This morning we woke up and said our goodbyes to the host family at Trekpad, and made our way to 7 Akkers Dairy. Here we saw goats, sheep, and dairy cattle of all ages. They use these animals to produce various products, such as yogurt, milk, cheese, and Amasi. Amasi is a drink that can be compared to a flavor of sour greek yogurt, with a consistency of thick milk. Most students did not care for the Amasi, but most everyone enjoyed the peach flavored yogurt. This dairy farm was a second generation farm, but 7 Akkers recently added the goats to their operation. They also had plenty of dogs for us to play with!

After 7 Akkers Dairy, we traveled to Hartbeesport Dam. This is a local dam that supplies much water to the surrounding farmers, including Trekpad. Some people bought handmade coasters and bowls from the local street vendors by the dam. Next, we ate lunch at a restaurant called the Jasmyn. This was located in a small shopping center that included a grocery store with food products provided by the dairy we visited later in the day.

Mount Magalies Jersey’s dairy consisted of Jersey cattle, pigs, sheep, and even ostriches! They milk 190 cows each day, 2 times per day. They have 29 varieties of cheese, along with milk, yogurt, fruit juices, and much more. Kristopher’s (the manager of Mount Magalie’s) favorite yogurt flavor is toffee. The dairies we viewed today were very different from each other, but we each learned something unique from each operation that we will take back with us to Brookings.

Danielle Dvorak and Aleigha Howell

Beautiful Hartbeesport Dam

Several of our students on top of the dam

Magalies Dairy milking parlor

Karlie and Jackie petting dogs at 7 Akkers Dairy