ClS—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 23,1951
It’s time to cuddle a calf or love a lamb
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BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
WEST WILLOW The sheer,
joyful excitement of the ex
perience showed in both their
voices and their eyes.
It bubbled forth in their voices
like 7-Up just poured into a glass on
a warm, summer day.
The stacatto squeals of delight
and fascination were matched by
ever widening eyes - similar to
those that dance from one gaily
wrapped gift to another on
Christmas morning.
With a genuine zest and honest
simplicity that is reserved for only
the very young, the experience
gave them a chance to cuddle a
calf, bug a hare, love a lamb or pet
a pony.
As students at Pequea Township
Elementary School, they got these
rare and memorable opportunities
this week when members of the
Manor FFA Chapter brought a bit
of the farm to their school. Along
with a similar visit to the
Conestoga Elementary School, the
chapter conducted the program as
a Food for America project.
But it was more than just a first
hand, close-up chance to see and
touch some of the animals that
many of the students only view
from an impersonal distance.
The FFA’ers from Penn Manor
High School showed a brief movie
to help explain where food
originates on the farm and gave an
explanation about each of the
animals on display.
And the students - mostly in first
through third grades - got an
opportunity to test their own
knowledge about the barnyard
fnends and ask questions about
them to increase that knowledge.
Concerning the big 'black and
white Holstein, the youngsters
expressed a wide diversity of
statistical knowledge - some
amazingly accurate and some
quite a bit off the mark.
For example, many knew the
correct number of stomachs, but
had little idea of how much milk a
good cow produces in a day. They
expressed equal amazement at
how much feed must go into that
cow each day to make that milk.
Also popular among the visitors
to the school was a pair of turkeys -
- a big strutting Tom and a more
docile hen.
The grade schoolers were
Oh. it’s so soft and lovable.
Students express a keen interest in the business end of the
cow.
curious about the debeakmg, but
expressed no concern as some
adults are doing these days. They
readily accepted the explanation
from the FFA host that the
practice aids feeding efficiency
and reduces injury among the
birds.
The youngsters were more in
terested in how the Tom could
change the colors and hues of his
comb.
“Why does he show off so
much?” one curious tot asked.
The off-the-cuff reply of the FFA
chapter member couldn’t have
been more philosophically apropos
to life in general beyond the turkey
pen;
“I guess it’s because that is the
way males are around females. ’ ’
It went over the heads of the
youthful audience, but in not too
many years it won’t.
There were little animals for the
students to hold, too.
As one young boy stroked the soft
(Turn to Page C2O)
I think I’ll let him get his
own grass.
Wow, look how his head
changes color..
Whew! Where did those kids get ail of that time to get back to thefarm where it's nice and
energy? It’s been a long day and all of the quiet and get some well-needed rest,
excitement has me plumb tuckered out. It's
And Jeff Burkholder shows how the business end works.