The Annual Young Producer Summer Meltdown Celebration set for Saturday, June 13, 2009 in Fort Atkinson, Wis. will be a true celebration of agriculture’s past, present and future.
This year’s event will begin at 10:00 am with a tour of the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm, which was expanded in 2007. Producers will have the opportunity see their dairy barn and milking center and learn first hand about how they manage their Guernsey herd. Then while still on the farm a picnic lunch will be served and everyone will have time to network with other producers in the dairy business. Rounding out the afternoon, the event heads to downtown Fort Atkinson to the National Dairy Shrine Visitors Center and Hoard Historical Museum to continue the celebration of agriculture. After this fun-filled multi-media tour producers and their families will get to enjoy a sweet dairy treat – Ice Cream – before they head back home.
The Young Producer Summer Meltdown Celebration is truly a celebration of agriculture and annually features farm and agricultural industry tours for the whole family and is a part of the Accelerated Genetics Young Producer Program. This program is open to any dairy or beef producer or herdsperson, in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa or Illinois, who are interested in expanding their horizons, meeting other producers, and having fun doing it. Also at this event, individuals, couples and their families are welcome to attend. Anyone interested in becoming involved is encouraged to attend any or all of the Young Producer activities throughout the year!
To make a reservation for the Accelerated Genetics Young Producer Summer Meltdown Celebration, producers can call 1-800-451-9275 Ext. 222 or email kstanek@accelgen.com by June 3rd, 2009. Once reservations are received, more information including a map and agenda will be sent. The day’s activities are compliments of Accelerated Genetics.
Hoard’s Dairyman Farm is now milking 240 cows. The milking center includes a double-10 herringbone, rapid-exit parlor, which includes electronic ID, including transponders that monitor cow activity. Cows are typically bred on the basis of activity and visual heat detection, which has cut down the use of reproductive hormones. Currently, 80 percent of the herd is bred on standing heat.
The milking center has a larger-than-normal basement where they located as much equipment as possible. This means less space taken up on the ground floor, a more secure place for some chemicals, and a quieter milking area. To the extent they thought feasible, we chose a number of energy-saving features, as well as conducted extensive planning to reduce the possibility of voltage problems.
Hoard’s electronic ID system enables them to use sort gates, catch pens, and a palpation lane. They use feed bunks rather than flat mangers. This is a biosecurity measure and a trade to more clean-up time for no push-ups. Their 60-foot-wide free stall barn has 232 stalls. It is clear span with a drive alley and two rows of sand-bedded, face-in stalls. Sand in the manure will settle out in a 20- by 60-foot sand trap located between the barn and the earthen storage.
At the National Dairy Shrine Visitors Center & Hoard Historical Museum, one can discover the rich heritage of the dairy industry. Where else can you learn the history of ice cream, see a dog-powered butter churn and check out photos of champion cows dating back nine decades? You'll leave with a better understanding of why, for nearly 8,000 years, people have depended on the dairy cow for life-sustaining milk and a better quality of life. The National Dairy Shrine Visitors' Center showscase’s our dairy heritage and the multi-media tour capture’s the sights and sounds of dairy farming of the past, present and future.