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!

Spring Tours on the Farm

Spring marks the beginning of tour season on our farm. The last two weeks we’ve been working to get everything ready for visitors. Over the last week, we’ve hosted six groups at our dairy. It’s fun to watch people interact with our animals.

A bus in front of our barn

Preschool children watching the cows being milked

A Kindergarten class in the milking parlor

Watching the cows milking from the viewing balcony in our barn

The kids watch the tractor and manure tanker drive off to the field

They love helping feed the animals

Our animals like the attention

Teachers getting a tour of our barn

Making a friend

Is it ok if I scratch your nose?

Hello sweet calf, nice to meet you!

Boys checking out where the calves food and water is kept

Playing in the sandbox under our shade tree

A beautiful day to ride a seesaw

Fun on the tire mountain

Katie from Geauga Soil & Water teaches a "Soil to Spoon" seminar

If you're interested in visiting our farm, we have two events coming up that are open to the public:
Spring Dairy Season Opener
Sunday, May 19 from 1:00-5:00pm @ $6/person (2 & under free)
Take a guided tour of the milking parlor, wagon ride through the barn, pet the calves, play in the corn box, run around on our outdoor farm-themed playground and learn about where milk comes from. Fun for the entire family!

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.

Check out the Hastings Dairy website for details.

We look forward to many more visitors this year!

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.

My Week at the Dairy - Party, Day Camp, Media Interview & Policy Discussion

My sons and I recently returned home from a trip to California where we visited my family. We had to hit the ground running because a busy week was ahead of us. In addition to the regular routine at our dairy…milking, feeding, delivering calves, cleaning barns, herd check, and so on. It’s been a lively week on the farm.

Saturday was spent preparing the dairy for the week of visitors. Mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, cleaning windows, sweeping, removing spider webs, and all the preparation necessary to make our farm beautiful. 

Garrett and Jack pet some of our farm cats

Sunday we welcomed a family celebrating a child’s birthday with a party at our farm. The participants ranged in age from 3 months to 80 years old. The group had a meal in our parlor room, took a tour of the dairy and the children had fun at our indoor and outdoor play areas. A good time was had by all!

Monday I had a visit from Margie Wilber, Write 2 the Point and Editor-in-Chief at Geauga Business Magazine. She came to our farm for an interview and photos for her publication. Here are a few of the great pictures Margie took…….

Me watching the cows walk from the barn to the milking parlor

Cows walking from the milking parlor back to their barn

Me with the cows

Beautiful calf

Lad and me

A curious cow

Tuesday students in 3rd to 6th grade from Step by Step Day Camp spent some time on our farm. They toured the dairy, had lunch and played.........

Jack shows the students the cows

"She licked my hand!"

Who's having more fun, the kids or the calves?

Having lunch in our Parlor room

Playing in the sandbox

Wednesday it was time to catch my breath and do some dairy office work. Not exciting and glamorous, but very necessary for the smooth operation of our business.

Thursday Jordan Warfield, District Outreach Representative for Congressman Steve LaTourette’s office, and Les Ober, OSU Extension, stopped by to talk about the pending 2012 Farm Bill and how the drought is impacting our dairy farm. They visited three farms in the county representing grain, livestock and specialty crops. I’m glad they reached out to us. We had a good chat.

Saturday was time for a little rest and relaxation. Our family attended the Ashtabula County Fair just north of where we live. There are lots of great county fairs in Ohio throughout the summer and fall. We walked through all the barns to see rabbits, turkeys, ducks, goats, dairy and horses. No fair visit is complete without riding a few rides and eating a corndog!

Jack, Lad and Garrett check out the poultry

This is fun!

It was a fulfilling week!