Spotlight on Associates
Fair Oaks Farm Hi, I'm Todd Charles, aka "The Moogician." Be-
sides having a Comedy Magic & Variety Show that's themed to celebrate and educate on all things dairy, I really do live the "Milk Life," having lived on a dairy farm. I keep up with all the latest news and technology in the dairy world, and of course consume more than the recommended 3 servings a day of dairy. One of the ways I bring dairy awareness to the
public in a fun and amusing whey, is by producing Moosic Videos that promote and celebrate dairy, and always a huge "Thank You to Dairy Farmers Everywhere!" After producing "The Milk Song," "The Cheese
"Taping a scene for "The Butter Song" in one of the 10 giant barns, each houses 3,000 cows!"
Song," and "The Yogurt" song videos over the years, in April I produced "The Butter Song" video, which I posted online in June, in celebration of National Dairy Month. These videos have taken me to family dairy farms in Pennsylvania, to New York City, to Las Vegas (and the nearby Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire State Park), and now to Chicago where we taped the Butter Video. Chica- go was ideal as the song is to the tune of "Ain't She Sweet," which recalls the feel of 1920's Chicago Jazz. But the highlight for me was a visit to the incredible Fair Oaks Farm, just 70 miles south of
Chicago in Fair Oaks, Indiana. I first heard of Fair Oaks years ago when a friend sent me a YouTube video of this very large dairy farm, which milks it's cows on giant carousels, and the entire farm is powered by energy created by the cattle's waste. How wonderful to visit this "Must- See" Agri-tourism destination, not only a farm, but a theme park cele- brating ALL THINGS DAIRY!!! I was in HEAVEN, and The Moogi- cian was home at last! After writing Fair Oaks for permission to video tape there, I was
invited and then given a private VIP "behind-the-scenes" tour by its CEO, Dr. Gary Corbett. All I have to say is WOW!! Fair Oaks Farm began in 1998 when 10 different dairy farming
families purchased 1000 acres in Fair Oaks, Indiana (Jasper Coun- ty). Today it has grown to 19,000 acres of which 20% is in natural woodlands. The 10 families combined own approximately 110,000 cows, spread through several states. There are about 37,000 cows on the farm in Indiana, and they milk approximately 32,000 a day! The farm operates eleven rotary sheds, each contains a "Rotolactor," also known as a "rotary milking parlor.” Basically, they're Cow Carousels! WeeeeeeeeMooooo! Ten of them hold 72 cows at one time, and one holds 80 cows. It
takes 8 minutes from the time the cow gets onto the carousel to when she exits, and most get milked up to 3 times a day, producing over 300,000 gallons of milk per day! That's over 50 tankers per day! Calving is year round, with approximately 80-100 calves born per
day! Part of the theme park is a birthing barn where you can watch a calf being born – LIVE. What's most impressive about this operation is the transparency of
the farm, and the “Farm Experience Tour” is both educational and entertaining. They have been operating an Agri-tourism venture for the last ten years which sees up to 500,000 visitors per year. Driv- ing there you see funny billboards and tricked out tanker trucks advertising the theme park, a la "South of the Border." You can watch cheese, ice cream, butter, and yogurt being produced through windows in the cafe ("Cowfe"), where there's also a gift shop. Their Havarti Cheese took a Blue Ribbon last year, and everything they produce is fantastic, the ice cream is THROUGH THE ROOF AMAZING!! There are all types of interactive games and rides for children of all ages, a Rock Climbing wall that looks like a giant milk container, a giant bounce pillow that looks like a giant pat of butter, animatronics and movie presentations, all with a flair for fun and laughs, but giving interesting history and facts about dairy and dairy farming. There are also the Pig Adventure, Concerts, Festi-
52 FAIRCRACKER--SUMMER 2016
vals, and a cool bus tour (fueled by pig poo!) that drives you through one of the many Cow Barns. All the staff there is involved, informative, hap- py to answer questions, and truly love working at Fair Oaks Farm. Like all dairy farms, it’s a GREAT asset for the community, contributing to the economy and good stewards of the land. I highly recommend and encourage a visit to Fair Oaks Farm if ever in
that part of our Great Country, and you can find more info on their web- site
www.fofarms.com Please check out my Butter Song moosic video on Youtube (search
“Moogician.”) While there, please check out the other videos as well . You can also find the video(s) on my website
www.moogician.com and Facebook page.
"From the video, this is in the area where the tour bring visitors to view the cows being milked on one of the giant carousels
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