National Video Series Features Michigan Dairy Farmer

For many consumers, it’s been about three generations since they’ve had a hand in producing and growing the food they eat. That distance from food sources has led to misunderstanding and misperceptions. This week, DairyGood.org launched The Udder Truth, an effort designed to address common consumer myths and set the record straight about the work dairy farmers do and the milk they produce.

A common misperception about dairy focuses on the size of dairy farms, with larger farms often being mislabeled or misunderstood. Michigan dairy farmer Annie Link of SwissLane Farms in Alto, Michigan, addresses many of these myths in a three-minute video, including how her family cares for their animals, their impact on the environment, and how the farm has grown over the years to accommodate the growing family.

“We have a really big family, and a big farm. Just as our family has grown, our farm has grown right along with it,” Link says. “Right now, we’re milking 2,000 cows, so that might be considered a large farm, in some aspects, but we just consider it a family farm.” Link’s great-grandfather, Fred Oesch, established SwissLane Farms in 1915, and the farm celebrated its centennial this year.

Link is dedicated to educating consumers about dairy farming and where their food comes from through the farm’s Dairy Discovery Tours. Groups are able to tour the robotic milking facility, bottle feed newborn calves, and take a “Goin’ Green” Hayride where they learn about the farm’s environmental certifications. For more information on SwissLane Farms, visit DairyDiscovery.com.

To learn more about The Udder Truth mythbusting series, and get the facts about modern dairy farming practices, visit UdderTruth.org.