Appreciate your food, farmers at Christmas
Christmas. A season of hot cocoa, presents under the tree, and delicious food at the dinner table with friends and family. My name is Kera Bentz. I am a dairy ambassador on the Juniata Dairy Promotional Court.
Christmas time is one of my favorite times to be on the dairy court and you might be wondering why? The Juniata Dairy Promotional Court is committed to educating and supporting the dairy industry, but not only that. We also commit our time showing our appreciation and giving back to our dairy farmers. A little tradition we have is our yearly pizza party. Every family on the court brings a dish to share and a dozen or so cookies and we eat dinner together and make cookie trays to give to our dairy farmers. To the younger me on the court, this was fun because I got to eat pizza and hangout with my friends on the court. Delivering the cookies on the other hand not as much. I hated being out in the cold, knocking on strangers’ doors and driving around for hours at a time, but as I got older, I understood why this was so important.
Farmers work 365 days a year, milking twice a day, keeping up with the paperwork that comes with milking, and the stress of things breaking or cows getting sick. Dairy farmers never get a break. I realized this when I delivered the cookies. No matter how cold it was or how dark it was, I still saw the farmers working in their barn with a smile on their face every time they saw me. I’ve realized over the years how hard dairy farmers work for what they have and their dedication to the farm. This is admirable.
So, this Christmas, as you are around the table with family and friends, appreciate the food put on your table and the farmers who put it there.