Have you ever heard of a dairy farm museum? Well if you head out to the Dairy Learning Center at MVP Dairy in Celina Ohio, you will find a museum right on the farm!
The Dairy Learning Center was built to bridge the gap between local consumers and producers. MVP Dairy is a 4,000-cow dairy farm that is owned and operated by multiple families and has been milking since November 2018.
When the McCarty and VanTilburg families partnered to build MVP Dairy, they decided that their mission together was to “create sustainable farming with a positive social, economic and environmental impact on our communities,” according to their website.
One way they are achieving their goal is through the on-site Dairy Learning Center. Director of Marketing and Communications Allyson Ryan said that as the dairy was being built, the community took a lot of interest in the project. The operators recognized that while they were fourth-generation farmers, they had neighbors who were four generations removed from agriculture, so they utilized their space to generate learning, and have been doing so since July 2019.
The Dairy Learning Center is a nonprofit that functions on but not as a part of MVP Dairy. It hosts public tours and school tours, as well as offers two local scholarships annually. To both cultivate and educate the community, the center allows FFA members to give tours to students each year. The learning center supports student interns during the summer, which helps them to positively contribute to the dairy industry as a whole.
In the museum you can watch cows get milked in the 80-stall carousel parlor, which Ryan notes is a fan favorite! You can also take a shuttle through the farm, walk yourself around the farm using virtual reality goggles, and talk to their staff members about how a modern dairy farm operates. Ryan says that the facility caters to many different groups, from those who know nothing about farms when they walk in the door all the way to retired farmers who want to see how the young guns are getting it done.
Since opening, the Dairy Learning Center has welcomed an average of 10,000 people each year. But this is more than just a weekend outing or a great place to grab some dairy products — the Dairy Learning Center staff has created a comfortable space for anyone to visit and have their questions answered.
Ryan recalls a time when a young woman came to the Dairy Learning Center brimming with questions about sustainability and cow care.
“She apologized for asking so many questions (we don’t mind), but she just wanted permission to enjoy dairy products,” Ryan says. “She shared she felt guilty consuming dairy products because of things she’s heard. We were grateful to be able to provide a space where she could ask us those questions and feel good about enjoying dairy again.”
If you are a farmer, surely you can imagine some of the hardships with having a place like this on your doorstep. When asked what keeps the team motivated to keep this up, Ryan says that they strive to teach the community their dairy products’ journey from soil to cup, and enjoy sharing their regenerative ag story.
MVP Dairy supplies milk to Danone, which recently rebranded to “One Planet. One Health,” hoping to reconnect their consumers with the food they eat while also letting their consumers know that the company is committed to sustainability. MVP Dairy shares these goals, which is beautifully displayed throughout the Dairy Learning Center.
Learning centers like this are so important to all of agriculture, as they are often our community members’ only opportunity to see a farm in operation. They also give young farmers the ability to learn about and practice public speaking and consumer engagement.
It goes without doubt to say that the Dairy Learning Center has a huge impact on their community and on the dairy industry. If you find yourself in Mercer County, Ohio, make sure you make a stop! You can also find the Dairy Learning Center on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok at @MVPDairy!
Elizabeth Maslyn is a born-and-raised dairy farmer from Upstate New York. Her passion for agriculture has driven her to share the stories of farmers with all consumers, and promote agriculture in everything she does. She works hard to increase food literacy in her community, and wants to share the stories of her local farmers.
