Minnesota Milk Producers Association and University of Minnesota Extension will team up with industry partners to host a six farm dairy tour in Southwestern Minnesota and Eastern South Dakota on June 16th and 17th. The overnight trip will provide a terrific opportunity for participants to learn as they tour these farm facilities, receive insight on new technologies and labor practices and have the chance to network with other producers at the same time.
The cost of the tour is $200 per person and only $125 for additional registrants from the same farm. Registration is due June 8th, 2009 and includes transportation, meals, snacks, hotel stay, and informational packet. While the tour is open to everyone, members of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association will receive a $30 scholarship.
This year the tour will include the Goblirsch Dairy operation where they have milked their 200 cow herd with four robots since 2006. Dick Kidman and his two sons renovated a stanchion barn into a low-cost parlor at Kidman Dairy. M&M Livestock custom raises 2,000 heifers on 2 sites for nine dairies in Minnesota and South Dakota. After growing up in the Netherlands, John and Berlinda Vander Wal with Newalta Dairy moved to Canada to dairy farm. Randy Gross and his wife are the managing partners of Prairie Gold near Elkton, SD. Randy grew up in Washington and worked in California and Wisconsin before starting Prairie Gold in 2005. Randy Pater, also uses a flush flume system with sand lanes in his cross-ventilated barn equipped with evaporative pads for cooling.
Two buses will be providing transportation from Minnesota. One will make stops in Melrose, St. Cloud, and Sleepy Eye. The second bus will stop in Zumbrota, Rochester, and Worthington before arriving at the first operation.
This tour is made possible with the support of Extension and the producer and associate members of Minnesota Milk Producers Association
including: AgStar Financial Services, Land O’Lakes, Inc, Bongards Creamery, Davisco Foods International, Inc, Elanco Animal Health, First
District Association, Nelson Dairy Consultants, Inc, Tiry Engineering, Inc, Central Minnesota Federal Credit Union and Midwest Machinery.