LANDER, Pa. - The first annual Dairy Farm Appreciation Dinner brought Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture George Grieg and his wife Christine to this area. A dinner hosted by the Warren County Dairy Princess, her court, and the committee honored those in the dairy business and friends of dairy. Held at the Lander Volunteer Fire Department, the dinner featured home raised meat, vegetables, ice cream and cupcakes.
Ashley Enos, Warren County Dairy Princess, welcomed all, then introduced other dairy royalty present. Also on hand were: Ashley Blair Warren County Dairy Princess Alternate, Dairy Maids Leah Curtis, Rachel Enos, and Caitlyn Tichenel. Little Dairy Maids Alicia Striker, Lily Striker, and Veronica Ludwick manned the punch and cheese table.
Reverend Wade Barto gave the blessing prior to the meal. The Pa Alternate Dairy Princess, Elizabeth Weber, daughter of Rick and Brenda Weber of Grove City joined Ms. Enos and Ms. Blair in the milk toast.
Article Photos
Warren County Dairy Princess Ashley Enos and Warren Co. Alternate Dairy Princess Ashely Blair welcome farmers and guests to the first annual Dairy Producers and Friends of Dairy Dinner at the Lander Fire Hall.
Following dinner Fred Lucks from the Dairy Promotion Board spoke on the benefits of the check-off program where producers pay toward advertising and promotion. Lucks noted that the group has partnered successfully with Domino Pizza and McDonalds to increase the inclusion of milk at their restaurants. If farmers are interested in finding out more about these programs they can go to www.dairyspot.com. Dairy recipes and hints are available at www.centerfordairyexcellence.org.
Another program known as "Fuel Up to Play 60" is fighting childhood obesity. Kids need to exercise 60 minutes daily. They need to eat nutrient rich foods including low-fat and fat-free dairy, whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. The dairy promotion check-off program provides much of the nutrition information for this program. Four of the NFL teams have come on board for this program. They are the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Currently Fuel Up to Play 60 is in 66 percent of the schools nationwide.
Secretary of Agriculture, George Grieg is a 30-year dairy farmer. He said he was not at liberty to discuss dairy policy at this time because the specifics have not been set. He is currently meeting with state senators and gathering information. Grieg is familiar with this area since he has visited the area many times on behalf of other farm organizations. He thanked the Dairy Princess Committee for the invitation.
The day closed with farmers networking and enjoying time away from their duties.