Eight dairies, new cheese plant, feed mill on tour

The Central Plains Dairy Tour is set for July 10-11.

The tour headquarters hotel is the Best Western Ramkota in Sioux Falls, SD (call 605-336-0650) to make your hotel reservations. We leave at 6:30 a.m. July 10 and will return to the hotel in the evening. We'll depart the next morning at 7 a.m. and return to the hotel at about 4 p.m.

We'll be visiting eight new or recently expanded dairies, the new Green Meadows Foods cheese and whey plant and Deluxe Feeds.

You'll see dairies ranging in size from 250 to 7,000 cows. Facilities include new cross ventilation barns, natural ventilated barns,  double 12 to double 50 parallel parlors, special needs barns, a slotted pit barn, drive-through feed centers and labor-saving dry cow and close up heifer housing.

Cost is $80 for CPDA members and $150 for non-members.

Call Kathy Tonneson at 218-236-8420 or email her at kathy@centralplainsdairyexpo.com to register and save your seat.