Talk of the West

Guest Blog: Hal and Pat Oakes

Alicia — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:53:08 +0000

Hal and I became fans of Cream of the West products when we lived in Idaho. We relocated back to upstate New York in 2002 after Hal found himself jobless after 32 years working as a Quality Assurance Engineer for a company when they consolidated and moved to Pittsburgh. He brought back boxes of cereal and kept them in the freezer; it represented his touch of the West.

One day in January 2012, with box in hand, Hal talked with Alicia and said, “I’m excited about planting the seed and the opportunity to represent you and help you get a market started in the North East”. With Alicia’s blessing, Hal planted the first “seed” at the local Hannaford Supermarket. To date, he’s contacted over a dozen major food and restaurant chains on the East Coast, including Trader Joe’s, Fresh Market, Publix, Denny’s and Whole Foods, to name a few.

Hal and I believe in the “personal touch” approach and present a “double whammy” when representing Cream of the West as a team. After Hal explains the benefit of the Cream of the West products, I add a feminine touch by explaining what the “all Natural” benefit of the Cream of the West products mean to me, which adds a new dimension beyond just another “sales pitch”.

We are sold on the excellence and integrity of the Cream of the West product line and its management team and staff, and are excited and proud to be East Coast representatives for Cream of the West.

~Hal & Pat Oakes

P.S. We feel SO very lucky that Pat and Hal have chosen to make Cream of the West their personal mission. With their dedication and perserverance, we have no doubt they’ll land an account soon. We’ve dubbed them “The Mighty Oakes!”

~Alicia

Excerpts From The Ranch…

Susan — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:29:47 +0000

Well, spring has sprung here on the ranch. The birds have all found their nesting grounds and are starting to pair off. Calving is in full swing and Grandma Kay has moved her horses back to their home in Bozeman for summer riding!

This week while we were out making our rounds we saw birds, birds, and more birds. Above: a curlew just landing, a robin, Steve feeding in the tractor, a red-winged blackbird, and a couple beautiful heifers and calves.

And my mother-in-law, Kay, and good friend, Shelley, drove over from Bozeman to take Kay’s horses home. We winter the horses here in Two Dot so that Kay doesn’t have to feed them every day. So after a delightful lunch at the Two Dot Bar, we headed back to the ranch to load them up! Above: Steve and Shelley haltering and walking the horses to the stock trailer, and Shelley and Kay before heading back to Bozeman.

Natural Products Expo West

Susan — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:45:14 +0000

Alicia, Ann and I recently returned from an awesome trip to Anaheim, California, where we attended Natural Products Expo West. Due to the generosity of the Montana Department of Agriculture, our booth host, we were given the opportunity to join with several other Montana businesses to display and promote our quality and locally made products to the masses!

In the spirit of southern California, we bring you West Katella Avenue; Alicia and I in our booth at the show; the Anaheim Convention Center sporting an NPEW banner; palm trees in front of the convention center; Alicia and Ann; the Pacific washing over my feet; and a beautiful ocean sunset.

Richard and Siri

Alicia — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:58:07 +0000

Richard, my husband, is a late arrival into the cell phone age. Among his many reasons for refusing to use a cell phone were: they don’t float in irrigation ditches; there’s no reception on the ranch; he couldn’t hear on it; and the tiny keyboard didn’t fit his fingers. All that changed when iPhone 4s and Siri entered his life. He totally fell under her spell. Before I knew it, she was going everywhere with him as his personal assistant. But, even Siri has a learning curve. For example Richard took her with him to check on the cows the other day. When he spotted a sick cow who needed doctoring, he said: “Siri, make a note to doctor Green 2.15.” And, Siri dutifully wrote: Dr. Green 2:15. Obviously, she’s a city girl who doesn’t know about cow’s ear tag identification. Lucky for me, she too has a thing or two to learn about agriculture.

Government “Helicoptering” Creates a Wii Farm Generation!

