This summer, the Sioux Empire Fair in Sioux Falls, SD celebrated their 75th year, “Diamond Jubilee”, of providing summer fun to the community. And what better way to celebrate this landmark year than the grand opening of a building dedicated to educating the Sioux Empire area on modern crop and livestock production.
“The Pipestone Discovery Barn brings agriculture to life for all Discovery Barn visitors. Most consumers have never been to a farm and certainly don’t live on a farm. This space brings the farm to them, ” explains Sylvia. Sylvia Wolters, from Pipestone, has been working on the project the past year. “We unfortunately live in a world that knows very little about where their food comes from. Farmers were here showing the passion, and caring commitment they have for producing food for consumers regionally and across the world. It is nice to bring hands on experiences to everyone.”
The 10,000 square-foot Discovery Barn has areas dedicated to pigs, dairy cattle, poultry, soybeans, and corn. There were three live sow births, a live cow birth, baby chickens hatching, a milking parlor, and calf bottle feedings. With producers available in these areas at all times, visitors were encouraged to ask questions and learn about modern agriculture practices. Inevitably, there are visitors that do not agree with our practices, but this allows for great conversational opportunities for the producers to explain their practices one-on-one. Pipestone Holdings is dedicated to bringing transparency and factual experiences to all, which is one of the main reasons they made the investment in building the Piepstone Discovery Barn.
Pipestone plans on using this facility for other education opportunities, and is already planning on improvements they can make for the fair next year. Pipestone would like to extend a big thank you all of our employees, students, shareholders, and customers that volunteered. Without you, the Discovery Barn would not have been a success. If you are interested in volunteering in 2015, contact Molly Peterson at mpeterson@pipevet.com.