Free tickets are available for “Breakfast on the Farm,” scheduled for June 20 at Dutch Meadows Dairy, operated by the Tony Jandernoa family, near St. Johns. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event is being organized by the Clinton County MSU Extension office and the Clinton County Michigan Farm Bureau.
Dutch Meadows Dairy is located at 3427 N. Wacousta Rd., St. Johns. Direction signs will be posted on Business 127 and M-21 the day of the event.
Attendees will enjoy a free pancake and sausage breakfast featuring all Michigan products and have an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the family-owned dairy farm and visit various educational stations hosted by local farmers. Tickets are required to eat breakfast but are not needed to take advantage of the tour.
Dutch Meadows Dairy is located at 3427 N. Wacousta Rd., St. Johns. Direction signs will be posted on Business 127 and M-21 the day of the event.
Free tickets can be obtained at any of the following locations: L & L Food Centers (DeWitt, East Lansing, Haslett, Holt, Lansing and Okemos), MSU Extension offices (Clinton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia and Shiawassee counties), the Clinton County Farm Bureau office, Briggs Public Library (St. Johns), Mancino’s Pizza (St. Johns), Scoopy Doos Ice Cream (DeWitt), Main Street Pizza (Ithaca), Family Farm and Home (Alma), and Farm Bureau Insurance offices in DeWitt, Fowler and St. Johns.
Dutch Meadows Dairy milks 1,100 cows three times per day in a state-of-the-art milking parlor, which will be one of the stops on the event tour.
Faith Cullens, Clinton County MSU Extension dairy educator and lead organizer of the event, says that the day is meant to serve as an opportunity for non-farm families to learn how a modern-day dairy farm operates.
“Dairy farming has changed immensely since the 1970s and 1980s, and many people are not familiar with the new technology,” she says.
One thing hasn’t changed, and that is that dairy farms are family-owned small businesses. Agriculture, with dairy production contributing the highest percentage, adds upwards of $71 billion annually to the Michigan economy. Clinton County ranks No. 2 in the state in the number of dairy cows.
“Farmers exemplify the very essence of what it means to be a steward of the land, and they’re also accountable to themselves for caring for the animals on their farms,” says Cullens. “Providing the best nutrition, health care and living conditions for the animals – the backbone of a dairy farmer’s business – is still priority No. 1.”
Cullens says that a lot of conflicting messages about farming and food production are circulating in the news media today.
“We are very fortunate to be living here in the United States, where we have an abundant, affordable and safe food supply,” she says. “Farmers are people just like you and me. What better way to learn the real story behind modern-day farming than by asking questions and coming face to face with the people who are actually producing our food at an event like Breakfast on the Farm?”
To get more information about Breakfast on the Farm, visit www.breakfastonthefarm.com, or contact Cullens at (989) 224-5240 or cullensf@msu.edu.
###