Are you interested in learning where milk comes from and how it is produced?
During June Dairy Month, you can see for yourself by journeying along the Northern Indiana Dairy Trail for an up-close look at modern milk production. The event will be held on June 18 and June 25 and features farm tours, historical displays, children’s activities and dairy product tastings.
The farm tours will be led by hard-working dairy farmers, who will answer your questions on such topics as animal care, farmers’ community involvement, the environment, and family farming.
This special project is being organized by a committee of volunteers who love dairy farming and sincerely want to see the dairy industry grow and prosper in northern Indiana. The six-county region of Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble and St. Joseph has more dairy farms than any other region of the state, and these volunteers want to recognize the important contributions of dairy farming to the local economy and to create opportunities for dairy farmers to interact directly with consumers regarding key messages.
At each stop along the dairy trail, visitors will enjoy free milk and yogurt.
All of the open houses run from noon to 5 p.m. The open house schedule:
Knollbrook Farms – John and Cynthia Adam, Nate and Alyssa, Nick, Luke and Faith, 15463 C.R. 46, Goshen, IN; Farm Family of the Year (2012, Elkhart County Agricultural Society); 105 cows Beer Dairy Inc. – Fred and Pat Beer, Jeff Beer, Regg Beer, Heidi Beer, 9194 Orn Road, Milford, IN; Producer of the Year (Fred, 2008); 930 cows Gingerich Dairy LLC – Merrill and Phil Gingerich, Jeremy Byler, 12836 N. 400 W., Milford, IN; Milk Quality Award; 480 cows Perkins Twin Creek Farm Inc. – Kirk, Rod and Todd Perkins, 11045 E. 425 S., Wolcottville, IN; Indiana Farm Family of the Year (2005); 460 cows Nor-Bert Farms – Roger and Deb Dankert, Jeremy Dankert, Monty and Jennifer Freeman and families, 7081 1B Road, Bremen, IN; Progressive Breeder Award, 140 cows Metzger Dairy Inc. – Jack D., Mary, John, Jack J., Susan, Ashton Bauman and Carmen Kreager, 4837 W. 100 S., Kimmell, IN; River Friendly Farm Award; 3,775 cows
Saturday, June 25 Oneeda Farm LLC – Roger and Camille Hibschman (Madison and Lauren), 71957 C.R. 35, Syracuse, IN; Fifth generation farm, since 1929; Milk Quality Award; Over 180 cows Stutzman Dairy LLC – Harry Stutzman Jr., Darin Stutzman, Elmer Miller Jr., 1360 N. 850 W., Shipshewana, IN; DMS Milk Quality Award; 160 cows Homestead Dairy – Floyd and Deb Houin, Tana Houin, Brian Houin, Matt Houin, Joel Gawronski and Ryan Rogers, 11505 13th Road, Plymouth, IN; 2013 Young Dairy Producer of the Year (Brian); 3,400 cows Phares Farm – Steve and Clint Phares, 6043 N. 100 W., Albion, IN; Milk Quality Award; 110 cows Ted and Karyn Hesters, 72335 Walnut Rd., Walkerton, IN; Milk Quality Awards
