy Video” and you’ll see what I mean.  She also addresses burning questions non-farmers have like “Why are Dairy Cows so Skinny?” and “Is Chocolate Milk Made from Bloody Milk?”  (The title of this blog had me saying, “Eew.”  But, I had to read it and became educated about some non-farmers’ concerns about their milk supply.) 

In honor of June Dairy Month, I thought about posting a list of top blogs by Dairy Carrie on TheFieldPosition.com.  Her obsession with RumChata would top my list, so I’ve decided to focus on that topic alone today.  After all, June 21^st is the first day of summer.  Celebrating the Summer Solstice with RumChata seems to make perfect sense to me!  I hope you’ll agree.  Sit back and enjoy Dairy Carrie’s guest blog post today on RumChata… 

So why in the world would I name a cow after an adult beverage?  Because it really is that good and the best part is, RumChata’s creaminess comes from real dairy cream.  I love this new “You must be 21 or older” twist on getting my daily dairy intake.  In honor of June Dairy Month, I sent an email to the folks at RumChata and they were kind enough to give me the lowdown on this delicious dairy treat.

If you haven’t tried RumChata, I can best describe its taste as the milk leftover after a big bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal – infused with rum. I highly recommend you, so long as you are of legal drinking age, go and get yourself a bottle.  Do it now, you can thank me later.  If you’re stuck sitting at work and can’t possibly get away until after 5:00, read my interview with Tom Maas, the founder and master blender at RumChata, then go.

When was RumChata launched? I had never heard of it before Christmas and now it seems like everyone has gone RumChata crazy!

In October 2009, we shipped the first cases in limited quantities.  Once we had RumChata in various markets, we personally worked in each market to get it noticed by bars and restaurants.  It’s now available in 49 states and from some Duty Free operators in the Caribbean. 

One of the main ingredients to RumChata is cream that comes from Wisconsin dairy cows, which is awesome!  Do you buy the cream as an ingredient or is milk shipped directly to you?

We work with a very large commercial dairy in Neenah, Wisconsin.  They ensure that the rum and cream are perfectly homogenized together, so that the finished product is very stable.  This homgenization of dairy and alcohol allows the product to be kept without refrigeration.

In my mind, RumChata was developed by a rum-loving Wisconsin dairy farmer.  Any truth to that?

RumChata was created by a person with deep Wisconsin roots, who also has had a very long tenure in the liquor business. I (Tom Maas) worked on a dairy farm in Shawano County for several years when I was growing up.  After getting a degree from the University of Wisconsin, I started a 35 year career in the liquor business.  After retiring from Jim Beam in 2005, I created RumChata and put all of these years of experience to good use.

I like RumChata on the rocks and I love it blended with ice cream.  What’s your favorite way to drink Rumchata?

With fresh made espresso in two ways: sip a little with a cup of espresso or make a shot of espresso.  Chill it to room temperature and combine it over ice with 2 ounces of RumChata.  It’s the best tasting iced coffee you will ever drink!

There are just so many ways to enjoy RumChata!  RumChata Cupcakes are among my faves.  French Toast is yummy, too.  But it’s hard to beat a good RumChata drink; click on these links to learn how to make Lemon Cake and Cinnamon Roll drinks.

If you’d like to celebrate June Dairy Month is more family-family, traditional way, try a Crustless Quiche or what I like to call “Not Egg Strata.”

Families come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  And so do family-owned dairy operations.

Last Friday we introduced you to Sarah Mumm, who milks 50 registered Holstein dairy cows herself on her family farm in Grant County Wisconsin.  Her husband, Joe, works seasonally at Majestic View Dairy LLC.  Today we’re going to introduce you to the family behind Majestic View Dairy, a 1,000-cow dairy on the outskirts of Lancaster.

Majestic View Dairy got its start, albeit unknowingly at the time, in 1939 when Carol and Foster Haskins purchased farmland.  John Haskins, a co-owner of Majestic View Diary, purchased 290 of those acres from his mother in 1959.  John purchased another 140 acres in 1983, and soon thereafter, Ron and Terri Abing started a 50/50 partnership with him.  In 1999, they formed an LLC and expanded to 600 cows.  Then in 2003, they expanded another barn to accommodate 1,000 cows.

