Shulers Receive Dairy Promotion Award
Published: Friday, February 16, 2018
Shuler Dairy Farms of Baroda received the Dairy Promoter of the Year award during Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference last week. The award is presented by United Dairy Industries of Michigan (UDIM).
The fifth-generation centennial farm is operated by Bill and Carol Shuler, their sons Billy and Wyatt, and Bill's mother, Shirley. The farm milks 60 cows with 150 head total.
The farm began offering tours after a major building project that included a new pack barn and robot installation.
"We had two open houses in July of 2016," said Carol. "The first on a Thursday was a closed event for the businesses who helped with the building project, local chambers of commerce and a few others. On Saturday we opened the doors to the community. They were very curious about what we were doing. Between the two open houses we had about 2,000 people here."
The events launched their business from strictly a dairy farm into dairy farm/agri-tourism destination.
Tours are available every Tuesday through Sunday, from 1-6 p.m. Soft serve ice cream is sold at a commercial vending wagon they purchased from a favorite concessionaire at the county fair. A video of the building project and interactive website tells about the farm and its rich history. The family even created a commercial featuring their cows and local 4-H'ers, which has run on local television.
"We started doing this because milk prices are so low. Has it made a dent? A little," Carol said.
"We didn't know if we were doing the right thing when this all started. You second guess and worry. But I want to have our little corner of the world and share it with people who don't have access to something like this."
Yes, farmers can learn new skills. Bill has immersed himself in his new role as farm tour guide.
"He absolutely loves it," Carol said.
Tours begin on a platform overlooking the cows loafing in the new pack barn. He describes the ventilation system, bedding, cow behavior and answers questions. The tour winds down the feed alley where people see, touch and smell the TMR. It is also a favorite spot for guests to take selfie photos with curious cows who gladly pose and ham it up for the guests. Stops in the robot room and milk house include information about the how and why of taking care of dairy cattle.
A 13-year-old Jersey is the farm's star in the hearts of guests and the Shulers' alike. Housed in a separate pen, she welcomes attention and stands if someone wants to hand milk her.
"She is so good," Carol said.
Bill and Carol lend out dairy cattle to local 4-H members who wish to show dairy at the county fair. A parent to one of those members made the nomination on behalf of the farm to UDIM.
"When we heard that we received this award, it made us sit and think," Carol said. "This is really something. We hoped we were doing the right thing when we started. It is humbling to know that they enjoy coming to our farm."
The farm's next big step is on-farm processing, with the long-term goal of bottling milk and selling ice cream from milk produced by their own dairy cattle.
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