DURHAM, N.H. – The NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire and the Granite State Dairy Promotion invite the public to “meet your milk” at the UNH Open Barn Saturday, June 17, 2017. The annual statewide event, which is free and open to the public, takes place at the UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The UNH Open Barn is an annual event we’re proud to be a part of,” said Amy Hall, director of Granite State Dairy Promotion. “Connecting consumers with their local dairy food system is of the utmost importance. It’s a day of educational fun for the entire family. We encourage people to enjoy the facility, meet the staff, and of course, the cows.”

The event gives the public the chance to see a working New Hampshire dairy farm that is representative of a typical New England dairy operation. Free New Hampshire-made milk and ice cream, wagon rides, hourly tours, and visits with the UNH milking cows and calves are the highlights of the day’s activities.

According to Granite State Dairy Promotion, New Hampshire has approximately 101 dairy farms with an average of 115 milking animals per farm. The year 2016 provided many challenges for New Hampshire’s local dairy farms, resulting in the loss of 19 family-owned farms. The New Hampshire dairy industry strongly impacts state and local economies with more than $141 million in total output, 3,717 jobs, and more than $19 million in labor income.

“We encourage the public to join us and learn more about the UNH facility, but also the industry as a whole. The milk consumers’ purchase, no matter the brand or point of purchase, comes from a family-owned farm near them,” Hall said.

The Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center develops new knowledge and management expertise geared directly toward many state and regional stakeholders. It houses about 90 milking-age Holstein cows and approximately 70 growing, replacement animals. Included in that number is the 20-cow, student-managed Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management (CREAM) herd, with the remaining animals devoted primarily to research in the area of dairy nutrition and reproductive biology.

The Fairchild Dairy Center has been long recognized for its quality milk and operations by the Dairy Farmers of America, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, and Dairy One. Cows at the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center produce an average of about 26,000 to 27,000 pounds of milk per cow per year for the CREAM and research herds, which is greater than the national average of about 22,000 pounds per cow a year.

The center is located at 36 O’Kane Road off Mast Road Extension in Durham. It is open to the public seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can observe the milking of cows at 3:30 p.m. each day. Map: https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/directions/Fairchild.

Granite State Dairy Promotion is a nonprofit organization funded by New Hampshire dairy farmers. Granite State Dairy Promotion aims to increase demand for dairy products and a deeper appreciation for family owned farms.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.