The Dairy Blog

An early start the next day allowed us to arrive at Martin Buser’s home and dog sled tour at 10 a.m.  It was drizzling rain. As we arrived, the caretaker was about to feed the 80 or 90 dogs that were there. Martin has won the Iditarod race four times and presently holds the record for the fastest time. It is a fascinating race, and instead of me trying to tell you all about it, I suggest you go on-line to read about it at www.buserdog.com – click on Kennel Tours. The fellow that gave us our tour works for Martin while he is on a glacier during the summer giving sled rides. This helps train the dogs all year and provides income since that is what Martin does for a living.

 

The dogs, the equipment, the stories, the race – they were all fascinating. We watched a film about Martin and the race and at the end, the caretaker brought each of us a puppy to hold. Puppies are the best. I think they were five or six weeks old. They were little balls of fur. Then we went to an amphitheater to learn more about the sleds, the food, the clothes – everything about the race and the conditions they endure during this challenge. Some of the better racers will get their apprentice to race a second team. This allows young dogs to experience the race, and it helps to get them ready for the “first team.” 

 

They start the race with 16 dogs and I think they have to finish with at least five. Again, you can go online to learn more. The race is over 1,000 miles and was originally achieved when there was a need for a vaccination in Nome (I think), and the only way to get the vaccine there was to bring it by dog sled from Anchorage. 

 

Glaciers, here we come. Our next adventure was down to Whittier, and we took a cruise to view glaciers. In this area of Alaska (in this area of the world), they experience 400 to 900 inches of snow each winter.  That is 36 to 80 feet! Over time the snow packs down and becomes solid ice. The weight of the ice causes it to move (slide) down the mountains and valleys where it is formed. Some glaciers are formed high in the mountains and some are touching the sea. They “calve” into the sea as they melt. The glaciers in the mountains create creeks and rivers as they melt. Interestingly, the rivers are a chalky grey color.  The water coming down the valley looks like a river of grey Pepto-Bismol. That was the only thing about Alaska that was not pretty. Interesting, surprising, but not pretty. This has been going on for millions of years so much of the bay at Anchorage has filled with the grey silt from the glaciers.

 

Our mode of transportation to view the glaciers was a large, fast catamaran. We could travel at about 45 miles/hour and were able to motor around Prince William Sound to view 26 different glaciers. Some were up in the mountains, with others down to the sea. Otters, birds, seals and eagles were the wildlife viewing and entertainment. The cruise was about five hours long and included lunch. There were approximately 200 people on the boat. Great trip!

 

Next stop…The busiest float plane airport in the world. Alaska is a huge state. If you divide it into two pieces, each of the pieces is bigger than Texas. Even so, there are very few roads in Alaska. The primary mode of transportation to most of Alaska is by airplane. These small airplanes land on rivers and lakes and some areas have small landing strips of grass and/or gravel. In the winter, areas are reachable by ice roads that will accommodate snow machines or specially equipped ice trucks. For example, Chelatna Lake Lodge’s owner added a lodge, house and four cabins to the various original structures that were there when he purchased the lodge a few years ago. To accomplish this, he hauled in 900,000 pounds of machines and material. This was done using massive trucks with huge ice tires that carried 90,000 pounds a trip. This is more than twice what a tractor trailer would haul.

 

Anyway, we were going to Chelatna Lake via a float plane. It was a cool airplane. We flew about 1,000 feet above the ground so we could see the world as we flew along. It was a beautiful day and we could see McKinley as we flew northwest out of Anchorage. This was one of our best views. 

 

The Lodge was great www.chelatna.com. Our cabin had a view of the lake (eight miles long and a mile wide), which is surrounded by mountains and some snow-covered mountains about 20 miles beyond the far end of the lake. Food was great. Fishing was OK. The trout were waiting on the salmon to spawn and were very picky about what they would bite. We could only fish the first few holes down the creek that was spilling out of the lake. I did catch a 24-inch rainbow trout. I just wish we had caught a few more fish.  The salmon were everywhere. We hooked a few, but they were very sluggish. When these salmon start their journey from the sea to their spawning grounds, they are silver in color and very good to eat.  By the time they get to this area, which is close to their spawning grounds, they are red and some have humped backs. They are not as good to eat, so we released all of them - just like the trout.

