Dairy Farm Trip

I started out helping with a local Daisy Scout troop this past December and as it would happen it was just in time for Girl Scout Cookie Season. We have a pretty small troop in a rural community and  I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of cookies (the parents) were able to sell. We actually did pretty good at a couple of very cold cookie booths also. So I wanted to celebrate that by giving the girls a fun and educational experience. Finding something that kindergartners and parents can both enjoy, that was local and doesn't cost the moon wasn't as hard as I thought. And we get to support a local farmer at the same time!

And how lucky for me that it happened to fall on my "D" Day for the A to Z Challenge. The stars have really aligned for me on this one!

We have a local dairy, Simply Natural Creamery, that has just opened this year. They have a great set up for kids and adults alike. Baby cows to pet, great made on site ice cream and fun education. Being a "dirt" person it is important for me to make sure that my Daises and other kids know where their food comes from, so they will be able to grow up and make important decisions about their health and environment.  

I called and set up a tour for today and we had an awesome time. I would love to share more pictures but being other people's kids I'll hold off on that.

Our tour started with a hay wagon ride to the lounging barn, where we saw cows chewing their cud and socializing. Then we had a chance to simulate a milking which I can say these girls were real troopers wanting to learn, one was concerned it would hurt the mom, but they explained that baby cows are much harder on their mom's than a milking machine.

We toured the milking platforms and followed the milk to where it was bottled. I'm not a milk drinker but I have learned so much about the process they use. Continuous flow system (HTST- High Temperature Short Time) is how they pasteurize their milk, which means that they heat it very quickly then cool it back down rapidly. They say it will kill off any harmful microbes but not affect the flavor. According to others I have been told that their chocolate milk is the best. I have to say the girls had a huge amount of questions and were given easy to understand answers. I think we might even have a future dairy farmer on our hands after this trip!

The hour went quickly and I think that the favorite part, other than the ice cream, was the baby cow feeding. Even the parents got in on this..lol. Who could resist this face!

Here's Looking at You!

We had a great day and I hope that everyone is having a great weekend! Check back on Monday for the "E" installment.. Chicken pictures to come. Take a bit of time to check out all of the awesome blogs on the A to Z challenge. Out of over a 1000 blogs I'm sure you'll find a few to follow! And if you are so inclined look around for a local farm to visit this summer, you never know who'll you meet!