Building the dairy made a big impression on the Abings’ children: son Jesse was 18 at the time; oldest daughter Sarah was 14 and Amanda was 10.  They were fascinated by all of the computers and high-tech equipment that was being installed to run the dairy operation.  The children learned the value of working hard and working together.  Jesse majored in Spanish at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.  He then taught high school Spanish for five years before returning to graduate school.  He earned a master’s degree and is now pursuing a PhD in Spanish Linguistics at the University of Texas.  Meanwhile, both of the Abings’ daughters were interested in dairying.  Sarah graduated from Southwest Technical School in Dairy Herd Management.  Amanda graduated from Lake Shore Technical School in Dairy Herd Management.

Amanda, the Abings youngest daughter, became a herd manager when she was just 19.  She now works at Highway Dairy near Darlington, where she lives with her husband and their 7-month-old son Jacob.

The Abings’ daughter, Sarah, has served as herd manager for Majestic View Dairy since 2008.  Her husband, Buck Johnsen, also works at the dairy, breeding cattle and helping with agronomy work.  Their four-year-old daughter, Amelia, loves to help her mom and Grandma Terri give tours to school children and other interested folks.  Sarah and Buck are also proud parents of 5-month-old son, Easton.

Ron’s brother Chuck is the heifer operations manager. Four of Terri and Ron’s nephews and nieces also work on the farm:  Brandon Klien, Crystal and Kyle Abing, and Jake Martin.  Other key employees are Aaron Knapp, who maintains machinery and works with the hay, and calf manager Sara Recker, who has worked at Majestic View Dairy since it was formed.

Sara and the calves are a hit when school children visit the dairy.  More than 4,000 children have visited Majestic View Dairy since Terri started giving tours about seven years ago.

“Although it takes a lot of time to prepare for those groups, it’s so worth it,” says Terri, whose passion is helping people understand how their dairy products are made.  The two-hour tour gives children and their adult chaperones an overview of the milking process, as well as the behind-the-scenes that goes into caring for the cattle.  They see the maternity pens, where cows take a two-month maternity leave before returning to the milk line, and the hospital barn, where special needs are met to return cows to good health.

“I especially like the one-on-one conversations that occur with these groups,” says Terri.  “We like to help answer questions they might have about our operation or why we do things a particular way.  We also share fun facts like this one,’ It takes a baby about 1 year from the time it’s born until it takes its first steps.  About an hour after it’s born, a calf takes its first steps’.”  The tour concludes with a dairy buffet, including several varieties of cheese, assorted flavors of milk and portable yogurts.

Majestic View Dairy employs a total 28 people, consisting of 14 part-time and 14 full-time positions.  Many of the part-timers are high school and college students, who come to work after class.

“It’s really rewarding to see the growth that happens as these kids work at the dairy,” says Ron.  “They learn the importance of showing up on time and giving it your all during your shift.  Even if they don’t choose to pursue one of the 300 different career opportunities available with dairy, they’re developing skills that will help them in any job they pursue.

As proud supports of the dairy industry, the Abings invite you to road trip to Wisconsin in June during the Dairy Days of Summer.  You can enjoy Breakfast on the Farm or participate in numerous other fun events from Cheese Curd Day to Ice Cream Weekend.

Enjoy the fresh tastes of dairy foods from the comfort of your own home, too.  Whet your appetite with starters like June Chili and Chilled Raspberry Yogurt Soup, or cool off with a sweet treat like a Tiramisu Smoothie and Rhubarb Cheese Pie.

Please excuse me now while I go search from some rhubarb…

Second graders at Taft Elementary School in Humboldt, Iowa, are getting firsthand experience with planting Iowa’s number one crop as part of a project that begins with spring planting on a local farm and extends to next fall when, as third graders, they will harvest the crop they helped plant.  Throughout the summer, they’ll have a chance to follow the crop’s progress through videos posted periodically online.

Humboldt County farmers Dean and Carol Coleman, along with their son Mike, initiated this program to help 2^nd and 3^rd grade students understand how and why farmers raise crops.  The Coleman family raises corn and soybeans on their North Central Iowa farm.

“We wanted kids to have a chance to meet with the people who get their hands dirty every day,” says Carol Coleman, who served as a preschool teacher 20 years, plus is a mother of two and a grandmother of four.  “We want kids to be able to put a face on farmers, who provide the basics of everyday life from food on their tables, fiber in their clothing and building materials for their houses. Basically, we want to answer the fundamental question: ‘Where does my stuff come from’?”

