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| Before the crowd under the tent. |
A recently cut field served as the parking lot for hundreds of vehicles on the family farm tucked into the hills west of Waunakee. From there it was a short walk to buy a ticket ($10 for an adult) then into one of three serving lines where volunteers loaded plates as you moved station to station.
I found an open spot, sat down and started to eat when a gentleman sat down across from me at one of the many picnic tables. He introduced himself and we talked about where we lived and what we did. Soon, a family who knew him sat near us and it turned out I had a connection to them through an employer nearly 30 years ago.
As I was eating I saw a family from church a couple tables over and talked with them a while. It was the first breakfast on the farm for a few of them, so they were excited. After I left the tent I ran into a couple of co-workers, while we were chatting a bus full of Oakwood residents pulled into the parking lot and began unloading.
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| A Holstein, one of 115 milking cows. (dwm) |
The Haag Dairy farm hosted the 43rd annual dairy breakfast in Dane County. It was a wonderful experience. The parking set-up was efficient.
After years of practice the Dane County Dairy Promotion Committee does a great job with food service, the farm, entertainment and attractions.
The breakfast is a celebration of farming, farmers, and the dairy industry and a perfect way to bring together people who could talk all day about the fine points of milk production with some of us who can't explain the difference between calves and heifers.
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| Heifers eating breakfast. 6/11/22 dwm photo |
The Haag farm is the first one I've seen with a robotic milking operation. (I read about the concept years ago and incorporated one into Life on the Farm.) That means cows decide when to be milked.
They get a treat when they walk into the stall while the machine goes to work. Some cows give three times a day and the two machines are busy nearly 24 hours a day. The Haags installed the robots three-and-a-half years ago, their cows give an average of 12 gallons a day.
After breakfast I checkout the milking parlor to see the robots in action, then took pictures of Holsteins and Guernseys before looking at some recently born calves and slightly larger cows who aren't calves anymore. Nearby, Chocolate Shoppe ice cream could choose from generous dishes of chocolate, vanilla, or chocolate chip cookie dough.
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| "Soggy Prairie" entertained. 6/11/22 (dwm) |
Wisconsin is #2 in dairy production behind California. The industry contributes $45.6 billion to the state economy according to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
America's Dairyland cheese-makers produce more than 600 types/styles/ and varieties of cheese with more awards than any other state or nation according to the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
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| A growing calf. 6/11/22 dwm photo |
Some of the other interesting dairy bites about milk production:
* The average American eats nearly 37 pounds of cheese and 14 pounds of yogurt annually
* The USDA recommends Americans get 3 servings of dairy each day.
* It takes 21.2 pounds of whole milk (a gallon weighs 8.6 pounds) to produce a pound of butter; 13 pounds of milk to make a gallon of ice cream; and 10 pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese.
* One glass of milk delivers 13 essential nutrients for strong and healthy bodies (National Dairy Council) including: calcium and vitamin D; protein; Vitamins A, B2, B3, B5 and B12; phosphorus; potassium; selenium; and zinc.
Dane County's next dairy breakfast is June 10, 2023. There are more scheduled around the state, check out the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin webpage to find one near you.
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