PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Pioneer Farm hosted the 42nd annual Lafayette County Dairy Breakfast on June 9.
Dairy breakfasts have long been a tradition in Wisconsin during June, which is celebrated as Dairy Month. Organized in nearly every county in the state, the breakfasts offer a fun, educational event for the public to learn more about the dairy and agriculture industry. The Lafayette County Dairy Promotion Committee approached Dr. Charles Steiner, director of Pioneer Farm, nearly two years ago about hosting. The last time Pioneer Farm hosted the event was in 1986.
Hundreds of people attended the 42nd annual Lafayette County Dairy Breakfast held in June at the UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm.
UW-Platteville’s main campus is located in the City of Platteville, Grant County, while the 430-acre Pioneer Farm is 5.5 miles away, just across the Lafayette County line.
“The Dairy Breakfast is always a great way to promote agriculture and the dairy industry,” said Steiner. “Hosting provides an opportunity to bring local community members to our university farm so they can learn about dairy production and the other areas of the farm – our livestock enterprises, student undergraduate research, agroecology and water quality research.”
Up to 3,000 people were expected to attend the event, which – in addition to breakfast – featured live music, children’s activities, tours and more. Members of the Dairy Club at UW-Platteville hosted a petting zoo.
Visitors had an opportunity to learn more about Pioneer Farm’s contribution to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
Visitors had an opportunity to learn more about Pioneer Farm’s contribution to Wisconsin’s dairy industry. The farm is home to 150 milking cows housed in a free stall barn built in 2007. The cows are milked three times a day and milk is sold to Foremost Farms, based in Lancaster, Wisconsin. An average of 30 to 40 students work on the farm during the academic year, assisting with all the operations.
Providing outreach and education to the public is a component of Pioneer Farm’s mission, which makes opportunities like this significant. “As a public university, we host a lot of tours and we want to be an open facility,” said Steiner. “This event provides an opportunity to let people see our facilities and ask questions.”
For more information about Pioneer Farm, visit www.uwplatt.edu/pioneer-farm.
Written by: Alison Parkins, associate director of Public Relations, Communications, 608-342-1194, parkinsal@uwplatt.edu