|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi, MariahBusta! Last Friday night I experienced one of the most rewarding moments of my career as we hosted the Drive-Thru Santa on the Farm event at Iowa’s Dairy Center. This one-of-a-kind event brought together a few of my favorite things: cows, Christmas and making people smile. The response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. Here are some of my favorite comments:
- “A great event, thank you so much! I had two very happy little boys to see not only Santa but all the cows!” Kelsey W., Waukon
- “The kids loved the Santa event last night! My son waved at the cows as we drove through and my daughter said the VR was ‘So cool!’ Thanks for your hard work!” -Kelly B., Protivin
- “My daughter will be talking about the “Christmas Farm” for days! Thanks for this unique experience!” -Rebecca R., St. Lucas
- “Mrs. Claus and I were thrilled to be a part of your wonderful event! I think a couple of the cows wanted to be part of my reindeer team? Merry Christmas to all!” -Santa C., North Pole
With the challenges related to COVID-19, this year has certainly been different. I’m thankful we found a safe way to bring joy during this holiday season! Perhaps we’ve started a new tradition? From all of us at Iowa’s Dairy Center, we wish you a blessed holiday season and prosperous 2021. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mariah Busta
Coordinator, Northeast Iowa Dairy & Agriculture Foundation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's Happening at Iowa's Dairy Center More Than 800 Enjoy Santa on the Farm at Iowa’s Dairy Center More than 800 people enjoyed seeing Santa, Mrs. Claus and the cows at the Drive-Thru Santa on the Farm event held at Iowa’s Dairy Center last Friday evening, Dec. 18. Visitors were able to drive through the farm’s freestall barn to see the milking cows and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus from their vehicles. The visit from Santa was complete with milk and cookies and each vehicle received a goody bag which included a virtual reality kit to tour the dairy farm, at-home educational dairy lessons and more. View photos. Viewing Areas Open During the Holidays Visitors are able to access the Parlor and Robotic Milking Viewing Areas at Iowa’s Dairy Center, during the holidays. After being closed for several months due to COVID-19, the viewing areas were reopened to the public earlier this fall. Visitors can stop by 24/7 to watch cows be milked. Learn more. Registration Open for Spring A.I. Class
Mar. 9-11, 2021 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Iowa’s Dairy Center This is a three-day hands-on class for those who wish to artificially inseminate their own cattle or gain experience to work for others. The class will cover all aspects of bovine reproduction, from anatomy and hormones to heat detection. Students have actual insemination practice on cattle at Iowa's Dairy Center. The minimum age requirement for this class is 16. The class is taught by Select Sires. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parlor Talk Parlor Talk features bite-sized bits of news from the Northeast Iowa Dairy & Agriculture Foundation and Iowa’s Dairy Center. The monthly column is written by Dave Lawstuen, Agriculture Faculty at NICC and Chair of Iowa’s Dairy Center.
- Congratulations to Farm Manager Gary Lien as he became a grandfather for the first time last week. Charlotte Jean, daughter of Mikayla and Ben, is doing well. Congratulations to the Lien family!
- The Dairy Center’s cows Fern 2579 and Iowa 2607 have been named to Holstein Association USA’s locator list of the top 10,000 Holsteins in the United States.
- The second lactation Holsteins at Iowa’s Dairy Center have a 32,139 ME, 1,255 F and 966 P.
- Iowa’s Dairy Center’s top genetic heifer is 2923 Ida. She is a July 2020 Meridian daughter of one of our ET flush sisters, Idaho.
- The snowless winter so far has allowed the farm management staff to completely empty the manure pits and ensure no spring application of manure in 2021.
- Iowa’s Dairy Center is applying for an EQIP grant through NRCS for a mortality compost bay and a manure gravity flow system at the heifer barn.
- The Beef Science students bred the beef cow herd and replacement heifers on Dec. 2 for fall calving.
- The Dairy & Agriculture Foundation Operations Committee meets the fourth Wednesday evening of every month. Three alumni serve on that board: Nick Bohr, Ridgeway; Chris Gibbs, Waterville; and Andy Houdek, Caledonia, Minn.
- Dairy Science alumni Justin Schafer of Cannon Falls, Minn., will be joining the Dairy Science Advisory committee in the spring. Justin and his family recently installed three DeLaval robots.
- Dairy Science Alumni Shawn Johnson was featured in the Dairy Star’s My Side of the Fence column discussing his herd’s genetic selection program.
- Where are they now? Dairy Science alumni Gabe and Sharon Green Smith live with their daughter in Warsaw, N.Y. Gabe is a territory sales manager for Zoetis and Sharon is the lead seed purchasing agent for T&S Crop Services.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
