What to Expect on the Farm

Kid-Friendly

Entertainment

Every farm has different activities, but many include farm tours, wagon rides, face painting, and games for kids. There are also opportunities to touch tractors, fire trucks and even farm animals! Larger events may include live music, too.

At a farm breakfast, there’s no shortage of food and fun for the entire family.

A Fantastic Meal

Breakfast

Each farm breakfast has a unique menu, but at most events you can expect sizzling scrambled eggs, pancakes, world-renowned Wisconsin cheese, and of course, the freshest ice cold milk you’ll ever taste!

Fresh

Wisconsin Dairy

Wisconsin’s dairy products have made us famous, and there’s no better place to enjoy them than at a real dairy farm.

Taste fresh milk, cream, yogurt, and many varieties of cheese—usually including our acclaimed cheese curds. Some farm breakfasts even have ice cream!

WHAT ELSE WILL YOU SEE ON THE FARM?

Temperature-Controlled

Cow Comfort

Wisconsin dairy cows live in temperature-controlled settings with comfortable bedding and plenty of time for rest and socialization.

When you visit a farm, you might notice the farmer is using sand bedding. It offers uniform body support, is cool in the summer, and offers comfortable, confident footing.
 

Cow Dietitians

Feed

Did you know cows have nutritionists? Cow dietitians precisely formulate rations (recipes) that best fit a cow’s age, breed, milking stage, and pregnancy status.

Many modern dairy farmers follow a recipe known as a "total mixed ration," which combines all of the important ingredients cows need, including hay, corn, soybeans, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

Free-Stall

Barn Designs

Red barns have dotted Wisconsin’s countryside for generations, but it’s what’s inside them that has changed over the years – like the newer free-stall barns. They not only provide shelter, but they also maintain a comfortable temperature year-round and can even manage humidity to keep cows happy and healthy.

In these barns, cows have the freedom to move, eat, drink, and rest whenever they choose.

Rotary Milking Parlors

Milking

Dairy farms have come a long way since the bucket and stool days of milking. Milking parlors, especially rotary milking parlors, increase efficiency and help cows spend less of their time milking.

Some modern dairy farms even use robotic milking technologies, allowing the cow to decide when she wants to be milked.

GPS-Enabled

Tractors

Many farmers today use GPS-enabled tractors to make optimal use of every inch of their fields. Some tractors have hands-free driving capabilities that allow computers to take over certain controls.

This technology comes in handy for farmers with larger fields, since the computers can control navigation using satellite – or even lasers!