Got milk? Going to the source: Virginia Beach's Bergey's Dairy Farm offers a glimpse into a working farm.
Milk is one of those things you kind of take for granted. The local supermarket has shelves and shelves of it. One percent, two percent, whole milk, skim milk. The milk aisle almost looks like the soda aisle when it comes to choices. But where does it come from?
Cows, of course. Real, live, honest-to-goodness Guernseys and Holsteins. But nowadays it's easy to forget the fact that some bovine momma had something to do with our chocolate milk or Swiss cheese. Where are all those cows? Does all our milk come from Wisconsin? Or, is there a local alternative?
Being a hard-core investigative journalist, I decided to get to the bottom, so to speak, of this whole milk thing. One recent sunny Saturday my wife and I hopped in the car and headed over to Bergey's Dairy Farm in Chesapeake, where cows are queens.
Bergey's is a real working dairy farm, one of a dwindling number in Tidewater Virginia. Owned by the Bergey family for several generations, it provides a glimpse into where milk comes from and what much of the area used to look like before the current crop of houses grew up. As you drive south through Chesapeake you'll notice the houses giving way to farms and open spaces -- it's almost like you are going back in time to an era when much of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake was farmland.
The farm has the requisite farm store, complete with fresh milk in old-fashioned glass bottles and hand-dipped ice cream. The store also sells a small line of sandwiches, hot dogs and home-baked goods. There are tables inside and out where you can eat your tuna fish sandwich or sit and lick your double-dip strawberry cheesecake ice cream cone. According to Elsa Bergey, one of the farm's owners, the store evolved from a time when customers would stop by the farm and ring a bell to get some milk. Now it's much more convenient: you just open a refrigerator door and choose chocolate or regular milk (going for the chocolate is always a safe bet).
Although the ice cream and milk are great, most people come for the farm. And Bergey's doesn't disappoint. Cows, calves, goats, chickens, bunnies, even a big old Tom Turkey. Bergey's has it covered. But don't mistake this for a petting zoo.
"We're a real working farm, and we're inviting people in to see how a real farm works," said Elsa Bergey. "It's not prettied-up, but we try to keep it safe. It's gritty, but that's good."
And it feels real. Visitors might see the cows being fed and milked, or farm workers cleaning out the milking stalls and barns. Mud puddles abound after a rain. Diesel tractors idle somewhere close by. But the reality is what makes it neat. You can wander around like it's your own place. Head over to the individual stalls where the calves are kept and scratch them behind the ears (they love it) -- but make sure they don't try to eat your shirt. When I visted there were six or seven calves, but Bergey said between May and July they are due to have up to 50 calves born. The calves are fed every day around 4:30 p.m. If baby cows are your thing, you'll be in heaven.
The adult cows attract a lot of attention, too. After all, they're the stars of the place. Bergey's has over 200 cows, 60-100 of which are milked every day between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. (they're milked at the same time in the morning, too, if you're an insomniac). They are fed every day at noon, which brings them out from every corner of the farm. It's worse than the lunch rush at McDonalds (ooh, bad comparison). Otherwise, wander around to the back of the farm and give them your best mooing-cow impersonation to see if you can get their attention; but it has to be good -- they've heard a lot of fake moos in their time.
It can be a bit of an inconvenience to have an "open farm," according to Elsa Bergey. But the family does it for the kids. Bergey believes it's important for kids to see where things really come from; to see a farm as it really is, not like it is on television.
"When you see the kids' faces when they get to see a real living animal of that size for the first time -- the contact between them, it's awesome!," said Bergey.
But the farm isn't just for kids. Bergey said adults who grew up on a farm often come by "just for the smell." Hmmm. I'll get back to you on that one. But my wife and I, who don't have kids (and don't particularly get into farm smells), enjoyed poking around the place and communing with the cows. Just don't get too close to one with your camera -- their tongues are a lot longer than you might imagine.
Particulars:
Bergey's Dairy Farm is located at 2221 Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake. To get there, take Indian River Road (exit 286B off I-64) to Centerville Turnpike. Follow Centerville Turnpike six miles south to Mount Pleasant Road (there's a Hardees and a McDonald's on the corner). Turn left (east) on Mount Pleasant and drive 2.5 miles to Bergey's Dairy Farm; it will be on your right. The farm and dairy store are open from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sunday. For more information, call the office during weekday business hours: 757-482-4711.
Although the farm is interesting at any time, you may want to plan a visit over Memorial Day weekend to check out their "Day on the Farm" open house. They will have free tours, special events, music, and will allow kids to milk a cow.
Wear footwear you don't mind getting dirty. It's a farm, don't forget!
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© 1999 By Brian Wasson