Fair
Oaks Farms -- which is about a half-hour south of Merrillville --
is a working dairy farm packed with interactive exhibits that will
give you a whole new appreciation for that morning glass of milk.
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Set on 20,000 acres with 27,000 cows, it is easily one of the
largest dairy farms in the country, but what makes this new venture
really unique is the unprecedented look it provides of the whole
milk-making process.
"We are driven by this objective of educating but doing so in an
entertaining way," said Gary Corbett, Fair Oaks Farm CEO.
One step inside the Fair Oaks Farms' Adventure Center and you'll
learn what a day in the life of a dairy cow is all about! Most of
their day is consumed by eating -- more than six-and-a-half hours
a day to be exact. They also rest a lot and are milked three times
a day.
The Animatronics exhibit helps bring some of the lessons to life
and there is even a 4-D movie that treats audiences to the sights,
sounds, and sensations of the process.
"There is a 45 minute bus tour where we take you onto one of our
dairy sites, we take you through free-stall barns. You're able to
get off the bus and go into the milking parlor and see cows being
milked on a 72 cow rotary," said Corbett.
The cows actually walk on and off all by themselves and visitors
get a great look at this high-tech cow carousel that milks each
cow in one eight-minute revolution.
"They produce 2 millions pounds of milk a day, that's enough to
satisfy the fluid needs of the city of Chicago," said Corbett.
Sure, seeing the milking process is pretty amazing, but one must
see at Fair Oaks is the birthing barn. About 150 calves are born
there each day and you get to see it all from the viewing seats.
Three-hundred people can watch the miracle of life happen in the
theater and with that many calves making their debut each day, you're
sure to see a birth whenever you stop by!
It hasn't taken long for this one of a kind agriculture museum
to become a big hit with school groups and families!
"It's wonderful, my kids love animals one wants to be a vet. I
thought this would be a great opportunity for him. We've been here
for 6 hours and they're still not ready to leave," said Rhonda,
mother.
Another process visitors can see first-hand is turning the milk
into cheese and ice cream. In fact, as people dine in the quaint
café, all they have to do is step over to the windows to see the
production line. On the menu in the cafe, is plenty of dairy-inspired
dishes. Their specialty is a four-cheese gourmet grilled cheese
panini.
"You can enjoy those products in a great setting where we have
a restaurant, cheese shop, Starbucks coffee and an ice cream parlor,"
said Corbett.
A Fair Oaks master cheesemaker oversees the production of 22 different
artisan-style cheeses -- from the basic cheddar to smoked gouda.
They are all available at the Fair Oaks store.
For more information:
Fair Oaks Farms
856 North 600 East
Fair Oaks, IN 47943
(877) 536-1194
www.fofarms.com
