ENDED My Michigan Memory: Goma Dairy Farm and a Giveaway!

I'm linking up with Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood for My Michigan Memory.  Head over and enter to win a Potter Park Zoo giveaway. If you are a blogger with a Michigan related blog post to share, link up for extra entries!

Just a couple days before leaving for our road trip (which you can read about here, here, here, and here...with more posts coming soon), I had the opportunity to partake in a totally awesome event for local bloggers. Even though I was completely bogged down with travel preparations, I could not refuse an invitation from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan to visit the Goma Dairy Farm in Marlette, Michigan.

My day on the farm started off by meeting a comfortable, air-conditioned bus at one of three centralized locations. We were offered a variety of breakfast items, including yogurt, bananas, milk, and coffee. Everyone introduced themselves, including our resident experts: Deanne Kelleher, registered dietitian; Dr. Ron Erskine, veterinarian; and Katie Dellar, Facebook's Dairy Mom. We were given a folder full of information, and once everyone was on board, we watched a short video. Before long, we arrived at the farm.

Sweet little calf at Goma Dairy Farm

I have visited farms before, with various levels of interaction. But I had never before been treated to such an informative, behind the scenes tour. The owners of the farm, the van den Goor family, personally escorted our group around and told us about each stage of the process of dairy farming. With 2700 cows that produce a whopping 29,000 gallons of milk everyday, Goma  is one of the larger dairy farms in Michigan. The place is huge!

We saw lots of cows. We saw where they live, learned what it takes to keep them comfortable and happy, found out how their diet is carefully moderated, and much more. We saw the cows getting milked, which was much more sterile and industrial than I had imagined. Human hands never touch the milk. It goes in pipes directly from the cow, to the basement to be cooled, and out to the trucks, which deliver it to Yoplait and Kroger.

Getting ready for milking, Goma Dairy Farm

I now have a clearer picture of just how time-consuming and grueling the farming life is. The cows get milked every day without consideration of holidays, sick time, or vacations. It is truly a never ending job. Farmers are dedicated people, no doubt about it, and I have a greater appreciation for what they do to get food on our tables.

After our tour, we were lead to the barn (it was a remarkably clean barn, by the way), where tables were set up for lunch. The meal was great, and I was pleased to see vegetarian options. Gertie van den Goor, one of the owners, sat next to me, and I enjoyed interesting conversation with her while eating. The family had cute goodie bags for us to take home to our kids (each contained a piggy bank, magnet, coloring book, and more).

My lasting impression was that Goma Dairy Farm is a well-run farm lead by a great family who truly cares about their animals, the dairy industry, and the people who drink their milk. It was truly a wonderful day, and I'm so glad I took the time out of my busy schedule to participate.

For more information about the dairy industry, please visit the following websites:

• Michigan Dairy News Bureau website: michigandairynewsbureau.org
• Michigan Dairy News Bureau Facebook page: facebook.com/MichiganDairyNewsBureau
• Michigan Dairy News Bureau You Tube channel: youtube.com/MichiganDairyNews

I received an incredible "Get Mooooving" dairy gift bag, which included the following items:

• Magic Bullet 17-piece hi-speed blender/mixer system
• $50 Mastercard gift card
• reusable grocery bag
• got milk? baseball cap
• dairy themed socks

To be honest, I was feeling pretty spoiled. Well, guess what? Maybe you'll soon be feeling spoiled too, because The United Dairy Industry of Michigan is providing an identical gift bag for one lucky MichiGal reader! Just use the Rafflecopter form to enter! US residents only.

Thank you United Dairy Industry of Michigan and van den Goor family for an amazing experience!

a Rafflecopter giveaway