Alicia — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:37:04 +0000

Along with a roomful of friends and neighbors, I attended the Agriculture Appreciation Days dinner sponsored by the Harlowton Chamber of Commerce. The speaker raised some issues and cited statistics that left us all disheartened. While there were plenty of boots under the table and cowboy hats on the rack at our dinner, we were told that less than 2% of Americans are engaged in agriculture production. This translates to fewer and fewer adults and children with any first-hand knowledge of where their food comes from or what it takes to produce it.

When the speaker told us about the The Department of Labor’s proposed regulations limiting the kinds of work children can do on farms, I became truly concerned. As proposed, any children under the age of 16—unless they live on an unincorporated family farm—can not work around livestock or operate any farm equipment.* While the Department describes these regulations on kids and agriculture in terms of safety, farmers and ranchers view them as an attack on the rural way of life.

The result—whether intended or unintended—would drastically alter a farmer’s ability to pass on his store of knowledge and passion for the farming/ranching lifestyle to the next generation. Under the guise of safety, the ‘hands on’ learning–so essential to becoming a farmer or rancher–would be taken out of the farmer’s hands. “We taught these children to be safe,” stated a farm wife and mother. “We taught them … how we did things on the farm, and we also instilled the passion for the farm. So the family farms are not dying, that we would continue to pass them on.” *

I left the meeting very worried about this misguided regulation. Will an over-zealous governmental concern for safety, coupled with a lack of understanding of farm culture, rob our children of the chance to fully experience farm life? Will our extended family be excluded from spending summers working at the ranch? My concern was underscored when the following email hit our ‘InBox’. It was sent by my husband’s ‘city cousin’, now in his seventies:

“Tonight I somehow was led to describe for Chris the root [cellar], across the alfalfa field from the Moe Ranch- a memory from my childhood. Then my first arrival on the train in the middle of the night, probably in 1945. The milking of the cows, the shearing of the sheep at the Vestal place in the mountains. Big breakfasts, I was forced to eat liver. Riding horses with a purpose. Fishing in the river. I googled. Amazingly here it is together with this beautiful picture of Audun and Carol and the Stone House itself. I am in tears, good tears.. J.”

The Moe Ranch, thankfully, is still intact and being operated by my husband, who learned the rudiments of his profession at his father (Audun’s) side. Soon, his son will take over, having learned in the same way. But what of the city cousins—the 98% who don’t live on a family farm? The experiences cited in the above email, plus many more, would no longer be allowed under the proposed regulations!

What a shame if a Wii farm simulation becomes the only way that our next generations can gain an understanding of agriculture and the rural way of life!

*For complete text, go to: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/28/144385356/proposed-child-labor-rules-could-alter-farm-life

2012 Resolution

Alicia — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:21:07 +0000

Off to a healthy start in 2012!

I believe in New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, 2012 marked our 20th year of writing a list of what we planned to accomplish in the coming year. Once the list is completed, we sign it, seal it in an envelope and store it until the ‘grand opening’ on New Year’s Day of the following year. We’re always surprised by how many of our resolutions reach the 100% accomplished status… and how many bog down at 10%.

That’s why, when Lisa, a new customer/fan from Seattle, sent Cream of the West this ‘Resolution’ email, it grabbed my attention:

“Like most embarking on a New Year’s resolution to lose weight through clean-eating, I know I’m supposed to eat oatmeal but don’t because it tastes like glue when prepared healthfully. So I hit the cereal aisle in search of something tastier – that’s when your nostalgic cowboy artwork caught my eye. Everything on your box sold me: the cowboy with a cup of coffee and the beautiful sunrise background. This is hot cereal? Really? Sweet! Oh, wait, is this actually healthy? I opted for the Roasted 7-Grain after being impressed with the ingredients list. I excitedly made my first batch (on the stove top with water, no salt). I knew instantly that it would be great by that toasted caramel color. And it was! Only added a sprinkle of cinnamon for extra antioxidants; but, the taste doesn’t need to be improved any!” Lisa added: “I enjoyed it so much that I placed an online order, can’t wait to try your other products and add your beautiful artwork tins … to my kitchen décor. Also ‘Liked’ you on Facebook and added your product information to the iPhone apps: MyNetDiary and Fooducate.”

