“Becky Moo-Moo” was the winning name submitted by eight-year-old Alexa Cabrera in the “name the cow mascot” contest sponsored by Milk from the Heart. The charity provides fresh 1% milk to thousands of low-income families in undernourished communities in New York City, and uses the cow mascot to help educate children about the importance of milk for a healthy diet.
Alexa and her family won a tour of the Sweetman Dairy Farm, a working farm in Warwick, New York.
Alexa, a milk lover, was thrilled with the experience. “I loved meeting the cows and listening to the farmer talk about his job,” says Alexa, who was accompanied to the farm by her parents and two siblings.
The Cabrera family toured the Sweetman Dairy Farm, seeing the cows that provide milk to New Yorkers, and learning how milk gets from farm to table. The children pet the cows, saw where the animals were milked, where the milk was stored, and got to understand life on a dairy farm.
“The family got an overall feel and appreciation for the farm,” says Tunis Sweetman, the owner of the Sweetman Dairy Farm, which is home to 175 Holstein cows that produce fresh wholesale milk year-round. “We look forward to any time we can make a connection between our farm and the consumer.”
The trip was sponsored by the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc.
“Dairy farmers’ commitment to providing high quality milk begins with top-notch animal care and farming practices,” says Brenda Beltram, a spokesperson for the American Dairy Association. “Visiting a dairy farm is an ideal opportunity for those far removed from rural communities to see firsthand how dairy farmers preserve and recycle natural resources to produce foods that are nutritious and wholesome.”
Source: Homes for the Homeless