A Unique Experience on our Dairy Farm

Looking for a fun, educational and unique family activity? Participate in Cow Tales Adventures at our dairy farm on May 21^st or June 3^rd.  This event is for children 5 and under accompanied by a caregiver. It’s from 10am to 12pm and the cost is $6/person (12 months & under are free). No reservations necessary.

Cow Tales Adventures includes;

• Guided tour of the milking parlor to watch the cows being milked
• Visit to the calf area where you can pet and interact with calves
• Wagon ride tour of the farm to see where the cows live
• Rides for children on the Chugga Chugga Moo Moo train  
• Time to play on the farm-themed outdoor playground, pedal tractors & corn box
• Indoor Junior Dairyman play area with farm themed toys
• Cow Craft activity
• Cheese snack  
• Lots of fun and photo opportunities!

Some of these activities are outdoors and some are inside. The event will go on rain or shine, we recommend wearing boots or old shoes. Please be prepared to pay with cash or check, we are not able to process credit cards.

Our farm is also available for scheduled group tours May, June, July, September and October. Reservations are required. A farm tour is a neat opportunity for school groups, day camps, scouts, service clubs, senior groups or any group interested in experiencing a working dairy. The minimum group size is 16 people. The tour can be tailored to any age group. For more information, check out our website. 

Here are some scenes from previous Cow Tales Adventures and dairy tours:

Students watch the cows milking

A wagon ride around the farm

The wagon stops in the barn to see the cows

A visitor connects with a sweet calf

Kids love petting the calves!

Ready for a ride on Chugga Chugga Moo Moo

Visitors can watch the cows milking through the windows in the Parlor

Fun at the indoor play area

The corn box is always a hit with kids!

The giant sand box on the playground

Playing on the tire mountain

Farming with pedal tractors

We hope to see you at our farm in 2014!

Fall Corn Harvest & Open House

It's was extra busy at our farm last week. We started corn harvest and held two Fall Dairy Days welcoming visitors to our farm. These images capture our recent activities. . .

This trailer is loaded with corn silage ready to be delivered to our dairy

Corn silage is made by chopping up the entire corn plant

Chopping the corn and blowing it into the truck to be delivered to our dairy

This truck is dumping a load of corn silage into the pile at our farm

Jack checks out the silage. The tractor pushes & packs the silage into the pile

This calf relaxes in the sun while the tractors pack the silage pile

Visitors take a wagon ride and watch the corn harvest

Visitors load the wagon and Chugga Chugga Moo Moo train to see the farm

These two cows hang out in the milking parlor waiting to greet visitors

Two visitors say hello to this friendly milk cow

My dad, Tony, answers visitor's questions while they check out the calves

Kids driving pedal tractors while one of our farm cats, Diane, gets in on the action

Taking a ride on the Chugga Chugga Moo Moo train

Lad and Jack take a break to pet Diane

Jack and his buddy socialize with the calves

Garrett builds a fancy barn at the "Build a Farm" station during our Open House

Garrett, Lad and Jack at the Open House

Garrett, Lad, Duane (Lad's father) and Jack take a break around the bonfire

The corn harvest and our Open House events require help from family, friends and neighbors. We really appreciate everyone's support!

Making Learning about Agriculture Fun

We host tour groups at our farm with the goal of providing a unique and fun experience. Visitors tour our farm to watch the cows milking, gointo the barn to see where the cows live and interact with the calves.

Our barn is set up with a variety of “agri-education” stations and displays. These provide the opportunity to learn more about dairy farming and agriculture.

The Dairy Diet Display allows people to see, touch and smell cattle feed and see the size of a cow's stomach. . . .

The Animal and Food Match Game is a hands-on way to match the animal with the food that animal produces. . . .

Milks Journey from Cow to Table illustrates the process our milk goes through to go from the cow to the grocery store. There are also items used in the milking process like the teat dip cup, milking machine liner, milk inspector score sheet, milk filter, milk sample cup and eartag. . . .

 

This MyPlate nutrition display provides information about creating a balanced diet. . . .

This banner hangs in our barn because I believe it's important that people know that almost every farm in this country is owned by a family. . .

They also learn about the different breeds of dairy cows. . . .

Kids can get hand-on with a Cow Craft project, Build a Barn with lincoln logs, or play Barnyard Games. . . .

We have a bookcase full of neat farm books for kids. . . .

We have a great Modern Pig Barn display from Ohio Pork Farmers. We don't have any pigs on our farm, but are happy to have an opportunity to share accurate information about all types of modern agriculture. . . .

I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to share information about agriculture. It’s even better if it’s hands on. I’d love to hear your ideas or get links to websites with photos of creative agriculture displays that don’t take a huge budget to build.

An Authentic Farm Experience

We’re offering a unique experience for those interested in visiting an authentic dairy farm. During
May and June, we’ll be open to the public for three special events. In addition, private tours and party packages are available by appointment from April to October.

A visit to our farm includes a guided tour of the milking parlor to watch the cows being milked, a
wagon ride to the barn to see where the cows live, a visit to the calf area to pet the calves, agri-
education stations, outdoor playground, corn box, pedal tractors, craft activity, farm games, and a
Junior Dairyman indoor play area.

Here are some scenes from our 2012 special events and tour groups at the farm. . . . .

Getting to know our cows at Cow Tales Adventures 

A day camp group in our freestall barn

Enjoying a hayride on a beautiful day

Visitors see where the cows live, what they eat, how they are treated, etc.

Everyone loves interacting with the calves

The calves have fun with the visitors

Inside the milking parlor watching the cows milking

The Junior Dairyman indoor play area

Sometimes we have tractors on display & kids love the pedal tractors!

The outdoor playground has lots of space to run and play!

The May & June Special Events include all of the activities shown above plus. . . .
Spring Dairy Season Opener
Sunday, May 19 from 1:00-5:00pm @ $6/person (2 & under free)
Join us to re-open our farm for the season. The events listed above will be going on the entire time
we're open. Come and go anytime.

Cow Tales Adventures (for children 5 & under w/ caregiver)
Tuesday, May 21 from 10:00am-12:00pm @ $6/person (12 months & under free)
This farm adventure allows young children and caregivers to tour the farm, make a cow craft, play in the indoor play area and have a dairy snack. Plan to arrive by 10am and be at the farm until 12pm to take part in all of the activities.

Celebrate June Dairy Month
Sunday, June 23 1:00-5:00pm @ $6/person (2 & under free)
Celebrate June Dairy Month by visiting a dairy to learn about cows and milk! The events listed above will be going on the entire time we're open. Come and go anytime.

Parking is free. Drinks and ice cream bars are available for sale or bring your own picnic. Activities
are outdoors and indoors. No reservations are necessary. These special events will proceed rain or shine. Remember, you're visiting a farm so dress for the occasion.

If you have a group of 15 or more, book a private tour of the farm. Group tours are perfect for schools, day camps, scouts, 4-H clubs, play groups, senior groups or any group! Looking for a unique party experience? Check out our party packages which provide private use of our facility.

We look forward to hosting you on our farm! For details about the special events, private tours or
party packages, visit the Hastings Dairy webpage. To book a private tour or party, contact me.