NASHVILLE, Mich. — The 2014 Dairy Fun Day was July 9 at Moo-Ville Creamery in Nashville, Mich. Developed by the Michigan Junior Holstein Assoc. (MJHA), this annual event focuses on everything educational about cows with added fun. Moo-Ville Creamery is owned by the Westendorp family. They take milk from the dairy via a pipeline and send it to the creamery, where it is bottled and made into various dairy products.

Open to all youth from the state of Michigan, more than 85 kids and their parents were in attendance for the annual educational event. They learned about fitting, showing, feeding and caring for cows through several educational stations set up around the farm. In addition, they toured the creamery and learned how ice cream is made and milk is processed.

"We’ve been doing this for several years, and it’s a way for the MJHA to give back to the dairy industry and to share the knowledge of many of the older youth and professionals with the younger youth who are coming up through the 4-H ranks and want to learn more about their dairy projects and the industry in general," MJHA President Hayleigh Guerink said.

Ed Nichols of NorthStar Select Sires taught a session on artificial insemination using a cow’s reproductive system, while Jess Jakubick, also of Select Sires, led a session on dairy cattle judging and taught the youth what to look for in a good dairy cow. Jenna Taylor talked about the importance of nutrition in dairy cattle and then gave the kids a chance to sort through several forms of feed that were laid out in pans on display.

Calf care is vitally important on any dairy farm, and attendees learned this as Lindsey Westendorp went through the basics of good calf care.

Once they learned how Moo-Ville makes ice cream and that they were voted the No. 1 ice cream parlor in Michigan, they were allowed to make their own batch of ice cream. Tina Westendorp helped the kids create their own creamy treat, and then they had the opportunity to pick their own flavors and toppings and name their unique ice cream flavor.

Games were the ice breaker as the kids arrived. They were divided up into teams and played several games in addition to enjoying bouncing around in a cow bounce house. Each attendee received a free T-shirt that said, "Keep Calm and Dairy On."

"Moo-ville Creamery lends itself to being a great venue for learning about the industry. They take milk from the farm to the cooler all in one place. It doesn’t get any more inclusive than that," Guerink said. "We are very thankful to the Westendorps for being so supportive of this event and for hosting it for so many years. They really have a passion for the industry and for teaching others about it," Guerink said.