The Iowa State University (ISU) Dairy Farm Open House was brought to life again after a two-year hiatus and held on Friday, June 10th, 2022 from 7am to noon. The event tri-chairs included: Ms. Christen Burgett, Associate Teaching Professor in Animal Science; Dr. Gail Carpenter, Assistant Professor in Animal Science - Dairy Extension and Outreach, Department of Animal Science; and Ms. Katie England, Program Specialist I, Dairy Records Management Systems.
The tri-chairs worked in collaboration and with support from Midwest Dairy to provide this community favorite event in order to help educate the public and consumers about modern dairy farming practices, to showcase the wonderful ISU Dairy Research and Teaching Unit, and to celebrate all things dairy. Despite a rainy start to the morning, this free event saw close to 650 visitors throughout the duration of the event. Lieutenant Governor Gregg read the proclamation signed by Governor Reynolds declaring June Dairy Month in Iowa. Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa, Mike Naig, also made an appearance and was able to discuss policy and agriculture while learning more about the ISU Dairy Farm.
Throughout the morning, guests were able to indulge in breakfast at the Dairy Café (including Casey’s breakfast pizza, donuts, bananas, yogurt, milk and orange juice), receive informational tours of the milking parlor and milk house, hop on a trolley and receive a driving tour of the farm, and lastly, visitors learned about various commodity groups within Iowa while listening to, ‘Dairy Larry and Da Udders’ at the ‘Ag Discovery Center’. Overall, it was a great day filled with laughter and fun activities for all ages. It was an excellent opportunity to connect and engage with the public while promoting and celebrating the dairy industry!
Save the date for next year’s ISU Dairy Farm Open House which is scheduled for Friday, June 2nd, 2023.