Fair Oaks Farms
On Saturday June 18 a group of Corvette Indy members joined with the Circle City Club in a trip to Fair Oaks Farms. Thirty-nine people assembled in a rain shower prior to a nine a.m. departure. By the time we merged from I-865 onto I-65, the rain had stopped. North of Lebanon, the road was dry and the sun was coming out. The following folks attended from Corvette Indy: Susie Hale & Dana Sweet, Doug & Mary Harp, Pam & Jim Kellam, Mel & Norma M, and Mark & Donna Schlichter. Thanks to John for a great trip! For more information on the whole trip -- scroll past the pictures below!
John Herder of CCCC invited Corvette Indy to join CCCC on a Drive N Dine to Fair Oaks Farms. It is a family-owned dairy farm with 30,000 cows that are milked three times per day, and could provide the total daily milk consumption for both Chicago and Indianapolis. You will see a carousel where 75 cows are milked simultaneously, a birthing barn and watch the birth of one of the 80 calves born every day. There are static and interactive exhibits that explain the operation of the farm including the conversion of "cow waste" into methane gas that powers their diesel generators which provides all their electricity. Cleanliness: The place is spotlessly clean and has huge paved parking lots. Neither your car nor your shoes will get dirty while there. There is a cafeteria style dining area with tasty salads, soups and sandwiches. They also sell 8-10 flavors of their ice cream made on the premises and about 20 varieties of their cheese.
John’s summary of the trip follows: Thirty-nine people assembled in a rain shower prior to a nine a.m. departure. By the time we merged from I-865 onto I-65, the rain had stopped. North of Lebanon, the road was dry and the sun was coming out. We arrived in time for refreshments before our guided tour in an air-conditioned bus. First we viewed the digesters that convert the animal waste into methane gas which powers the diesel generators. The Farm actually produces more electricity than it uses. Next, we saw the vast quantities of food (silage, grain, vitamins, etc.) that constitute the 100 lbs. of nutrients each cow eats daily. A cow also drinks about 40 gallons of water per day. We then drove by the calf huts where the new born calves live for a short time before going to other farms to be raised to maturity. The cows then return to join the milking herd. After that, the bus drove through a barn where the cows eat, drink, rest and sleep between their thrice daily milking. Next we went to the milking barn (parlor) with its continuously turning carousel where 72 cows are simultaneously milked in 8 1/2 minutes. It was fascinating to see the cows get on and off the moving carousel with no human assistance. Each cow is bar-coded and each milking station has it own computerized milking machine. Real time data is recorded that shows how much milk was given to measure productivity and the health of the cow. After the bus tour, we went to the birthing barn. Some of us stayed for an extended time and observed a difficult, protracted but ultimately successful birth of a male calf. We were concerned because at first the calf appeared to be stillborn. With the able assistance of the attendants, the calf started breathing and was later proclaimed to be in good health. We finished up viewing the 4-D (yes, 4-D) movie and having lunch and ice cream. There were serious discussions about which flavor was best. The consensus was the trip was interesting and educational, and the Farm was a surprisingly sophisticated operation.
For a video, check out www.youtube.com. Enter "fair oaks farms" in the Search box and click on the video that has "America's Heartland" as part of the title.
John’s summary of the trip follows: Thirty-nine people assembled in a rain shower prior to a nine a.m. departure. By the time we merged from I-865 onto I-65, the rain had stopped. North of Lebanon, the road was dry and the sun was coming out. We arrived in time for refreshments before our guided tour in an air-conditioned bus. First we viewed the digesters that convert the animal waste into methane gas which powers the diesel generators. The Farm actually produces more electricity than it uses. Next, we saw the vast quantities of food (silage, grain, vitamins, etc.) that constitute the 100 lbs. of nutrients each cow eats daily. A cow also drinks about 40 gallons of water per day. We then drove by the calf huts where the new born calves live for a short time before going to other farms to be raised to maturity. The cows then return to join the milking herd. After that, the bus drove through a barn where the cows eat, drink, rest and sleep between their thrice daily milking. Next we went to the milking barn (parlor) with its continuously turning carousel where 72 cows are simultaneously milked in 8 1/2 minutes. It was fascinating to see the cows get on and off the moving carousel with no human assistance. Each cow is bar-coded and each milking station has it own computerized milking machine. Real time data is recorded that shows how much milk was given to measure productivity and the health of the cow. After the bus tour, we went to the birthing barn. Some of us stayed for an extended time and observed a difficult, protracted but ultimately successful birth of a male calf. We were concerned because at first the calf appeared to be stillborn. With the able assistance of the attendants, the calf started breathing and was later proclaimed to be in good health. We finished up viewing the 4-D (yes, 4-D) movie and having lunch and ice cream. There were serious discussions about which flavor was best. The consensus was the trip was interesting and educational, and the Farm was a surprisingly sophisticated operation.
For a video, check out www.youtube.com. Enter "fair oaks farms" in the Search box and click on the video that has "America's Heartland" as part of the title.
