ABC57 Road Trip: 'Edutainment' for all at Fair Oaks Farms
FAIR OAKS, Ind., - ABC57 Road Trip hit the highway again, this time escaping to the countryside to visit Fair Oaks Farms and its eight miles of agriculture and animals.
Farms, fresh food, and fun all in one is the experience Fair Oaks Farms has offered since they opened their doors nearly 20 years ago.
“We call it edutainment, right. We're able to educate and entertain. We're able to have your three-year-old kid here running around learning little lessons, having fun, but also have you as the parents learning something new about farming as well,” said Jacqueline McCloskey, the Special Projects Manager at Fair Oaks Farms.
The family-owned farm features a birthing barn where cows bring new life into the world along with dairy, pig, and crop adventures, all experiential museums educating visitors about nutrition farming practices and animals.
But learning doesn’t just stop with the adventures.
“We also have bus tours that will take you out to our dairy farm, you'll get to see our working 3000-cow dairy farm, and then you'll also get to see our new 800-cow robotic farm,” McCloskey explained.
The robotic farm is just one of many efforts towards sustainability and innovation.
“We installed digesters in the early 2000s, and we started producing our own electricity, by putting our cow's manure in the digester, bacteria eats up the manure, basically farts out gases, the way we explain it to the kids,” McCloskey explained. “We were able to put the first 42 tractor trailers in the United States that run off of compressed natural gas on the US Highways.”
While making history, the farm still manages to offer a little something for everyone.
“We love learning all about the dairy, the cows, and we love the food, it’s delicious,” said a family visiting the farm.
Fair Oaks Farms also offers food from their Farmhouse and Cowfé that feature home-cooked meals along with famous dairy products, like fresh cheeses and ice cream.
No matter what you indulge in, the sense of a closer connection to the earth is the farm’s biggest goal.
“We want you to come here and connect with the outdoors, feel like you are being rejuvenated and able to go back home after,” added McCloskey.
Fair Oaks Farms is less than a two-hour drive from South Bend and is open seven days a week. It features a brand-new Marriott hotel if you want to extend your stay.
They also offer seasonal activities including concerts this summer.