DURHAM, N.H. – The NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire and Granite State Dairy Promotion invite the public to “meet your milk” at the UNH Open Barn Saturday, June 23, 2018. The annual statewide event, which is free and open to the public, takes place at the 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. 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,” said Amy Hall, director of Granite State Dairy Promotion.

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 milking cows and calves are the highlights of the day’s activities.

According to Granite State Dairy Promotion, the New Hampshire dairy industry is located primarily in the Connecticut River Valley on the state’s western borders and along the Merrimack River Valley in the center of the state. There are approximately 94 dairy farms in New Hampshire with an average of 115 milking animals per farm.

The New Hampshire dairy industry impacts state and local economies with more than $140 million in total output, 3,500 jobs, and more than $17 million in labor income. Dairy farming also helps support many businesses related to the production of milk such as feed stores, milking equipment suppliers and tractor dealerships.

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, which is greater than the national average of about 22,000 pounds per cow a year.

The Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research 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. It 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.