Calder Dairy Tour

Yesterday, a group of parents and kids from Ypsi went on a tour of the Calder Dairy Farm. Calder has a dairy delivery service that serves the Ypsi-Ann Arbor area as well as several more regions in Southeast Michigan. Calder is a working dairy farm that does not use hormones, and they segregate any cow that needs any medical treatment so that it does not contaminate the milk. The children got to feed the calves that are still on bottles and learn all sorts of things about how young cows are raised into productive dairy cows. They also fed goats and ponies, geese and ducks, and had the unique opportunity of being freaked out by a very inquisitive emu. Perhaps best of all, they got to revel in the smells associated with keeping pigs, always a favorite with kids. There were hens, roosters, peacocks, pigs and plenty of mud to stomp through. At the end of the tour, we all had ice cream made from Calder Dairy milk. This tour was a great one for little children, and the adults all had a fine time as well. My only recommendation is that if you go, take your nose plugs. UPDATE: You can see more pics on Wendy's photo site. Wendy's blog is here.