The Colemans had the idea for the Adopt-a-Farmer program after they listened to Bruce Vincent, a third generation logger from Montana, speak about the importance of telling your ag story.

“We decided to develop a program to make others aware of what farming is all about.  Naturally, we thought of telling our story to kids.  We had hosted grade school classes in the past.  While they visited our farm, there wasn’t really time for us to explain farm operations.  The kids had fun seeing the how much a bushel weighs and what is made from corn and soybeans.  They loved climbing on the equipment and seeing the inside of the grain bin, but we wanted to create a program that would provide a more comprehensive look at agriculture.  We wanted to give kids a chance to ask questions and learn facts about farming.  We want them to see that food doesn’t just magically appear on grocery store shelves.  We want them to learn how their food is grown.”

Prior to the planting season, the Colemans visited the classroom and introduced themselves to the students.  They explained what the “Adopt-A-Farmer” program entailed and how they would like to become part of their classroom.  The Colemans have provided videos of Farmer Dean and Farmer Mike doing their jobs, so students can see what’s involved with moving rock, welding equipment & grinding metal for a hitch piece for the planter or fix the tractor’s computer.

Also via video, students “rode” in the sprayer and the planter with Farmers Dean and Mike.  Students then came to the Coleman farm and each planted 5 kernels of corn, themselves, in the field.  Throughout the summer, students and their families can drive by and literally watch their corn plants grow.  In the fall, they will come back to the farm and harvest their crop and see more things for harvest season.

“We really want all 109 students to get excited when they see crops in the field and know what is growing!  Maybe they’ll even share some fun facts, which they learned on our farm, with their parents.  We also want them to start understanding the difference between fact and fiction since the media doesn’t always accurately tell agriculture’s story.”

To help make a connection between the crops that are planted and the livestock that is raised with the food on our tables, today the Colemans are sharing two of their family’s favorite recipes for Taco Seasoning and Apricot Oatmeal Soy Cookies.  Enjoy!

Taco Seasoning Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbls Chili powder
• 1 Tbls Salt
• 1 Tbls garlic powder
• 1½ tsp black pepper
• ¾ tsp red pepper

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger  (can substitute ground turkey)
2. Then add ¼ cup of water and 1¼ teaspoon of seasoning per 1 lb. of meat.
3. Stir frequently and let slowly simmer for 15 minutes.

Try this seasoned meat on baked potato or Tostito chips with lettuce, refried beans, cheese and chip dip.

COOK’S TIP:  To break up browned hamburger into fine morsels, stir with a whisk while it’s browning.

What the world needs now is pie, sweet pie!

(Sing it with me now to the tune of Dionne Warwick’s “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”  Homemade pie is synonymous with love.)

“Pie is meant for sharing.  Pie connects people.  Pie knows no cultural or political boundaries,” says Beth Howard, nationally acclaimed pie advocate, author and baker extraordinaire.  “Pie makes people happy.  And happy people make the world a better place.  That’s why the world needs more pie.”

“The World Needs More Pie” is more than a philosophy for Beth.  It’s become her way of life.

Beth bakes of hundreds of pies each season inside the famous American Gothic House.  Yes, she lives in the American Gothic House – the one made famous by Grant Woods’ iconic painting.  She also sells pie to tourists from her Pitchfork Pie Stand from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day weekend.

In the “off season,” Beth teaches pie making classes that include a tour of her private residence.  You can take a virtual tour of this 130-year old Iowa farmhouse plus get a preview of Beth’s luscious pies by watching this segment on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Ingredient” (from the 21 minute mark).

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing inside the American Gothic House and attending one of Beth’s pie baking classes.  (I still can’t believe it…  I made the classic All-American Apple Pie inside the iconic American Gothic House.  How surreal!)  We were blessed by a beautiful spring day.  The fragrance of blooming lilacs permeated the air as we posed for our souvenir photos outside the front porch; cinnamon and baked apples tickled our noses inside the house.  Birds were chirping outside; inside laughter filled the air.  It was one perfect day!

This class was intended as a surprise birthday present for my mom; it really turned out to be a gift to me.  It provided a good “work excuse” for me to spend some time with Darcy Maulsby, a fellow advocate, ISU journalism grad and guest blogger on TheFieldPosition.com.  Honestly, it turned out to be a great therapy session!  It was nice break from a stressful planting season plus a diversion from multiple printing deadlines.  As Beth Howard quotes in the forward of her memoir, Making Piece, “Stress cannot exist in the presence of pie.”

