By Jeff Stoker, Illustration by Ray Merritt

Dairy producers and industry professionals boarded buses July 10 and 11 to see first-hand the growth and innovation taking place in the booming I-29 corridor. The tour, put on by the Central Plains Dairy Association, traveled 452 miles in two days, making 10 stops along the way.

The tour included stops at a new cheese and whey plant, Green Meadows; eight new or recently expanded dairies; and Deluxe Feeds, a recently expanded feed mill. Dairy sizes ranged from 250 to 7,000 cows and showcased cross-ventilation barns, naturally ventilated barns, double-12 to double-50 parlors and embryo transfer breeding practices.

For more information about future Central Plains Dairy Tours, contact Kathy Tonneson at (218) 236-8420 or visit www.centralplainsdairy.com. PD

Cows cool off on a hot July day at Plymouth Dairy in Le Mars, Iowa, on Day One of the tour. Photo by Jeff Stoker.

Tour participants listen to dairyman Terry Van Maanen explain the stages of his expansion project, which has spanned more than 20 years. Van Maanen’s Winding Meadow Dairy milks 680 cows in Rock Valley, Iowa. Photo by Jeff Stoker.