Journey from Cow to You (Grades K-2)
Rickreall Dairy is located just 15 minutes from Oregon’s state capitol, Salem. Our tour guide is the farm’s owner, Louie Kazemier. Rickreall Dairy is home to 3,500 Holstein cows. The cows are milked three times a day and produce an average of 10 gallons of milk per cow per day. Rickreall Dairy is inspected once a month, and works with 18 different government agencies. Milk is filtered and chilled before being tested to be sure it’s always free of antibiotics. You can find Rickreall Dairy’s milk in the Willamette Valley under the Darigold and Fred Meyer brands.
Journey from Cow to You
Activity 1: Virtual Field Trip to Rickreall Dairy Cow Barn
Watch the virtual field trip linked below with students to provide background information on the dairy industry.
After watching the video, gather the six jars of feed samples from the inquiry box and read each corresponding description below. Allow students to see up the feed samples up close.
Cottonseed
A white ovular seed used in animal feed that is a left over product the cotton used to make clothing.
Alfalfa
A legume that is cut and dried for hay in livestock.
Soybean Meal
A byproduct of soybean oil, high in protein used in animal feed.
Ground Corn
Corn in a small granular form used in livestock feed.
Dried Distillers Grain
A high protein byproduct from grain fermentation.
Grass Hay
Cut and dried grass used for livestock feed.
Activity 3: Our Dairy Cows Send Their Best
Included in your inquiry box is a set of Our Dairy Cows Send Their Best booklets. Provide each student with a Our Dairy Cows Send Their Best booklet and read through the pages together to help student further understand the journey of milk from farm to table. After, provide each student with the included Rickreall Farm coloring for a fun afternoon activity!