There was no stress during our baking class.  Before that day, however, I feared making pie dough.  I’ll admit it.  I’ve enjoyed making pies like my treasured recipe for Colorado Peach Pie or Key Lime Pie – neither of which requires a “real” crust.  But ask me to make a double-crusted fruit pie for the 4-H stand at the Franklin County Fair, and I’ve been known to call for help!  (“Hello, Mom!” or “Hello, Cathy!” of Cathy’s Country Cookin’ in Hampton, Iowa… I’d dial until I found someone who would answer my call.)

But that was so last year!  That was before May 18, 2013, when Beth Howard shared her wisdom:

“Forget the rules!  Relax.  Take a free and easy approach.”
“Use your fingers like salad tongs.  It’s quick!  Get your hands in and out.”
“Don’t manhandle the dough.  Think gentle, loving thoughts about the dough.”

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned that day was not to worry if my pie doesn’t look perfect!  “Your pie looks like one-of-a-kind and homemade,”says Beth as she encouraged her students and sang their praises for a job well done.  “Give yourself permission to not be perfect. Your pie looks perfectly delicious.”

Fresh, homemade apple pie seems so patriotic and a fitting way to celebrate Memorial Day.  Beth’s apple pie recipe is posted below, and you can download her recipe for Shaker Lemon Pie from The World Needs More Pie website.

Increasing the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, maintaining farmers’ freedom to operate, as well as meeting customers’ needs for high-quality soy products are strategic objectives of the United Soybean Board (USB).  They’ve also been a personal mission for North Dakota farmer Vanessa Kummer, who has served on the USB board for the past decade.

“I really hope my involvement opens the door for more women and helps empower them to believe they deserve to have a seat at the table,” says Vanessa, who was the first woman to be elected as USB chairperson and the first North Dakotan elected to this position.

Thirty percent of U.S. farms are operated by women, and an even higher percentage of farming operations involve women along with other family members.  Women’s roles in farming are changing as more women are earning business degrees and even MBAs before returning to their family farms.  That’s why Vanessa believes it’s important for women to be active in the industry and represented in leadership positions.

When asked how more women can become involved in agricultural organizations, Vanessa said, “Show up to meetings regularly, ask questions and participate.”  As one of three female panelists at the Top Producers Executive Women in Agriculture event last December in Chicago, she said the amount of misinformation being spread about farming is a real concern.  She also said that more and more consumers are being misled by media.

Consumer outreach was one of Vanessa’s main focuses while serving as USB chair.  She worked with leadership within the National Corn Growers Association to launch the CommonGround^TM program aimed at addressing consumers’ food concerns by sharing facts about farming and dispelling food myths.  CommonGround focuses on women-to-women communications to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas.  It involves a group of volunteer farmer participants, representing all sectors of agriculture.

“Food safety concerns can affect our freedom to farm,” says Vanessa.  “That’s why U.S. farmers must connect with consumers.  It’s important to share our stories and promote understanding.  If we don’t give consumers the facts about U.S. agriculture, then who will?”

Vanessa recently finished serving her term as USB chair, but she remains active within the industry and in her community. But being active is nothing new to Vanessa.  She’s held leadership positions within several organizations during the past 35 years that’s she’s been farming.

Vanessa has been active on the United Soybean Board for the past decade.  Her service included four years on the USB executive committee including two as chair for the Communications Program. As USB Vice-Chair, she also served as chair for the Global Opportunities Program and as team lead for the USB Strategic Planning Team.  She has termed off USB, but continues to serve as a director for the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the international marketing arm for USB and the American Soybean Association (ASA).

On the state level, Vanessa has served the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association as a board member, treasurer and past president.  She also has been active with the North Dakota Corn Growers.  She served as a 4-H leader and as softball coach, plus she’s a member of the North Dakota State college of Science’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  In addition, Vanessa is active in her local church.

Vanessa and her husband, Paul, continue to operate their family farm.  Their daughter, Rachael, is a math teacher in Colorado.  Their son and daughter-in-law, Blaine and Megan, farm with them south of Fargo where they raise sugar beets, corn and soybeans.

As a soybean grower, Vanessa sings agriculture’s praises by advocating for America’s soybean farmers.  That’s why, in celebration of April Soyfoods Month, Vanessa is sharing with us one of her favorite recipes for Key Lime Pie.