Niagara-Orleans dairy princess touts the many benefits of milk
By Hayley Roehling, Niagara-Orleans Dairy Princess
Provided photo: These five are in the Niagara-Orleans dairy court for 2019-2020. They include from left: Alexis Giordano, Dairy Princess alternate Sadie Klumpp, Dairy Princess Hayley Roehling of Akron, Madison Slattery, and Ella Seib. The dairy princess pageant was April 6 at the Hartland Fire Hall.
HARTLAND – On Saturday, April 6th, I was crowned the 2019-2020 Niagara-Orleans County Dairy Princess. I am beyond excited to promote the dairy industry and create long-lasting memories with the court throughout the year.
Currently, the dairy industry is not doing as well as one would hope due to the increase in the amount of liquids made from nuts to be imitated as milk. In reality though, the nut juice does not compare to the nutritional value that is in milk.
Most consumers are switching to buy non-dairy products because they believe the ideas that are spread around by uneducated people; but these thoughts are falsehoods. Becoming Dairy Princess has led me to be highly motivated in promoting the dairy industry and the elements of the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council (ADADC), so that people can have a better understanding of what actually happens.
The first element to promote is the nutritional value of milk. There are nine nutrients in milk: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, protein, riboflavin and niacin. These elements within dairy products keep your bones and teeth strong, regulate muscles which allows movement, help an individual have energy, help recover from an injury, build muscle and bones, help with eyesight, keep your immune system strong to fight off sickness, and reduce cholesterol levels. Clearly, milk has a variety of health benefits available to the body if three servings of dairy products are consumed daily.
Some people question the quality of milk before it even comes out of the cow. The questioning begins with the care of the animals and the stewardship towards the land. Farmers themselves take really good care of their land. The land is the source of the food for the animals; without the land to farm, there would be no farm itself. For this reason, the land is very important and there is a lot of work involved to care for the property.
Some also believe that the cows are not treated in the best way which is just another falsehood. Dairy cows are taken care of in the greatest possible manner by farmers. The cows always have access to fresh food and water to have the essential qualities for milk production; there is also a nutritionist specialized in dairy cattle that frequently visits the farm to formulate a proper ratio for each component of the total mixed ration (TMR) that the cows consume.
The barn is cleaned out multiple times a day, and cows are milked on a set schedule to make them as comfortable as possible. There are so many other things that the farmer does daily to make the facilities a positive environment.
Dairy farmers are one of the hardest working class of people in this world who deserve more credit than they are typically given. They are on the clock 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No matter what happens, the animals and the farm comes first; the necessary tasks need to be completed. The animals need to be fed and milked on their schedule. It is a lot of work, but the work is worth it!
