Students amazed at technology

BEAVER DAM

About 180 students from around Dodge County toured the Brossard Dairy Farm at Beaver Dam on Tuesday to learn first-hand how farmers care for their animals and about the technology that is employed to keep cows healthy and comfortable.

The Farm City Day, hosted by Dennis and Carol Brossard and their grown children, Andrea and Anthony, who are a part of the family farm business, is intended to allow young people and their teachers to see the care that dairy farmers provide to keep their animals healthy, comfortable and productive.

The Brossards milk 250 cows with help from one full-time employee who works in all areas of the farming business and two full-time and one part-time milkers.

Veterinarians from the Waupun Vet Clinic showed the tools used for assisting in calving, removing horns from animals, detecting if a cow is pregnant and monitoring the unborn calf. Students and teachers were amazed at how distinct the body was of the calf that was not due to be born for another six months.

Nutritionist Stephanie Jens showed the ingredients that go into the Total Mixed Ration that the cows consume every day. She described how she tests the feed on the farm and then advises the Brossards about what other ingredients to mix with the home-grown hay and corn to make the meal perfectly balanced and healthy.

The visitors also saw the milking parlor, calf care, feed storage and equipment used to operate the farm.

The event is a joint effort of UW-Extension and the Dodge County Farm Bureau.