Kalona Creamery field day and tour will highlight value-added dairy production – Oct. 5 near Kalona
Contacts:
Tamsyn Jones | Outreach & Publications Coordinator | Practical Farmers of Iowa | (515) 232-5661 | tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org
KALONA, Iowa — Practical Farmers of Iowa and Kalona Creamery will host a field day and creamery tour on Friday, Oct. 5, from 1-4 p.m., near Kalona (2206 540th St. SW, about 4 miles north of town).
The event – “Cheese and Ice Cream Production at Kalona Creamery” – is free and will include snacks and samples of ice cream, cheese and Kalona SuperNatural organic dairy products. RSVPs are appreciated for the food to Debra Boekholder, debra@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661, by Friday, Sept. 28.
Creamery staff will share the history of the creamery, explain how different dairy products are produced – including cheese curds, ice cream and Kalona SuperNatural organic products – and discuss the technology used in the receiving bay.
“We’ll also talk about the local farmers the creamery works with, and milk quality,” says Sara Rissi, marketing manager for Kalona Creamery.
On the tour, the group will rotate between the Kalona Creamery shop, the production area and the Kalona Farms receiving bay across the street. The event is family-friendly, and will also feature a children’s cow coloring station.
Kalona Creamery, the newest member of Open Gates Group, is located just north of Kalona and includes a shop featuring house-made ice cream and a cheese curd production facility. Farmers Creamery, another member of Open Gates Group located just down the road from Kalona Creamery, makes Kalona SuperNatural organic dairy products.
Directions from the north: Take U.S. 218 south to the Kalona exit and turn west onto IA Hwy 1. In about 11 miles, turn left (east) on 540th Street. Turn right immediately to park at the milk receiving facility on the south side of the road.
From the south: Take IA Hwy 1 north through Kalona and turn right (east) onto 540th Street. Turn right immediately to park at the milk receiving facility on the south side of the road.
Practical Farmers’ 2018 field days are supported by several sustaining and major sponsors, including: Albert Lea Seed; Applegate Natural & Organic Meats; Blue River Organic Seed; Cascadian Farms; Center for Rural Affairs; Farm Credit Services of America; Gandy Cover Crop Seeders; Grain Millers, Inc.; Green Cover Seed; Green Thumb Commodities; Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance; Iowa Beef Center; Iowa State University Department of Agronomy; Iowa Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE); ISU Extension and Outreach; La Crosse Forage and Turf Seed; MOSA Organic Certification; Natural Resources Defense Council; Organic Valley / Organic Prairie; PepsiCo; Pipeline Foods; Premier 1 Supplies; Sunrise Foods International; The DeLong Company; The Fertrell Company; The Scoular Company; Unilever; University of Iowa College of Public Health (I-CASH); USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service; Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture; and Welter Seed & Honey Co.
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Practical Farmers of Iowa works to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities. Our values include: welcoming everyone; farmers leading the exchange of experience and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, collaboration and community; resilient farms now and for future generations; and stewardship of land and resources. To learn more, visit http://practicalfarmers.org.