Milk Means More!

Maranda is the WOTV 4 women, kids, and family expert. She hosts a weekday program called “Where You Live”.  She was at Fuel Up to Play 60, and yesterday they showed a nice little story on it on her program!

And something fun and different - she interviewed the boys! 

The feature is here: Fuel Up to Play 60 with Milk Means More & the Detroit Lions.  The video is the third one, called 'Maranda introduces us to Future Farmers of America.' 

Meanwhile back on the farm ... it rained for two entire days, and then it got cold!  It's always an adjustment when the weather changes, and it's been 70 and sunny for months.  We're still having calves, my mom is still doing calf chores, we're still milking cows three times a day ... now it's just all happening in different temperatures!  Thanks to our great team members who are all bundled up and ready.  The cows ... their ideal is around 50, so they're more comfortable than any of us.

Fuel Up to Play 60 - with the whole family!

Yesterday was Fuel Up to Play 60 at Ford Field, and guess who came?  Eureka Elementary in St Johns AND my husband and kids!

The entire day was really well organized and fun.  Kris was a referee, and I was happy to once again be the emcee! 

First, former Detroit Lion Herman Moore spoke to the kids about exercise and eating a healthy diet that includes dairy.  Next. Rodney Lamar Page gave a motivational speech where he played violin, played an electric violin, rapped, and did beat boxing.  (He is a former St Johns music teacher, too!) 

Detroit Lion Tahir Whitehead played a nutrition trivia game with the kids.  Then the kids went down to the tunnel, got announced, and ran onto the field!  They did an hour of football drills with Detroit Lions players and coaches, including Eric Ebron and Miles Killebrew.  It was great fun watching them.

We ate a dairy-filled lunch, the student ambassadors talked, we had a super energetic speaker Kim Campbell (very good) and then we all headed back down to the field to have a press conference with player Ameer Abdullah, dance, take pictures, and play more football!

The pro-dairy, pro-health, pro-exercise messaging was great, the people were fun, and I was so glad to be a part of it again.  Thanks to Mr. Matulis, Ms. Foreback, and Mrs. Potter from Eureka for bringing the kids, and to United Dairy Industry of Michigan for putting it on!









Mr. Matulis took some nice shots of the kids on the field.  Here are a few:

Spring in February

We had a super-warm and lovely February.  Whenever it thaws, it gets super muddy and messy on the farm.  Kris doesn't particularly like it.  I ... love it.  We were barefoot around the farm last weekend! Then this week it got cold and we had flurries - it even hailed.  The tulips that were already pushing their way out of the ground were completely surprised!



I hosted Fuel Up to Play 60 at Ford Field in Detroit.  It was so much fun! It is such a great event, because the kids are so excited.  We had two motivational speakers, a workout with the Detroit Lions, different dairy foods, and we did it all with fun people like these two dairy girls here - Ashley Messing Kennedy and Madeline Meyer.



I attended the Voice of Ag in Traverse City and toured the FARM Science Lab. It is SO cool.  They take it around to different schools to bring the science about ag to them!  I can't wait until we can schedule it for ours.  People in Michigan - I'm pretty sure they're scheduling into 2018 now.  Go ahead and contact them for your school.



Here we are making plastic from corn.  This enthusiasm is not faked.  We loved it.  Science experiment love is not limited to kids, obviously!



Most exciting to us, we welcomed new cattle to the farm.  So far, they love it here and are giving us lots of fantastic milk.  Thanks to our friends for selling them to us!

As February ends, it's back to winter around here.  Our hats and mittens are back on, we're back indoors, and we're ready for spring when it really comes!

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Fuel up!

I went to a really fun, well-organized, educational, AND entertaining event today!  I helped out at the 5th annual Rally for School Health at Ford Field in Detroit. 

The Fuel Up to Play 60 program encourages students to educate about and promote healthy eating (including dairy) and exercise in their schools.  This event is big!  Thirty schools - each with six students and three advisors - came to take part in the program.  It was put on by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.   

After a fantastic breakfast where we got to know the students, former Detroit Lion Herman Moore fired up the students.  Then Jill Jayne, billed humorously-on-purpose as 'the only rock star nutritionist' entertained and engaged the students with a message about healthy living. 

The Detroit Lions coaches and Former Detroit Lion Jason Hanson talked to the audience.  At one point, Jason said, "Do you know what professional football players do when they're done with a hard workout?  They drink chocolate milk." 

I'm not kidding, I broke into applause.  The healthy message of chocolate milk is everywhere!

Then, it was time for all of us to run through the tunnel and onto the field!  I don't care if you're a football fan or not ... it was loud, the music was pumping ... it was exciting!

The coaches ran us through many drills.  We ran in those little ladders.  We passed footballs.  We sprinted.  We even tackled those big dummies. 

(For a girl who's never going to be on a football team, it was very exciting.  When would I ever have the chance to do this?)

They yelled at us, they blew on their whistle, they told us when we weren't doing things right.  Students were learning from real coaches and real professionals.  We all had a good time.

 

After we sweated through that - I'm not kidding, I really did sweat - we had lunch.  There was a taste and vote for the kids.  It was entertaining to me, because I realize that not all kids have the same eating experiences.  The kids at my table weren't even able to identify sweet potatoes or chickpeas.  Not only had they never had them, but they couldn't even recognize them on sight.  I told my children this later and they laughed out loud.  But all the kids were drinking milk, at least! 

We had speaker Jean Blaydes talk about how nutrition, exercise, water, and sleep make you smarter.  She was having us stand up and do different activities every few minutes.  A lot of our meetings could incorporate some of that!

We went back to the field and Jason Hanson answered the students' questions.  (Right before this I asked him if I could get my picture taken with him.  I led with, "I'm a dairy farmer.  Can we get our picture with you?"  That sentence really opens doors.)

He was good.  Someone asked what the funniest moment in his years of playing was - and he said once he had a flight scheduled to go and see his wife have their baby.  She was in a different state on bed rest.  The only way he wouldn't make his flight was if the game ran late.  The game ran late and ... it was up to him to kick the field goal.  If he made it, they'd win, and he'd get to see his son being born.  If he missed it, everyone would hate him, and he'd miss his son's birth.  He made it, ran out of the stadium, and got to be there for the birth.  He said it was funny now ... not then.

Jill Jayne taught all the kids (and some of us adults) a dance on the field 'The Bone Rap', all about how great milk is for your body.  I wondered why I never pursued a dance career.

We all got footballs and played around on the field as we waiting for our professional photo with the players and Roary, the Detroit Lions mascot.

My friend Annie Link was one of the other dairy farmers there.  There were only a few of us - and it's always nice to go to events like this to represent our industry!

Congrats to United Dairy Industry of Michigan for a successful event!  I'm glad it generates such excitement for the students and in the schools. 

When I got home, some turf fell out of my shoes.  Yep.  I'm practically a real football player now.  I'm on the same number of NFL teams as this guy.

 

Honestly, the overall message of the importance of exercise and good food choices was heard loud and clear.  It was a great event and I'd get turf in my shoes for it any day.