Ribbon Cutting for Robotic Milking Addition
Event Details
1527 Hwy 150 S
Calmar, IA, 52132
Contact Name: Shea Herbst
Email: herbstsh@nicc.edu
Phone: 563.556.5110, ext. 296
Website: http://www.iowadairycenter.com/
Event Description
Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation invite all community members to attend a Dairy Barn Open House on March 27, from 2 – 7 p.m., to view demonstrations of a completed robotic milking system.
A formal ribbon cutting event will start at 2:30 p.m. The barn is located at Iowa’s Dairy Center, just south of the NICC Calmar campus on Highway 150.
The Dairy Center and Dairy Foundation work to bring together education, demonstration and research to foster the growth and prosperity of families who make dairy farming their way of life.
Completed and installed in winter 2013, the advanced robotic milking system at the center will teach students, consumers, youth and area dairy producers about advancements in dairy science. A new barn addition on the site was constructed to accommodate the technology and provides enhanced stall conditions for the dairy herd, including improved ventilation and bedding with sand for animal comfort.
Iowa’s Dairy Center is a fully-functioning dairy operation, and the facility serves NICC students enrolled in Dairy Science, Large Animal Veterinary Technician, Pre-Veterinary Medicine and other agricultural programs. Students gain critical hands-on learning experiences with the 300-cow herd located at the center, and the new robotic milking system will greatly enhance the agricultural education of students who plan to begin careers in dairy science and for area consumers, FFA students and dairy producers. The center includes an educational facility with classrooms and labs, a milking parlor, freestall barn and calf barn.
