In the early days of May, we hosted around 1,000 fourth graders at the farm for Ag in the Classroom. The weather was not as cooperative as we would have liked it to be, but we had a really nice set up for the event. We were mostly inside, which was good.
The first bus of kids arrived at 9:00 a.m. From 9-11:00 a.m., the kids went around to all of the stations. There were nine stations total: Wisconsin dairy facts, Wisconsin agriculture diversity, all about calves, robotic milking, cow heath with a veterinarian, a day in the life of a cow (all about freestall barn life), machinery with a Riesterer and Schnell representative, what a cow eats with a dairy nutritionist and all about other livestock (beef, sheep and pigs). After they went through all the stations, they went back to school. The next group was at the farm from 12:00-2:00 p.m.
When we gave the tour, the kids really loved being able to see the calves. There were two new calves in the pen, and the kids loved petting them. We rearranged the holding area of the old parlor so that the maternity pen was larger, and the kids could walk alongside the pen and look right in.
There were schools from all over the area that came to the farm. It was really interesting because you could tell which kids came from a rural background based on the questions they asked. One even asked about the RPM of some of the field equipment, and I thought, “You’re only in fourth grade!” I was amazed at how much the kids from farms knew.
Another thing that was amazing to me was how much the kids understood about the technology. They weren’t surprised at all when I told them I get all of the information from the robotic milkers on my phone. They have so much experience on their computers and with phones — it’s the era we’re in.
We are passionate about educating consumers — no matter what age — on farm tours. One thing that I think would be neat is if there was a way to get the same kids back on the farm when they’re older, maybe right before high school. Then, you can touch on things differently, more in depth. They would have a better grasp of the technology capabilities and everything it takes to make cheese or any other dairy food.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered for this great event. We are looking forward to working with Ag in the Classroom in the future!