 

While at the lodge, we took a couple of trips up the lake in a lake boat. Once with our wives, and once just David and I. Both trips were beautiful and interesting. At every little tributary that was spilling into the lake there were numerous salmon, and they appeared to want to go on up the small streams to eventually spawn. On one trip we saw a female moose. She was spectacular. We happened upon her as we were returning. We were going full speed about 100 yards from the bank and she was down by the water. She galloped alongside the bank for a short period before she disappeared back into the wilderness. Some other folks saw a bear the next day at the far end of the lake feeding on the salmon.

 

Another float plane trip back to Anchorage the next day. We had some time to kill before we hooked up with our friends so we rented bicycles and took off on a bike route around part of Anchorage. About halfway on the trip we entered a fairly remote forest (semi-wilderness area) and there in front of us on the bike path was a mother moose with her calf. Obviously, she had the right of way. She was browsing along munching on tree leaves. We watched her for a few minutes and then passed by at a safe distance. It was really great.

 

The next day, our friends took us to a local park very near their house in Eagle River where we were able to watch a salmon preparing the bed where she would lay her eggs. She swam on her side and flip her tail vigorously to fan the bottom of the creek. Each time this made a larger indentation in the bottom of the creek. Eventually, she would lay her eggs there.

 

Our last sightseeing trip was to a gold mine. We walked around and read about the mine that was now abandoned. However, there was an active gold mine nearby. Very interesting!

 

Forgive me for this wordy entry, but there was too much to talk about once the Alaska trip became my subject matter. I have seen TV programs about Alaska; however, seeing it for myself was a most enjoyable experience.

 

Scottie

My, how time flies. I am way behind on my blogging. We had another great July 4th celebration. One of my previous blogs talked in detail about our July 4th celebration. This year was great! With the 4th falling in the middle of the week, I took most of the week off, and we had a great relaxing time. The 4th was busy, but the rest of the week slowed down and was very nice. August was a full month. My wife, another couple and I went to Alaska the first part of the month, and Lisa and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary at the end of the month. The Alaska trip started when our friends purchased a trout fishing excursion to Chelatna Lake Lodge in Alaska. We were attending a fund-raising event at Baylor School in Chattanooga, and one of the student’s parents had donated this trip as an auction item. Our friends were the winning bidders, so we talked to the people at the lodge and changed the trip from a trip for two to a trip for four. Then, we added a few side trips. We flew into Anchorage. It is farther than you think. We flew from Chattanooga to Atlanta to Seattle to Anchorage. The flight from Seattle to Anchorage was about three hours, which is not that bad unless you have been traveling all day and expect it to be an hour and a half. Thankfully, our first night was very easy. We stayed with some friends. Houses are just more comfortable than hotels. Our friends live in Eagle River, which is somewhat north of Anchorage and actually on the way to our first destination. We took our time driving to Denali National Park. Beautiful country! We stayed at one of the Princess Hotels. They had young college students as employees, and they were great. The service was good and the attitude of these young people made us feel welcomed. The next morning we boarded a bus to venture into the park. Mount McKinley, also called Denali, was the destination (we thought). In order to see a true wilderness, the bus trip was eight hours (four in and four out). The spot where we turned around was an area where you could view the mountain. It was beautiful, but it was actually 70 miles away. Our best view would come later. On the way to and from the viewing area, we had fantastic opportunities to see wildlife. We saw dozens of sheep on mountainsides. Our instruction from the bus driver was to shout “stop” when we saw an animal. That is hard to do at first when you are on a bus filled with strangers. We almost passed the first group of sheep because they were at some distance and it took a while for the word to get around to enough passengers for someone to shout “stop.” After that first time, we did much better stopping the bus to view wildlife. I think there were three large sets of sheep as we started the journey into the park. We saw 12 grizzly bears in all (or brown bears as some people call them). They are big animals. The first five were at a distance. Two large bears, one medium size and two small ones. They were just moving along across the base of a valley. We had binoculars and could see them fairly well. The driver of the bus had a camera. He would focus on them, and it televised the picture on a screen at each seat. He would zoom in for us to get a close look and then zoom back so those who had not seen the bears could get a perspective of the landscape and see the bears themselves. The second group was much closer. There were three small bears (understand small is relative). Each of these three baby bears probably weighed 200 pounds or more. They were coming up the embankment by the road. I need to remind you we were in the middle of nowhere. The road was a well-kept gravel road (most of the time) through mountains, fields and valleys. In any direction you could see for 70 to 100 miles, unless there was a mountain in the way. So, these three bears are spotted behind us and to the left coming up toward the road. Everyone kept yelling “stop” because we could see the bears as our driver started to back up. He continued to back at our protest until he stopped in the path the bears were headed. They could have cared less about this big silver box. The bears got on the road and walked around the bus to join their huge mother who appeared in the middle of some bushes. This was really great. We were up close and personal. Just minutes later the bus driver put on his brakes somewhat suddenly. I looked down the aisle, out the front of the bus and there is a bull moose 10 feet from the bus. He lumbered along to our right and through the scrub brush beside the bus. This animal is bigger than a large horse, and to say they are funny looking is an understatement. As he passed by the bus, he was about 30 yards away. He had a huge set of antlers; a beautiful animal. We saw numerous caribou. Most of them were grazing or lying down. These animals are called reindeer by some folks. Some were reasonably close. Some were far away. All these animals were just going about their day where they live, and we just happened to drive by in this vast wilderness. As I recall, our elevation along the drive in the park ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 feet. Denali (Mount McKinley) is 21,000 feet. Anchorage is a port at sea level. This is very interesting terrain. Birds, rabbits (called snow hares) and a fox were among the smaller creatures we saw. We had stopped so many times on the way into the park that we were traveling more quickly on the way out, but we did stop for two fabulous views. One was a second view of Mount McKinley. Our first view had been obscured by the clouds around the mountain. McKinley is so large it makes its own weather. As we were leaving, it came into full view. An even better view would be later in the trip. Our second stop on the way out was to watch a very large grizzly eat berries. He was 40 yards from the road stripping blueberries off the bushes and eating them as fast as he could. He was close enough for us to easily see his eyes and watch him. He could have cared less that we were there. I don’t think he ever acknowledged the bus. We were given a box lunch on the bus and we brought beverages. We were only allowed to eat on the bus (so no food is left in the park from the buses). The bus was a little crowded, but it is a great way to visit the park without disturbing it or the wildlife. I think the bus trip is the best way to let people see the park. There was a group cycling into the park. That was surprising. They were about 200 yards ahead of us when those three bears crossed the road. Our trip had started that morning about 5:30 and we returned at 2:30. There are shorter trips, an overnight trip and a 12-hour trip. I am sure they are all great. What you are able to see is subject to the luck of the draw. Only one-third of the visitors to the park actually get to see the mountain. The weather around the mountain obscures the view most of the time. There is much more to tell about the opportunities available at Denali National Park, but you can learn more by going on-line at www.alaskatravel.com. We were pretty tired when we got back to the Grande Denali Lodge. Great place! Rooms were pretty standard, but the lodge was positioned on the side of a mountain with a great view. We relaxed on the deck enjoying the view, had dinner and went to bed.   more »

