Iowa Dairy Center's special event was a huge success
By By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 07/08/2010 1:52 PM
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CALMAR, Iowa — More than 400 accepted an invitation for breakfast and a tour at the recent Breakfast on the Farm at the Dairy Center, south of Calmar.
The Dairy Center was created by the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation in partnership with Iowa State University and Northeast Iowa Community College to enhance the dairy industry through education, demonstration and research. It opened 10 years ago.
Kelli Boylen, Dairy Foundation director, said that event organizers had hoped for higher attendance.
"But for a first-time event, we feel that it went really well, and everything ran smoothly," Boylen said. "We had more than 80 amazing volunteers. Even the caterer commented on the quality of our volunteers."
She said plans are already in the works for next year's event.
Donna and Gregg White of Chris Cakes in Pocahontas made pancakes and flipped them through the air onto plates to the delight of the guests. Sausage, eggs, cheese and milk rounded out the menu. Winneshiek County Dairy Promoters gave away milk shakes served by Little Miss Squirts Josie Kriener and Jenna Schmitt, both of Fort Atkinson.
Many grandparents brought their children and grandchidlren.
"I brought eight grandchildren plus their moms and dads," said Julie Vulk, Farm Service Agency executive director from Decorah.
She grinned as she and grandsons Ira and Cyrus Keck of Ossian and Quentin Root of Shakopee, Minn., caught their pancakes.
Iowa Dairy Princess Katie Adams and alternate Dairy Princess Stacy Fitzpatrick greeted visitors who hopped onto trams for a farm tour. Megan Kregel, a Northeast Iowa Community College dairy science graduate and ISU student from Guttenberg, told visitors about the calf barn.
Stationed in front of the commodity shed, Al Schmitt talked about the total mixed ration the cows eat. Rob Hahn outlined the care cows receive in the special needs/hospital barn. Mark Schmitt provided information on the free-stall barn.
"How many animals in the barn are female," a grinning Schmitt asked a tram of young people.
"All of them," said Kelsey Hageman of Ossian, who volunteered with her 4-H club, the Co-Champions.
"That's right," Schmitt said.
Carrie Corlett and Dennis Mashek answered questions in the parlor.
"People want to know how much milk a cow produce each day, how many cows can be milked at one time and what times we milk," Corlett said.
The answers are 6 gallons, 16, and 4:30 a.m., noon and 4 p.m.
Tanya and Glenn Wolcott brought their 17-month-old twins Gregory and William, and their puppy, Lucy. The couple lives at West Union.
"Our kids like animals and tractors and we thought this would be a good opportunity to see both," said Tanya.
Amey and Tyler Shedinger petted and fed goats and calves in the South Winneshiek FFA Petting Zoo. There were also puppies, chickens and rabbits.
"This is the first time we've been to the Dairy Center," said their mother Tina. "This is great. It's very informative."
The Shedingers live in Decorah. Tina and her husband, Bob, moved there from Philadelphia when Bob got a teaching job at Luther College.
"We'd certainly come back if they did this again," Tina said.