It's Leaving Day -- Charlotte

Today was one of the most interesting days in my life; my first experience flying. But it all started two days prior, when I spent most of the days worrying about the flight and going to three new states. When I left on June 20^th at 5:30 AM, Ashleigh came and picked me up from the current area we live in, Riverview, FL. We took about a hour and a half car ride to Orlando International Airport to meet the rest of the kids who were coming along, and our advisors. After dealing with all the madness in the crazy airport we started to board our plane. I was so glad that everyone on the plane was able to comfort me in a time of distress, even the ones I didn’t know yet. The flight was very smooth except for the landing, but I wasn’t worried about it because it was a normal occurrence. After landing in Kansas City, MO we got our bags and headed to the rental car pick up where we loaded up in 3 short buses and headed onto the road.

The group with Lauren Mayo, our tour guide.

Our first stop was the Foremost Dairy, located right outside of Columbia, MO. When we arrived at the dairy the first thing, and one of the most important things of the whole time we were there, was to put these plastic “booties” on to protect the animals and whole farm from any outside diseases or bacteria from entering.

We started out meeting Lauren Mayo, a past Riverview High-school student, who graduated and got a masters degree and is still attending college at Missouri State University, working on her PhD. She was our tour guide for the day and took us around their dairy.

Calf hutches

In the maternity barn cows were expected to give birth at any moment. The cows inside this barn are checked on frequently and have their temperature taken for further examination. Next, the tour continued into the older method barn where every clean up method is done by hand. After that, she walked us out to where calves were kept until blood tests are taken to determine whether the New Zealand gene was present in their blood, called A2A2. Then, heifers are moved to bigger pens that are about an acre-sized lot until further growth, when they will be moved into the newer barn. Bulls are sold for higher prices if A2A2 is present, but all bulls will be moved. No males will be kept on this property.

Curtis' reaction was classic!

Cows are milked at least two times a day and put back into the barn to eat and drink plenty of water to prepare for their next lactation period. We got the chance of a lifetime by being able to put our arm into the fistula of a dairy cow, feeling all around the feed in their rumen.

Shortly after we went and checked into our hotel and quickly got to freshen up before having dinner at Shakespeare’s Pizza in Columbia, where I was able to socialize a little more and get to know the kids on the trip.

Did I forget to mention the part of where the phones must stay in the middle of the table and the first person to touch them has to pay for everyone’s dinner? After we had a lobby meeting to discuss procedures for the next day and were then dismissed to our rooms to shower, write in our journals, and go to sleep.