Hello all. It has been a few weeks from the time of my last BLOG entry, my apologies. I have just recently moved to Salt Lake City to train with team USA. I have qualified to train with the team for the past three years, but have chosen to opt out of the program until now because I have really had a lot of success with my coach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

 

The Pettit National Ice center in Milwaukee decided not to put ice down until late September, thus leaving me only a week to get ready for our first World Cup team trials for Long Track speed skating. My coach and I decided that it would be best for me to spend the season in Salt Lake with the USA team so that I could have proper ice time to get prepared for my races this coming year. 

 

I have just moved into an apartment downtown on a six month lease, and am missing my team and coach back in Milwaukee dearly. I have had a lot of fun out here with the team to this point, though.

 

Before I left, I recently attended Mayfield Day at the Chattanooga Market (Aug. 19), which is pictured. I had a blast with all of the people from Mayfield. I really enjoy being around my southern roots!!!  

 

Well, my first trials of the year is in two weeks, and this one will be for the Short track world team.  Please wish me luck and keep me in your prayers. I will be writing another blog after the race to let everyone know how I did, and my thoughts on the outcome, etc. Be safe!!!

 

Ryan Leveille

(pictured with my cousins Micah and Izabel Leveille)

When we first started visiting physicians’ offices in Atlanta several months ago to talk about Nurture by Mayfield, I never imagined the impact we’d make with some of the individuals. As a Mayfield Mom, I’ve been told that we – the Mayfield Moms – have made quite an impression on our consumers. But one of our office visits has left quite an impression on me.

 

Let’s just say our very first physician office visited didn’t go as planned. Before you start thinking the worst, it wasn’t bad, just different. Usually when Scottie Mayfield walks into a room, everyone warms up. This time, however, most of the folks in the office didn’t know who Scottie was (although I found out later that it didn’t register for a lot of people who he actually was when he was standing in their office).

