More than 100,000 people have visited the Judy McCarty Dairy Learning Center and MVP Dairy Learning Center since they opened, coming from all 50 states and more than 75 countries.
Now, those visitors have one more part of the dairy to explore.
A new interactive nutrition exhibit has opened at the Judy McCarty Dairy Learning Center in Rexford, Kansas, with a companion exhibit at the MVP Dairy Learning Center in Celina, Ohio. Supported by Cargill, the exhibits give visitors a closer look at the nutrition decisions behind the cows they see in the barn.
“For our family, helping people better understand where their food comes from and how we care for our animals is an important part of the future of dairy,” says Ken McCarty, co-owner of McCarty Family Farms and MVP Dairy.
The McCarty family operates five dairy farms in Kansas, including a 10,000-cow dairy. The family also jointly operates MVP Dairy with the VanTilburg family in Ohio, where more than 4,000 cows are milked.
Cargill provides nutrition for the milk-producing cows across the farms. The new exhibits build on that relationship by showing visitors what happens behind the scenes when farmers develop a feeding program for their herds.
“Our relationship with Cargill goes well beyond providing nutrition for our cows,” McCarty says. “They have been a trusted partner who understands our farm, our goals and the importance nutrition plays in the health and care of our herd.”
Turning Nutrition into Something Visitors Can See
Animal nutrition can be difficult for someone outside of agriculture to visualize. A cow eats a ration made up of several ingredients, but what happens after she takes a bite can have an impact on her health, performance and the milk she produces.
The new exhibits are designed to make those connections easier to understand.
“Having Cargill’s support in bringing the new exhibit to the learning centers allows us to share this knowledge with our visitors and help them better understand the important role nutrition plays on a dairy farm,” McCarty says.
Visitors can learn about the connection between feed and cow care while also seeing the dairy operation firsthand. Both learning centers offer tours where guests can see cows being milked and learn about animal care, environmental stewardship and modern dairy practices.
Since opening, the two learning centers have welcomed more than 100,000 visitors through in-person and virtual experiences. Those visitors have come from all 50 states and more than 75 countries.
For McCarty, the nutrition exhibits add another piece to the story the farms are already telling visitors.
“Strong dairy farms start with healthy animals,” says Phil Graham, managing director of Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health North America. “We are proud to work alongside the McCarty and VanTilburg families to bring together their dairy expertise with Cargill’s nutrition capabilities and innovation.”
The exhibits also give the families another way to introduce young people to the science behind dairy farming.
“Supporting these learning centers is one way we can help connect communities with agriculture and inspire the people who will shape what comes next,” Graham says.
For the McCarty and VanTilburg families, education has become part of sharing how their farms operate. Visitors can walk through the learning centers, see cows up close and connect the information they see on the exhibits with what is happening on the dairy outside.
The nutrition exhibits add another piece to that experience, showing how what goes into the cow plays a role in her health, performance and the milk she produces.
