AMES, Iowa — Milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt – these foods may not be found on a stick at the Iowa State Fair, but the Iowa State University Dairy Farm will be providing free samples at its annual June Dairy Month open house.
On Friday, June 7, from 6 - 11 a.m. the ISU Dairy will be hosting its fifth annual open house at the ISU Dairy Farm, located south of Ames, Iowa.
The event, which is open to the public, allows visitors to tour the dairy every half hour. Tours begin at 6:30 a.m. and the last tour starts at 10:30 a.m. The tour includes stops at the milking parlor, milkhouse and a riding tour of the farm.
From 7-11 a.m. visitors can learn about the different commodities in the Ag Discovery Center, while sampling free dairy products. The open house includes demonstrations on current technologies and best practices in animal care and comfort, product quality and safety, and environmental stewardship.
The ISU Dairy Farm had 394 milking cows, 438 total cows and a youngstock of 314 at the end of April. Each cow produces around 78.5 pounds of milk per day, with a protein percentage of 3.1 percent and a fat content of 3.9 percent. The objectives of the current dairy farm facilities, which opened in 2007, is to provide teaching, research and outreach opportunities.
The ISU Dairy Farm is located on 887 acres at 52470 260th Street in Ames, three miles south of central campus. To get to the farm from Highway 30, take University Boulevard (exit 146) and go south one mile and turn right on 260th Street.
Sponsors of the June Dairy Month Celebration include Iowa State University, Midwest Dairy Association, Hy-Vee, Iowa State Dairy Association, Western Iowa Dairy Alliance, Swiss Valley Farms, The Dairy Foundation, Land O’Lakes Milk and Robert’s Dairy Foods.