 

It took some time for us to break the ice, which is something that rarely happens. What made it more challenging for us was one physician declared that in 23 years, her family has not drank milk, nor did they intend to drink milk in the future. Even the other staff members weren’t sure how to respond to us. At that point, I started wondering whether we were wasting our time. We presented, thanked the group and headed out.

 

Well, let’s just say I had a pleasant surprise during my follow-up visit a few weeks later. The physician who said her family didn’t drink milk came up to me and said, “You’re not going to believe this.” I stood there not knowing what to think. “My family is drinking Nurture,” she said. I didn’t know whether to hug her or what. Then, about five nurses came up to me and said they’re drinking milk, too.

 

That same comment is something I hear from many of the other offices we’ve visited, and it’s nice to see we’re touching a lot of people. Half of the office staff we initially met with didn’t drink milk, and now they’re drinking it!

 

There are folks out there who still don’t know about Nurture, so if you have questions, go to www.NurtureMilk.com. We’d love to hear what kind of impression Nurture leaves on you, so call Mayfield (1.800.MAYFIELD) and let us know.  

 

Olivia

“Cayci, could you move a transfer truckload of Styrofoam coolers?” 

“Hey Skinny Dipper, could you go to Alabama today to dip ice cream?” 

“Cayci, could you cut out 350 signs during the next hour?”

“Cayci, could you run home and try out this new recipe?”

I started working as an intern at Mayfield just as a summer job. I was going to be there May through August, and then it would be over. Four years later, I found myself crying as I walked out the door and through the parking lot on my last day of work.

Some might call me crazy, but I absolutely loved my job! This is why the internship didn’t end after just a summer. I have never been a fan of repetition, and I learned quickly that I would never have that from my seat at Mayfield, which, I was never sitting in!

During my first couple of months, I was tagged with a name that I am still living with to this day! I was sent to an event in Loudon, Tennessee. At this event, a lady from the newspaper came to Scottie Mayfield who was dipping ice cream next to me. The first thing you need to know is I am tiny! This lady from the newspaper was making conversation and said, “What are you, the Skinny Dipper?” I have been called that ever since. There are Mayfield employees from other branches who I see at events only once a year.  They don’t know my real name. They just call me Skinny Dipper!

A few activities I coordinated while at Mayfield were special events, assisting the Mom Squad, Recipe Club, Kids’ Birthday Club, and many things that were based out of Athens like Relay for Life and the Charity Cookout.

I also probably spent hundreds of hours in what we call the Ad Room. This is where we keep promotional items that are requested from our Sales Reps. I had to pull the items from the shelves and ship them through inter-company mail. This is where I would get attacked with situations like the truckload of coolers. That really happened, and, luckily, I had some wonderful people help me load and unload them all! 

I also got made fun of for working on the floor so much. I just like to work in the floor! And besides, my desk was small, so it was easier to spread things out on the floor. Case closed.

I worked numerous special events and samplings! Even though I am not an actual mother, when the Mom Squad needed someone at the last moment, I was sent. I can’t recall that I ever had a job description. I can’t tell you what I did on a day to day basis, but I was always busy doing something. Work always appeared on my desk, and I could always find something to do. 

My all time favorite events were Ice Cream for America Days! These happened in July to celebrate National Ice Cream month. I was sent to every one of them! Last year, I worked many events. I also lived out of my suitcase and got sun poisoning. I could have said no, but what’s the fun in that?! I also got to take my younger brother along for two of the events in Alabama when I stopped to work them on our way back from a family vacation. He wasn’t very happy about that, but now he appreciates what I did in my internship.

I learned more during my time at Mayfield than any college education ever taught me. Those benefits are great. More importantly, however, this is what is so great about Mayfield and what kept me there: the people. All the people I worked with -- and for -- were absolutely wonderful! You cannot ask for any better!  As I faced some difficult times in the past year, they were all there to support me every step of the way! It is truly a family atmosphere, and I still feel like part of that family as I receive phone calls and emails asking about my new career frequently.

So, for the rest of my life, when I see that yellow milk jug, it will always have a deeper meaning to me!  Mayfield is definitely more than milk and ice creamier! Mayfield is all about a love for what they are doing and for their employees, and I sure know I love Mayfield!

Cayci Barham, former intern

A new school year is underway. For the plant and route sales personnel, that means large quantities of half pints will be filled and delivered. School milk can increase a plant’s gallonage by as much as 10%! I am old enough (58) to remember glass bottle half pints being served with lunch at Ingleside Elementary in Athens, which is located across the street from our dairy plant. I think the price students paid for milk was $0.02 for a bottle, or $0.10 cents for a week of milk. Even then, our government wanted children to consume milk for its good nutrition. Milk is the best source of calcium and phosphorus for growing children.

