By JULIA BARATTA

Michigan Correspondent

QUINCY, Mich. — In light of critical press about farming with animals, it may be difficult for producers to feel comfortable opening up their operation and allowing the public inside.

Preston’s Dairy Farm in Quincy is an exception. This five-generation farm has been having an open house for 10 years and looks to continue the tradition, with younger family members stepping up and participating.

More than 70 years ago, Stanley and Maxine Preston moved to Quincy, where they raised their family and operated a dairy farm. Through the years, their children grew up, married, had children of their own, and continued the tradition of producing milk.

Stanley, 97, has retired with his two sons, Glen and Keith, taking over the management of the operation. Their sons, cousins Adam and Brian, are also working at the farm. Younger generations are looking to join the farm in years to come.

Family is an important part of the success of Preston’s. A couple years ago, matriarch Maxine passed away, leaving behind a legacy of hard work and spousal encouragement. Younger wives in the family have maintained that support by being involved in the farm, agriculture, and the dairy industry.

The farm itself provides a livelihood for 14 families. During the Labor Day weekend each year, the family and more than 150 volunteers welcome people to interact and experience this working dairy farm. There are numerous activities, learning opportunities, free crafts and treats, photo boards, and hayrides for attendees to enjoy.

After being invited to sign in and pick up an educational page to fill out about the farm, everyone is given a bottle of milk – chocolate, strawberry, or white. These are samples of what is produced at the farm and picked up daily on a milk route.

The next stop around the farm is a walk-through of the milking house where an observation window is available to view the cows. An outdoor exhibit of dairy products is on the agenda, too, with cottage cheese, whipping cream, butter, and cheese sticks.

A pulsation machine was running at this year’s event, allowing the participants to experience how it feels when a cow is milked. They were invited to stick their thumbs into the udder attachment where the suction was most obvious.

At the “Cow’s Kitchen,” examples of feed are displayed and explained. A cow will eat 100 pounds of feed a day, including alfalfa, grain, silage, and proteins such as canola, along with vitamins and minerals. The yearly amount of feed per cow totals one acre of corn silage, a half-acre of alfalfa, and 100 bushels of corn.

The animals are divided into groups with special dietary needs according to their stage of lactation, and each group has their feed mixed individually. The “ladies,” as they are referred to, will also drink a bathtub of water every day.

A veterinarian was stationed directly outside of the calf barn this time, where twins had been born just that morning, adding to the excitement of the day. Approximately 35 heifer calves are born on the farm each month. They are kept in hutches for up to two months in order to protect them from aggressive older animals and diseases, as well as being provided with individual attention. Bull calves are sold for meat production.

Attendees were able to pet young calves and get pictures with the animals, one of the most popular photo opportunities. Just down the hill from the babies was a pedal tractor area with an incline, several units to ride, and hay bales to crash into. This was the introduction to the children’s place featuring crafts, a milking station, corn bin, making butter with real milk, decorating a cow mask, a hay bale obstacle course, and face painting.

With numerous antique tractors pulling wagons filled with bales of hay, the farm conducted a large number of tours. Each wagon was manned with a local dairy farmer serving as narrator. They shared information about themselves and Preston’s.

Because of the nature of the tours, participants were able to see firsthand what the narrators were explaining – for example, Preston’s using sand for bedding and providing a cooling spray of water on the animals during the hot months.

The water is recycled in a system used by the farm and used in a variety of ways, including as a cooler in the milk house and for washing down buildings and irrigating fields. The sand is also run through a recycling system and reused, providing the farm with ecological benefits along with saving money.

After the tours, free ice cream is available in myriad flavors. Volunteers scooped hundreds of cones and bowls for the more than 1,500 visitors. The family is always surprised at the number of first-time visitors to the farm.

“There are always so many new people here even after having the Farm Day for 10 years,” organizer Paula Preston said. “We are just thrilled with the interest and the turnout.”

Visitors came from all over the tri-state area, as well as other states and even abroad, with former exchange students stopping by for the special event.