I opened the car door and was greeted by a potpourri of country “aroma”, lol! We definitely were outside the city limits & my comfort zone, but I was beyond ecstatic to go country for an evening! Last Thursday, this city girl had the pleasure of attending “Ladies Night on the Farm”!

 

The evening began with a tour of the Henricks & Krieger Dairy (HKD), a third generation, three family partnership owned by Richard & Sue Henricks, Phillip & Tara Henricks, and Shawn & Kim Krieger. The family farm was founded 72 years ago by Clifford and Annabelle Henricks in Chesterfield Township, located east of Fayette. The family cares for Holstein cows and calves as well as raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. Henricks & Krieger Dairy is a member of the Ohio and National Holstein Association, Farm Bureau and the Fulton County Dairy Association.

During the tour, we got a preview of four of the 20 educational stations that will be debuted at the June 15th Breakfast On The Farm event; each station resourced by the farm family and supporting professionals. The first stop was the milking parlor where the milk safety and inspection process begins with cow milking and then milk cooling, testing and agitation.

 

 

At the calf area, we met the farm’s veterinarian before up-close and personal contact with the dairy’s next generation of milk cows…baby heifer (female) calves. At the animal waste station, preview we saw how dairies recycle organic manure nutrients to their corn fields to produce feed in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.

The tour concluded with a visit to the free stall barn where cows socialize, rest, and are provided a clean, dry stall with unlimited feed and fresh water. Check it…we were provided new rubber boots, sponsored in part by Tractor Supply Co of Wauseon. And they are so stinkin cute, right?! (see image below)

Upon completion of the tour, a light dinner via grazing stations provided us an opportunity to meet eight additional farmers from Northwest Ohio who directly provided local produce and commodities for the meal. Samplings included….local fresh spring green salad, leg of lamb sliders, pork barbeque with corn muffin bun, shaved prime rib on crosonti, homemade local potato chips fried in high oleic soybean oil, fresh chicken salad lettuce wrap, additional fresh salads and, of course, a cheesecake buffet.

 

 

While sampling the local fare, Karen Bakies, Registered Dietitian with American Dairy Association Mideast, provided a nutritional discussion on the differences between dairy milk (cow, goat, sheep) and plant-based drinks. Further informing discussion was Melissa Rupp, OSU Extension-Fulton County, who followed with thoughts on wading through several food labels and production practices.  The event finished with a question and answer panel including Richard Henricks (dairy farmer), Dr. Christine Greiner (veterinarian) and Bakies (dietitian).

As a parting gift, we each received a ‘market basket of goods’ including more than 20 items produced by local farmers from Fulton County and beyond. The basket included items like Arps chocolate milk, NatureFresh tomato-on-the-vine, Dei Fratelli pasta sauce, Red Gold Catchup, Myers Honey, Dicks Maple Farm syrup, Rupp Seeds popcorn, Turkeyfoot Creek Creamery chevre, Kinsman Farm spring greens and Hertzfeld eggs.

June 15th Breakfast On The Farm event to be held at the same Henricks & Krieger Dairy from 9 am to 1 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

While the Ladies Night event served to help us understand the workings of a dairy farm and discuss food production practices, it was also an opportunity to promote the upcoming June 15th Breakfast On The Farm event to be held at the same Henricks & Krieger Dairy from 9 am to 1 pm. The event is free and open to the public.  Breakfast On The Farm will give the public a chance to visit this modern dairy, take a crop tour, pet baby calves, see large tractors, visit the children’s area and so much more! Henricks & Krieger Dairy is located at 14692 County Road 16-3, Fayette, OH 43521. Registration is requested, visit,    www.go.osu.edu/fultonbotfregister2019  and follow them on Social Media.

Fulton County Breakfast on the Farm is coordinated by Fulton County OSU Extension, Farm Bureau and SWCD, along with a community-based planning committee and sponsorship partners. Fulton County farmers, Alysia Callender and Whitney Short, provided volunteer leadership for the BOTF Preview event.