Blue skies, green fields, beautiful bovines, cute calves and hundreds of visitors. That was the wrapping for a day of learning and fun across northern Indiana June 18 and 25 as nearly a dozen dairy farms opened their doors and shared their families' passion for dairy via the Northern Indiana Dairy Trail, deemed part of Indiana's Bicentennial Legacy Project.
Last Saturday's farms were progressive slices of Indiana's dairy industry. Ranging from 150 to 3,000 cows, Amish to English, organic to conventional and grazing to total mixed rations—no matter the size or management style, the consensus was that they hosted a curious community that was not only captivated by the calves, but also impressed, awed even, by the technology, work and family devotion that keeps all the moving parts going full circle day-in and day-out.
At every farm, the next generation of young people were actively involved in the tours. This produced a sense of pride for the farm families as well as a sense of family continuity for the visitors.
By late afternoon at the Stutzman Farm in Shipshewana, Harry Stutzman confirmed that well over 100 people had been through the Amish dairy.
"Our veterinarian, Dr. Bob Zell, asked us to participate, and that's how we got involved," said Harry. "Our hope is to make a difference and show the public where their food comes from."
Visitors—ranging from young families to retired couples—approached Harry as they finished the five-station tour.
"That was amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed it," were the comments.
Harry Jr. brought the next group through the parlor, after first showing them the breeding wheel. Visitors were surprised to learn that cows are bred every 12 to 14 months in order to calve to produce milk. They were happy to learn that cows get a two-month vacation from milking ahead of each calving.
Dr. Bob Zell manned the maternity area at the Stutzman Farm, and he showed visitors where surgeries are performed, if needed. A cow that had recently calved, two newborn calves, and a cow in early labor were discussed and people were amazed at the precise caretaking of both the cow and calf.
At the T&K Hesters Jersey Dairy in Walkerton, Ted and Karyn Hesters said visitors were intrigued by the many smart "hats" a dairy farmer wears—from land management and cattle nutrition to veterinary care and mechanical repairs.
"One of the things that surprised a majority of our visitors is that they didn't realize how entailed a dairy operation is," said Karyn. "They had not realized the meaning of it all, thinking cows just come in and milk, and that's it."
"This was a good opportunity to let the public know what the dairy industry is all about," added Ted, explaining they used trams to take their 150 visitors out to the fields to see grazing. "Beyond the numbers, if we can educate a few people and give them some insight, they can tell others too about life on a dairy farm."
Phares Farm in Albion has hosted tours with schools for a number of years. Steve Phares said he really liked the variety of farm types on the dairy trail and was glad to participate.
Cow pregnancy and calves were some of the most-asked questions he fielded.
"I explained the milk production curve and the 2-month-off dry period," he said. "The afternoon had some great impact because most of the visitors were people that had no connection to dairy farming. They were curious."
Steve noted that he had 130 registered visitors ages 3 to 75 from as far away as Fort Wayne and South Bend. He even reconnected with a former resident of Albion who asked if she could come back and visit during milking.
"Calves and the parlor were the last stops on our tour," said Steve, explaining that their inspector was on hand to talk.
"This was very beneficial because most did not realize we are so inspected and regulated. That was very good for the public to see."
Back at the Stutzman Farm in the milking parlor, Harry Jr. explained that cows are "creatures of habit," and even prefer which side to come in for milking. He showed how the milkers work and the automatic takeoff sensing low-flow.
"I had no idea so much technology was involved. You really have a lot of work here," said an anesthesiology nurse in the group who had specific questions about processes and medications and seemed to enjoy talking shop with Dr. Zell.
"It's work, but it is kind of fun," Junior replied. "It is easier to milk than in the old times with buckets."
From Junior's wife Velda, the Stutzman visitors learned that all the milk flows through the plate cooler to be cooled instantly from 100 to 60 degrees and then to the bulk tank where it is chilled to 38 degrees in a matter of minutes.
"We never touch the milk," she said, explaining in detail how samples are taken to ensure there are no antibiotics and that it is safe and wholesome. Harry was surprised that most people do not realize that all milk is tested free of antibiotics down to parts per billion.
Cara Perkins of Stroh Farm Supply serves as the nutritionist at Stutzman Farm. She explained how the cows are fed a total mixed ration. Her family was a Dairy Trail farm on the previous Saturday (June 18).
"I helped with that one too, and we had good discussions there about antibiotics," said Cara. "We made that a part of our discussion here at Stutzmans."
Cara is a Michigan State University graduate and was eager to share.
"There's nothing better than bringing people to the farm to see the environment and care these cows receive," she said.
Professional hoof trimmer Marvin Miller even showed the "pedicure" process for cows at the Stutzman Farm. "People were kind of impressed by it," he said.
At Stutzmans and elsewhere, visitors were surprised to learn how many times water is recycled through drinking, parlor wash, barn cleaning and then application to fields. At the manure station, they talked about their ideas of capturing methane to power a generator for the fans in the barn. The parlor is powered by a diesel generator.
Homestead Dairy was the largest on last Saturday's Dairy Trail. They featured a methane digester for electricity generation via cow manure.
Brian Houin reported that 11 family members helped run the Homestead tour, which hosted well over 500 people, with over 100 showing up in the first half hour. He and his wife Jill had attended a "Breakfast on the Farm" event in Wisconsin recently and used some ideas there to make the afternoon special.
"We have always wanted to share our story, the story of how we do things, so when the opportunity came up to do the Dairy Trail, we were happy to do it," said Brian.
The Homestead tour consisted of five stations, three tram rides and a bus to the methane digester. They also produced a video to give an overview of the technology at the farm. Brian manned the parlor station and talked about cow production and technology for monitoring health and well-being. His cousin manned the cropping station and repeated the technology theme of how crops are raised and the land and environment managed.
"We also had our planters, choppers and other equipment out, which was a real hit for the little kids (and big kids)," said Brian, noting their visitors included some dairy farmers, but mostly folks who had little connection, if any, to agriculture.
"Even some of our family friends were surprised when they took the tour," Brian related. "They had been here many times but said they never realized all the moving parts we have to keep the operation going."
While all farm owners agreed the Dairy Trail, or any open house event, takes time and preparation, they said it was time well spent.
"Having three generations here and helping with the tour, our visitors could see that there's a lot of family involved and that we're always looking ahead to improve," said Brian. "As dairy producers, we need to be the ones telling our story, because if we don't, someone else will."