Dairy farm offers 'Moo to You' tours to students

Area students will follow the milk process, from grass to the grocery store, at educational tours of Vale Wood Farms in Loretto this month.

“When we ask where do you get your milk, (students) say from the grocery store,” said Carissa Itle Westrick, Vale Wood marketing director. “Fair enough, because that’s the limit of their experience, but we want to show them why farms are important.”

The Moo to You tours are “very hands-on,” Westrick said, so students realize the full scope of the dairy process. The farm had entertained tours for a number of years, but about six years ago, management decided to schedule the tours in the spring. Each year, about 1,000 people take the tour, Westrick said.

“Even some of the parents will be like, ‘oh wow, I never realized this was the process,’” Westrick said. “We do this every day, so we take for granted that people should know this.”

Students are shown samples of the different feeds that go into the farm’s total mix ration, or what Westrick calls a “cow salad.”

“We show them how much food and water (the cows) eat and drink, and how we grow our own crops,” Westrick said. “We walk through how we milk them, then the dairy processing plant. ... They can see cottage cheese or butter being made.”

Tours must be pre-arranged by calling 886-7171. The farm will be open to the general public for hayride tours to celebrate its 75th anniversary June 8. For more information, visit www.valenwoodfarms.com.