Foremost Dairy:
Benefits Mizzou, benefits you

story and photos by Aubrey Ellison, posted Nov. 9, 2011

Driving up to the University of Missouri's Foremost Dairy Center in late October is a beautiful site. The green grass, fall leaves and the bright white fence lining the drive, keeping the Holsteins and Guernseys in their place, is almost magical.

The Foremost Dairy Center is a research and teaching facility located near Midway just west of Columbia. The dairy is home to around 200 head of dairy cows. Most of the cows on the farm are Holsteins — the black and white spotted cows. The rest of the cows are Guernseys — the fawn and white spotted cows. The Guernseys bring back the history of the farm.

Above, Eric Adkins, assistant manager at the Foremost Dairy Center, asks MU students questions about dairy cattle digestion.

Nate Bloss, sophomore animal science major, and Courtney McCutchen, senior animal science major, begin prepping to disinfect and milk the cows.

According to the Ag Experiment Station website, the farm was named after James Cash Penney's beloved Guernsey bull Langwater Foremost. The farm is based on a 495-acre tract donated from the J.C. Penney Farm in 1952 and a 450-acre tract donated from a nearby holstein farm in 1963. The farm has four full-time employees and eight to 12 part-time, student employees from the University.

John Denbigh is the farm manager at the Foremost Dairy Center, and has worked on the dairy for 25 years. Denbigh grew up on a dairy farm in New Jersey. He attended the College of the Ozarks (C of O) in Point Lookout, Mo. At C of O, Denbigh worked on the campus dairy in exchange for his tuition. After graduating from C of O, Denbigh started working at the Foremost Dairy Center as assistant manager.

"I like the student interaction of working on the farm and the ability to work and manage the dairy while working with registered Guernsey and Holstein herds," Denbigh said.

In the past three years, the dairy farm has experienced many financial struggles just like other dairy farmers have felt. The Foremost Dairy Center still feels strongly about the success in their teaching and research programs to keep the dairy going.

"The Foremost Dairy center is very helpful for students who are animal science majors, veterinary majors and those who wish to be involved in the dairy industry one day," Denbigh said.

Most of the research conducted at Foremost focuses on reproduction and nutrition, though there are many opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The University website lists some examples of recent research projects, which include evaluation and remediation of heat stress on dairy cattle, determining the relationship between lactation and conception rates, development of feed additives to improve health and dairy output, forage use, the feed potential of industrial by-products, embryo transfer techniques and the effects of cystic ovaries on reproduction.

Holsteins and Guernseys enjoy their TMR before milking, at MU's Foremost Dairy Center.

Along with research on the farm, there are also extension teaching projects, tours, community fundraisers and the use of University cattle for club events such as the Little American Royal hosted by MU's Block and Bridle club. Last year, the farm hosted a total of 2,500 school children. The Foremost Dairy Center offers the opportunity for young children to learn about the operations of a dairy farm, and also gives them a chance to get their hands dirty. The farm is open for year-round tours where students and faculty can explain everything they do on the farm and give hands on examples of the day-to-day operations on the dairy farm. Not only do the students and staff do tours for children, they also set up tours for prospective college students and industry professionals.

The lactating cows are housed in a freestall barn, a large barn where each cow has a stall, and is free to roam within the barn. In the freestall barn at the Foremost Dairy Center, cows put their heads through a head gate to feed on a total mixed ration (TMR). The TMR that Foremost uses is made up of a corn silage, hay silage and soybean hull mixture. The typical lactating dairy cow can consume between 60 and 80 pounds of feed a day and drink 25 to 50 pounds of water a day. On average, lactating cows produce between 65 and 70 pounds of milk a day.

The Foremost Dairy Center milks their cows twice every day, with no exceptions for holidays. Cows don't take holidays off. The Foremost farm starts milking at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. The milkings and cleanup usually take three to four hours. In the milking parlor, the dairy crew can milk 16 cows at a time in a double eight-herringbone style barn. The cows are set to milk for eight minutes each.

Once the milkers have been attached to the cow's teats, a computer monitors how much milk each cow produces. When the cows are finished milking, the computer will automatically take off the milker from the cow. Before and after the cows are milked, each cow's teats are dipped in an iodine solution to keep the cows from contaminating one another. This also keeps the somatic cell count, which is bacteria in the milk, and mastitis, an infection in the cow's udder, low. During milkings, there are usually three students or faculty members milking and monitoring the cows.

"The farm as a whole is cool," said Nate Bloss, a sophomore animal science major from Sarcoxie, Mo. "The University gives students a great opportunity to be a part of and learn about a great confinement dairy operation."

Bloss grew up on a 200-head jersey cow dairy farm in Sarcoxie. He performs many duties on the Foremost farm, including feeding bottle calves, cleanup and milking. He is head milker when it is his shift to milk.

The Foremost Dairy Center opens many doors to the dairy industry, whether you are a student interested in the dairy industry or if you are just looking for something to pass the time.

Kali Parrish, MU junior agribusiness management major and animal sciences minor, works 15 to 20 hours per week at the Foremost Dairy Center. The Washington, Mo., native didn't grow up with dairy cows or even on a farm at all. Parrish became interested in working at the dairy during her introductory course to animal science.

"I've learned a lot from the farm," Parrish said. "It was what gave me my passion for the dairy industry I have now. Without it, I would probably never have sought out opportunities in dairy and found my dream job with Dairy Farmer's of America (DFA)."

Parrish feeds calves and does the morning milkings on Mondays and Wednesdays. On weekends, she does a little of everything from feeding cows with the tractor to re-bedding the stalls for the cows.

Driving down the driveway leaving the Foremost Dairy Center, the sound of cows chewing grass, calves bawling for their supper, and the sound of the milk pump is prominent. This is dairy life.

More information about Foremost Dairy Center, scheduling tours, and research can be found at http://aes.missouri.edu/foremost/.

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