Kentucky is mirroring a national trend of decreasing numbers of dairy herds. Therefore, many of our community members haven't been exposed to a dairy or even a dairy cow. This is why I decided to host an event at the extension office that focused on dairy production and gave the community the opportunity to watch a cow be milked up close. The Southland Mobile Dairy unit came out and gave a demonstration on milking a cow and also discussed reproduction, nutrition, and the process the milk goes through after it leaves the dairy. Participants were also given the chance to try their own hand at milking using KDDC's Kentucky Kate, a plastic cow. Following that, they were able to see and handle a dairy heifer as they watched her for Cow Pie Bingo. 

This was the first time this event has been offered. We had over 100 participants, most of which had never worked with a dairy cow before. Many of the participants were excited to learn more about dairy cattle and were full of questions following the demonstrations. I even had one participant ask about getting a dairy cow to start milking at home. Participation in certain stations within the event had a financial component. Money raised went to support 4-H members seeking higher level participation in the Kentucky 4-H Program.