KBS Pasture Dairy Center to host open houses

Grassland birds, pasture-based cheese and pasture management will be topics in focus during three summer open house events at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Pasture Dairy Center.

Field at W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

Hickory Corners, Mich.—Grassland birds, pasture-based cheese and pasture management will be topics in focus during three summer open house events at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Pasture Dairy Center.

All open houses are free to the public and family-friendly. The schedule is as follows:

Grassland Birds & Pastures - Tuesday, June 10
Enjoy a wagon ride into the pasture and bird with a naturalist to learn how birds utilize pasture lands in Michigan. MSU Dairy Store ice cream will be available and attendees can enter to win a year’s membership to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary.

Pasture-based Cheese - Tuesday, July 8
Sample cheeses made from pasture-based cow’s milk produced at KBS and talk with farm and dairy staff about the cheese-making process. Visitors can purchase cheese and enter to win a year’s membership to the W.K. Kellogg Manor House.

Pasture Management & Plant Identification - Tuesday, August 12
Learn to identify pasture plants during a wagon tour of the KBS pastures. Tours depart at 5 and 6:30 p.m. (There is a limit of 30 people per wagon tour; first-come, first-seated!) MSU Dairy Store ice cream will be available and visitors can enter to win a KBS t-shirt and a free lunch for two at the KBS Conference Center’s McCrary Hall.

Open house events take place at the KBS Pasture Dairy Center, 10461 N. 40th St. in Hickory Corners. Entrance is on N. 39 St., one block west of the intersection at N. 40th St and East B Ave. All events are from 4-8 p.m. Farm and dairy staff will be on hand to answer questions.

The Pasture Dairy Center uses robotic milking technology, a system allowing cows to set their own milking schedule, and features 220 acres of pasture devoted to grazing research with a focus on sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services. The barn at the Pasture Dairy Center was the first livestock building in the U.S.to receive a silver level certification for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED).

The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station is Michigan State University’s largest off-campus education complex and one of North America's premier inland field stations. KBS's mission is focused on ecological and environmental research, education and community outreach.

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