Jan Itle and a baby cow welcome the students to the Vale Wood Farms barn.
Jan explains to the students that cows produce milk after they give birth to calves. Our calves drink milk from a bottle, just like other babies!
On some tours, our vetrinarian Dr. Joe Itle talks to the students about how he cares for the cows.
Carissa Itle Westrick shows the students what the cows eat, and how we take special care of the cows to make Vale Wood Farms Certified Cow Friendly.
Pat Itle explains how we use tractors to plant and harvest crops that the cows eat.
This the milking parlor at the Vale Wood Farms barn. We have automatic milking machines that allow us to milk 16 cows at one time!
Jan demonstrates an automatic milking machine.
Next, students can watch a cow being milked and see the milk collecting in the glass tanks in the milking parlor.
Milk from the milking parlor is piped to this large stainless steel tank, where it is kept cold. Every day the milk is taken to the processing plant.
At the processing plant, Bill Itle welcomes students in the tanker truck room.
Bill explains that a milk tanker truck collects the milk from the barn and drives it to the processing plant.
Bill walks the students through the processing plant where they can see milk and other dairy products being processed and packaged.
Bill explains why milk is pasteurized and homogenized before we drink it.
Next, students walk through the cooler where all the dairy products are stored. Brr!!
At the end of the tour, there may be time for hands-on-activities and questions. Here, Lu Lessard demonstrates how to make ice cream in a bag.
Many tour groups enjoy a picnic lunch by our dairy store at the end of their tour. And some tours treat themselves to chocloate milk or ice cream!
We hope you enjoyed your virtual tour, and we hope to see you soon!
