A recent commentary by Megan Pierce, Dairy Herd Management, reflects on her visit to the grand re-opening of the Hilmar Cheese Company Visitor Center in Hilmar, Calif. Read on for her thoughts about the educational viability of this new visitor’s center.
Commentary by Megan Pierce:
If you’ve never had the delight of stopping by Hilmar Cheese I suggest you put it on the “to do” list for your next visit to California. Each year, the Visitor Center hosts thousands of guests from all around the world. More than 15,000 students visit annually and approximately 200 tours buses include a visit to Hilmar Cheese Company as part of their tour itinerary every year.
At the grand re-opening last week, Hilmar Cheese unveiled a new educational exhibit. Educating the public about where food comes from has been a part of who Hilmar Cheese has been from the very beginning, Richard Clauss, dairy farmer and co-founder of Hilmar Cheese told attendees.
The gap between consumers and dairy farmers is one that continues to grow. Less than 2 percent of the population today is involved in production agriculture. This means the challenge to educate the public where food comes from is going to be indescribably difficult in the future. “More people need to understand why we’re here,” explained A.G. Kawamura secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The new educational exhibit at Hilmar Cheese also meets two other needs – science education and tourism. “At a time when funding for science in schools is dwindling, this exhibit gives science a boost,” Lee Andersen, superintendent of Merced County School told attendees.
The exhibit is exactly what visitors to California are asking for – something that they can touch and feel and learn what California is all about, explained Shellie Cook, regional marketing manager for the California Tourism Commission.
In the new exhibit, visitors can experience how dairy farmers care for their animals through activities, like the “cow-comfort” bench which provides cushions made of actual bedding used on-farm. Dairy farmers’ recycling efforts are highlighted in a “Healthy Planet” section. Video is used to demonstrate dairy farmers’ contributions to the local economy. And visitors can “dress-up” like a farmer, a veterinarian or a cheesemaker. A touch-screen interactive game allows users to try their hand at milking a cow, taking all of the same safety precautions as dairy farmers do to ensure milk quality. The exhibit also includes a 3-foot by 5-foot detailed model of a modern dairy farm.
Dairy Management, Inc. cooperated with Hilmar Cheese on building the multi-sensory exhibit that spans 50-feet.
The educational exhibit panels and interactive kiosks were designed using a prototype created by Dairy Management, Inc, as part of its Dairy Farmer Image Program, which works to help narrow the information gap between dairy producers and the general public. The Image Exhibit Kit is now available from Dairy Management Inc., to other organizations to help them educate consumers on the origins of milk and the dairy industry. Hilmar Cheese plans to install a second educational exhibit at its Dalhart, Texas facility later this year.
Source: Dairy Herd Management