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Dairy Unit Tours & Information

Individual Visits

The Cal Poly Dairy unit is available for visits between the hours of 8:30am-6:00pm. You may come at your own leisure, walk around the grounds without a tour guide and take a look as our cows are being milked. Cows are milked during the hours of 4-6 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Milking can be viewed from the second floor of the Dairy Cattle Instructional Unit in Building 18.

We have our Jersey Cow Barn, Holstein Cow Barn, Hospital & Maternity Barn, Heifer Housing, Primary Calf Area and a lawn area with tree & picnic table. Watch for calf hutches. Calves are moved to different areas to allow the land a chance to refresh. Please do not pass through any closed gates or go into pens or stalls.

**It is ok to pet the calves, but please use caution and common sense when visiting the cows and calf area. The calves can get excited and rambunctious and children could be hurt.

Please help us keep the calves healthy by not allowing more than one calf to suck on your finger.

Group Tours

Group tours are given by Los Lecheros Dairy Club members during the Fall, Winter and Spring quarters. Tours usually take about an hour and start between the hours of 9:00am-12:30pm on Fridays. Arrangements must be made in advance (at least one week), with an approximate head count so that there will be enough tour guides on hand for your specific group. There is no charge for the tours themselves. Donations may be made to Los Lecheros Dairy Club or the Cal Poly Dairy Science Dept if you'd like.

Tours in the Creamery & Plant?

Due to biosecurity, no tours are permitted in the creamery plant and research building. Our pilot plant is fully equipped with small scale processing capabilities. Milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, dry milk, and other dairy products are manufactured, tested and packaged in the creamery plant, located in the Dairy Products Technology Center. Some of our products are sold at the Campus Market.

Special Arrangements

Special arrangements can be made for certain needs. Wheelchair accessibility is available. Please call if you have any questions!

Parking

The Dairy Unit has it's own parking lot with multiple parking spaces. Parking Permits are required at all times. Permits are available at the Visitor Information Booth on Grand Avenue or at a permit vending machine on Highland Drive. Permits are $5.00 per vehicle. Buses do not need a parking permit.

Public Safety strictly enforces parking regulations on our campus. If a parking ticket is issued and you believe you are not at fault, you will need to discuss this matter directly with University Police at (805) 756-2281. You may visit their website to view all of the rules/regulations and for any questions you may have regarding parking on campus.

Directions

From Highway 101 take Santa Rosa Street, which is Highway 1, towards Morro Bay. Go past Foothill Blvd. to the next traffic light, Highland Drive, and turn right into campus. A parking pull-out is a short distance from the entrance, on the right. Continue to the first stop sign and turn left onto Mount Bishop Road. Go past the Crops Unit, orchards, warehouse and Veterinary Unit until you reach a tile sign on the right that reads "Eugene and Rachel Boone Dairy Science Complex." Turn right and park in any undesignated space. More Directions.

Cal Poly Dairy Facts

Dairy herds and a creamery were part of the Cal Poly program when it began as a vocational school in 1903.

Cal Poly has bred some of the top-rated cows in the nation for type and production. Individual cows and the herds have won many awards in the show ring and for the amount and rich content of milk produced.

A gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds. Our Holsteins give an average of 9-10 gallons of milk every day, and the Jerseys give 6-7 gallons. Jersey milk contains more protein and butterfat, used for making butter, ice cream, etc. A cow drinks about a bathtub full of water each day (approx. 30 gallons).

Cows usually have their first calf and start giving milk around two years of age. Cows are usually milked commercially for 3-5 years. Some cows have given milk for as long as 15 years.

Cal Poly has commercial, state licensed facilities for processing milk and other dairy products.

Dairy Science Tour Contact Information

Please contact our main office at (805) 756-2560 or email: dsci@calpoly.edu

 

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Cal Poly Cheese

The Eugene and Rachel Boone Dairy Science Complex sign. Cal Poly