FUTP60 Student Ambassadors Visit Florida Dairy Farm

WATCH: Florida's FUTP60 Student Ambassador's Bobby Sena and Amaris Robinson visit Florida dairy farmer, Kevin Moore at his dairy farm in Hardee County, FL. At Lake Branch Dairy, Bobby and Amaris learn about farm practices and milk a cow for the first time. Below is a post written by Bobby about his fun day on the farm!

Milk Never Tasted So Good!
Written by Bobby Sena - FUTP60 Student Ambassador

There is more to dairy farming than you can ever imagine. I always knew that a dairy farm had cows, but I didn’t know how much went into maintaining and taking care of a dairy farm and the cows.

My first visit ever to a dairy farm was to Lake Branch Dairy in the city of Bowling Green, Florida. I began my journey with the most charismatic dairy farmer you can ever meet, Kevin Moore.

Mr. Moore definitely knew what he was talking about and was able to help a first-timer, such as me, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to manage a dairy farm.

He took us on a tour of the farm beginning with learning where the water comes from to irrigate the land. We saw the lake that supplies water to a sophisticated irrigation system that helps keep the land green, so that the cows can feed. We saw a lake which the cows utilize as their “cooling off” area and in this Florida heat, that’s important!

A cooling system stirs the milk in a refrigerator type system that keeps the milk at 37 degrees so that they keep the temperature to guideline standards. During hurricane season a generator can be used to keep the farm running if they lose power.

Being able to milk the cow was absolutely incredible! I was able to milk a cow the traditional way, manually by hands and the modern way through advanced technology. Technology has made it easier for the cows to be milked by attaching an automatic milking device that resembles a vacuum pump.

This farm is unique in the sense that the cows are free range, meaning that they graze from different areas roaming freely year round. If you’re wondering what cows eat, alongside the grasses they consume in the field they also get to feed on a mix of grains, corn, citrus pulp, cotton seed hulls and even peanut shells.  

I have never been close to a cow, so I was excited to see the herd of cows up close and personal. I thought milking a cow would be “a walk in the park” as seen on television, but it actually takes work and precision to make sure that the cows are sanitized and comfortable. Having to physically make sure that each cow is healthy is also a process.

One thing I found interesting is that stress plays a major role in milk production and dairy farmers take great care of their cows to do whatever it takes to try to alleviate their worries and make it a productive day.

I have gained a whole new level of appreciation when I drink a glass of milk by being able to see behind the scenes how milk is created, distributed and how it makes it way to my home.