 

The gable top paper carton has been a staple for school milk since the mid 1950’s. Our industry used the same cross section for both bottoms and tops for paper half pints, pints and quarts. It measured 2 ¾” by 2 ¾”. My father (Thomas B. Mayfield) worked with the paper carton industry to develop what was called the “NEP” carton (new economy package) that was 2 ¼” by 2 ¼”. This slim carton reduced carton weight by nearly 50%!

 

To keep children from becoming bored with the packaging, we change the graphics often. Currently, we are using a camouflage pattern. It is always a challenge for the plant to make sure the cartons do not leak but are not sealed so tightly that students cannot open them. It is time consuming when teachers, particularly elementary school teachers, have to help young children open their milk.

 

Today, Mayfield delivers milk to over 1,500 schools. Of these schools, 75% still use the NEP paper carton, but we also offer a plastic half pint. It is yellow or brown, has a re-sealable cap and is liked very much by students. Most of the schools Mayfield serves in Georgia are using it. Studies confirm that milk consumption increases anywhere from 18% to 30% when the plastic container is used.

 

Lowfat Chocolate milk sales are nearly 75% of our total school milk sales. This milk has all the nutrition of milk, and half the added sugars of soft drinks. Researchers have learned that only 2% of a child’s sugar intake is from Lowfat Chocolate milk, and that children who consume Lowfat Chocolate have the same daily sugar intake as those who drink unflavored lowfat milk. We are continuing to look for ways to reduce sugar without adversely affecting the taste. At Mayfield, we want the quality of all our products to be the best.  I’ll report further on this in a future blog.

 

The best part about being a Mayfield Mom is the MOM part. Being a mom of two very active boys, ages 7 and 12, equips me daily to be the best Mayfield Mom I can be. I can have compassion when a little girl drops her spoon after receiving a sample of Mayfield Ice Cream, I can understand when a mom says “no thanks, we’ve not had dinner yet!” I can gladly give a second helping to a little boy that just loves our Cookies and Cream, or even nudge a teenage girl to try it, even when she thinks she is “too cool for ice cream”………..and then she comes back to tell me that she loved it!!!

So, part of the mom in me also comes out in other areas of my personal life. I run. Yes, that’s right, I run for fun. No one is chasing me, and there’s nothing at the end -- just running. And enjoying it. So, that brings me to my latest journey. Race for the Cure, a national event sponsored by the Susan G. Komen foundation, is a race that happens every year and assists in the research for a cure for breast cancer.

Statistics show that 1 in 8 women have or will have breast cancer in her lifetime. Those are not-so-great odds. I am running for a cure. My mother does not have it, nor my grandmother, not either of my two aunts, not my sister, or my two female cousins. Wow, my odds just increased, right? There are 8 women (including me). Who will be the one? At least one of use, according to statistics. So, I am running for a cure. I believe in research, and I believe in this foundation. I believe that if everyone just gave one dollar -- only one -- a cure could be found. I am running for a cure. And, I will run again next year, and the year after, as long as the Lord allows me to be healthy enough to run.

The Mom in me just wants to help another Mom, or sister, or aunt. I can do it, and I will!

So, you can check my progress on our team home page https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=238575&lis=1&kntae238575=B853941B77944623A4E736571FF4706D&supId=181739951&team=2011700 or on my blog www.3qtguys.blogspot.com

Brittney

Despite what the calendar says, it’s hard to believe it’s September! Whether you’re a fan of summer or enjoy the changing seasons (if you live in a climate where the seasons actually change), fall is just about here. And if you live anywhere near Niota, Tennessee, the changing of the seasons means one thing – the opening of the annual Mason Corn Maze sponsored by Mayfield Dairy Farms.

 

Every September, Harmonyway Dairy Farm owners Gary and Janette Mason open up their farm (it truly is an actual working dairy farm) and provide fun and challenging activities for families, school groups, church outings, birthday parties and company picnics.

 

For those of you who have challenged your sense of direction through the nine-foot tall corn stalks, you know what I’m talking about. For all others who have yet to navigate through the maze, it’s something you’ll never forget. I encourage the young and young-at-heart to make a trip to Niota and spend the afternoon getting a behind-the-scents glimpse of this charming dairy farm. There’s something for everyone!

 

Bridgett Raper