IARN — Iowa State University (ISU) is celebrating National Dairy Month by holding several educational events at farms across the state. Iowa’s dairy industry is often overlooked, but it is still among the most productive in the nation. Iowa ranks 12th in the nation for total milk production, and eighth for milk production per cow. The state produces over 5 billion pounds of milk a year, from over 200,000 cows. On top of that, the dairy industry provides a $5.6 billion economic impact to Iowa each year, supplying more than 15,500 jobs across the state.
To kick off their dairy month activities, the ISU Dairy Farm opened up to visitors on June 10th from 7AM to noon. People of all ages attended the event to learn about cow comfort, dairy production and sustainability, and milking facilities, and there was even a tram for them to take a guided tour of the farm. The event was led by campus staff and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. One of the faculty members in attendance was Gail Carpenter, the Assistant Professor of Teaching in Dairy Production for ISU. She was also the interim manager of the dairy farm for a few months last year, so I asked her about what it takes to run a dairy operation.
For more on this story visit the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Photo by Riley Smith
