Four cheerleaders and myself joined the Colts Summer Tour staff at Fair Oaks Farm. For the first two hours the girls signed autographs (like they usually do on these stops). Yet they were given a drink to get through the two hours...
Milk, from their farm, of course!!
Afterwards was the part of this appearance that made it stand out from others... The owner of the farm packed the four girls, myself and security into his truck and we went on our way to tour the farm. Typical visitors ride their new cow buses to see the farm and follow the tour, pretty cool still. But on our personal tour we got to see a few extras and got to walk where only workers go.
First stop: we went to see where and how the cows were milked - each cow is milked three times a day. They load themselves onto a milking carousal which goes around and in 8 minutes time the cow is milked. We got to stand in the middle of the vast machine, while the tourers and the cows starred at us. It was quite daunting, especially with the cows noticing us - all heads were positioned our way. I was just glad they were behind the machine and couldn't launch forward!
Second stop: manure collecting barn. We loaded back in the truck and drove past the manure collecting plant (fyi it WAS on Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs)...let me tell you, it was very deserving of the show. We learned that they have vacuum trucks which go through the barns when the cows are out to be milked and suck up all the manure. Once the trucks are full they empty out into a barn (which is the building we saw) so that it can be processed and used to power the entire farm. Amazing concept, but extremely smelly and a rather disgusting process!!
Third stop: calves!! After taking in these scents of the farm we continued a few miles down the road to visit the calf area!! These little things were (yes, I'll say it) adorable. We got to pet them and feed them! We were told no one else gets to do this, except for those who are hired to do so. Pretty sweet.
Upon completion of our tour of Fair Oaks Farm, we got dinner (and dessert and maybe a little extra!!) We had cheese samples, quesadillas, grilled cheese, milk, milkshakes and ice cream. My chocolate milkshake was the richest, creamiest, most delicious milkshake ever! Needless to say we were in a dairy coma come the ride home, but we had a WONDERFUL visit to Fair Oaks Farms!!! If you ever get the chance to go, GO- I know I want to go back! There were many things we just didn't have the time to do like jump on the pillow or see a cow being birthed (they say that each day there are as many as 120 cows born somewhere on that farm, many of which you can watch). It's an incredible place.
Thank you Fair Oaks Farms for hosting the Colts' Make It Personal Tour!
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