Thanks Lisa for a great start to our new year! Cream of the West is ready and willing to partner with you in fulfilling your ‘clean-eating’ resolution.

P.S. If you give Roasted Ranch Oats a try, I think you’ll discover that healthy oatmeal can be delicious!

Face2Face

Alicia — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:37:23 +0000

FACE2FACE. Small, rural communities—here defined as those having populations under 1000 and located at least 100 miles from a city center—have their own form of social networking. The best way to ‘go viral’ is make your wishes known at the local post office or the coffee stop. For example, I expected a package delivery at the plant on December 23 and wanted to pick it up early before driving 20 miles home.

So, I stopped by the coffee shop to check on the UPS man’s whereabouts. “He’s not been here yet,” I was told. “I’ll let you know when he arrives.” Within the hour, I got a call from the coffee shop owner and the UPS driver informing me that my package was en route. Before long, my husband pulled up at the plant with my package. He’d been flagged down by the UPS driver and given instructions: “Your wife’s waiting for this…better get it down to her.” The very next morning, Christmas Eve, our Post Mistress called: “You got a couple of packages here that I thought you’d want before I close for the day. Looks like they’re for Christmas!” Face2Face ranks, on my list, as top-notch social network provider. To try it out for yourself, go to any small town. I guarantee you’ll be asked for Your Profile before long.

The Difference Is Describable!

Susan — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:47:03 +0000

The difference IS describable! This just in from Jim, one of our organic flour customers: “Baked my first loaf with the Unbleached Wheat on Wednesday and got raves from all taste testers to date. They noted the “difference” and it was positive; best described as a smooth and hearty taste.”

I’ve has been experimenting with whole wheat bread recipes to replicate the homemade bread my grandmother (Anna) used to bake. I used a combination of white and whole wheat flours, local sweet clover honey, and our Roasted Wheat cereal for even more whole wheat flavor, and I think I just may have nailed it! Read on for the recipe.

Whole Wheat Bread

1 7/8 cups water
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups GBO Unbleached Wheat Flour
1/2 cup COTW Roasted Wheat Cereal
1 Tbsp. kosher salt (or 1 1/2 tsp. table salt)

Grease 2 loaf pans with spray oil. Mix and knead dough in bread machine, heavy-duty mixer, or by hand. Cover and let rest for 1 hour or so. Dump dough onto an oiled surface and cut in half. Working with one piece at a time, gently shape into somewhat of a square or rectangle and then pull both long ends in toward center, sealing and tucking ends in. Roll over so the seam side is down and gently work into the shape of your loaf pan; place dough in pan. If you haven’t deflated the dough too much, this process should take only a few seconds. Repeat with second piece, cover pans and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Immediately turn bread out from pans and let cool on wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves.

And we’re borrowing Jim’s holiday sentiment to pass along to each of you:

Wishing You All The Best This Holiday Season. You’ve made for a Grand One here!

~Alicia and Susan

Made My Day

Alicia — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:47:10 +0000

Some days I really question why we work so hard (usually it’s right when I’m coming down with a cold). Then we get a “friendly reminder” that makes it all worthwhile.

Today’s came in the form of a handwritten letter from Oregon, which read, “Thank you for continuing the supply of Cream of the West!” Arnold, who is 96—just two years younger than Cream of the West—went on to describe how he and his sister would walk past the Cream of the West plant on their way to the Kate Fratt Memorial School in Billings in the 1920’s. Memories like that… and the people who take the time to share them… make me proud that we’re still a thriving Montana business. Thanks for the kudos and the memories, Arnold. You made my day!

The Blokes Don’t Say Much!

Alicia — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:29:56 +0000

Susan and Steve, Richard and I travelled to Helena, MT to meet with a trade delegation from the UK and Europe. En route we assigned tasks: Sue and I would do the talking; Steve and Richard would serve the cereal and flapjacks. All went according to plan. Afterwards one of the US organizers told us the Brits commented: “The Blokes don’t say much do they? D’yuh ‘spose they were told not to?” Didn’t take them long to size up the situation!