Homestead Dairy gives virtual tour

PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Calves and kids have something in common: A healthy start to the day is important for success.

Each morning, students across Indiana can have a cup of nutritious milk with their breakfast to start their day out right.

Notre Dame football player Michael Vinson took part in a virtual farm tour of Homestead Dairy March 11 during National School Breakfast week.

“When I was a freshman at Notre Dame, our punter nicknamed our unit “the cheese unit,” he said. “I was given the temporary nickname of “milk” in order to earn my cheese status. But then it just kind of stuck.”

Homestead Dairy is close to the University of Notre Dame. It’s run by the Houins, a fourth-generation farming family.

The dairy has grown from nine cows to more than 100.

Homestead Dairy Fast Facts

• The majority of the feed consumed by the herd is corn silage.

• They chop enough corn to make over 60,000 tons of corn silage each harvest to feed the herd the following year.

• In 2013, Homestead Dairy began transforming manure into electricity with a methane digester. The digester makes its own energy by creating the gas that powers its motors. This energy is then sold to a local power company.

• In 2015, the dairy built three technologically advanced calf barns.

• The barns’ technology allows the calves to feed throughout the day, and monitors the calves to ensure they consume enough milk to thrive.

• The calves now have the opportunity to live in groups and interact with each other and the feeding system.

• In 2017, Homestead started using Lely Robotic milkers.

• The cows can go into the robots at any time of day, get a snack and get milked.