Dividing Ridge Farm is opening its barn doors to the public on Saturday, offering a hands-on experience at a modern dairy farm.   

“Feed the Cow Day” takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the farm, located at 207 Dividing Ridge Road in Fairhope.  

Guests of all ages are welcome to attend the free event and see a working dairy farm in action, said Derek Hillegass, who with his father owns and operates the family’s fifth-generation farm. 

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“Anyone who comes can bottle feed the calves, feed the adult cows and basically see how a modern dairy farm operates,” Hillegass said. “We are milking cows at 12 o’clock, and people can observe that too. 

“We are now two or three generations removed from the farm for most people, so we have this day to allow them to see where their food comes from and how we care for our animals.” 

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Included in the day’s events are farm tours and hands-on feeding demonstrations, face painting, hay rides from Mitchell Family Farm and a variety of displays presented by local agricultural organizations.  

The first 200 children under age 12 are to receive a free event T-shirt, courtesy of a number of business sponsors, Hillegass said. 

Food is to be available for purchase from Pappy D’s barbecue food truck and Galliker’s Dairy is to provide free milk and ice cream samples. Hillegas Sugar Camp is to offer maple products for sale as well. 

Dividing Ridge Farm has 700 Holstein dairy cows whose milk is sold and transported to Galliker’s Dairy in Johnstown. Feeding their large herd of cattle requires thousands of tons of feed each year, Hillegass said. 

“This (event) is also an educational opportunity to see what great up cyclers cows are,” he said, noting that the cows eat wheat midds and several other grain byproducts that are left over from the manufacture of flour, other human food products and ethanol.  

Those grain byproducts provide some of the protein, fiber and nutrients that the cows need in their diet. In turn, the cows consume a product that would otherwise be shipped to a landfill, which lowers operating costs for both the food manufacturer and the farmer. 

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“The cow’s digestive system allows it to consume something that has low to no nutritional value for humans, and convert that into a nutrient-dense food (for humans) — milk and meat,” Hillegass said. 

This is the third year for “Feed the Cow Day” at Dividing Ridge Farm, which has drawn between 300 and 500 people in prior years, he said. Signs will be posted in the Fairhope area to direct visitors to the farm and there is ample parking space available.