My Day on a Local Missouri Dairy Farm

Jun 12

On June 8th, 2019, I had the absolute pleasure to join other Kansas City bloggers, foodies and health experts on a tour of a local, Missouri Dairy Farm. The Heins Family Farm is family-owned and operated.

I had a blast and I want to share it with you, so let’s get MOOving!

Moo!

Did you know that June is National Dairy Month?

It has a long history - it started out as National Milk Month in 1937 as a way to promote drinking milk.

As we drove out of KC on Saturday morning, I was surprised that their farm was only an hour away. I love KC - what a variety of awesome things close by.

We parked in a gravel lot at the farm in Higginsville, Missouri. It was sunny and 75, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. Upon arrival we put on some stylish blue booties to protect the cows from our city-girl feet (pictured above) and started on the tour!

Our first visit was to the newborn calves! A few of them were only two hours old. Their little pink noses just really get me going… just look at them!

During each part of the tour we were encouraged to ask questions and learn more about dairy farming. I learned that cows like cold weather, so at the farm they have GIANT fans and a misting system to keep the gals cool. We learned about their nutrition, how they like to relax, and more. It was delightful to hear the farmers talk about how much they love the animals and the work they do each day - hard work but extremely rewarding.

Check out those big fans! They poke their heads out just to eat.

After we saw the milking stations (did you know some of the cows have certain stalls they like best?) we sat down at a family-style table for lunch.

The food was so fresh and delicious. We enjoyed ice cold pink lemonade, tea and water with cow print straws. For food, they provided fresh veggies, wraps, and the most BOMB parmesan and barbeque chips. Lauren Lane made her famous salted chocolate fudge brownies for us, as well. I couldn’t help myself… I had two!

A big thank you to the farmers and cows who work hard to provide us with milk, CHEESE, and other dairy products! I learned that the Heins Family Farm milk mainly goes into producing those gallons you see at the grocery store, some goes to a nearby Starbucks plant and a bit is used for cheese and yogurt. YUM!

The next time you use butter in a recipe, drink a glass of milk or treat yourself to a bowl of ice cream, think about the local farmers who helped produce that for you!