810-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 3 1993
Cow Goes
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
EAST PETERSBURG (Lan
caster Co.) —Like most of the stu
dents at East Petersburg
Elementary School, Vanha was
well scrubbed and every hair was
in place when she stepped inside
the classroom door.
She was well behaved as she
stood patiendy in the spot that the
teacher indicated. She did not kick
or complain when students
smirked, giggled, and held their
noses.
A stunning red and white cow,
Vanna seemed confident that the
students who petted, patted, and
rubbed her nose were quite good
friends.
Although Vanna had often vis
ited nursing homes, shopping
malls, and playgrounds, this was
her first actual visit inside the
classroom.
To be honest, Vanna seemed
better behaved than some of her
classmates.
True, Vanna was allowed to
Vanna the Cow stands patiently while students petted, patted, and rubbed her.
Students at East Petersburg Elementary School wait Impatiently for a turn to pet
Vanna the Cow and her calf, Sexy.
To School
munch on some food, while her
classmates waited for lunch to be
served in the cafeteria. She was
allowed to stand while the other
students were told to sit down, but
Vanna was very cooperative dur
ing her first day at school.
Her calf, Sexy, that accompan
ied her, was not as well behaved.
Sexy lifted her tail and produced
a puddle of water much to the cha
gin of the teacher. The students
gasped and shrieked. Some held
their noses.
Vanna and Sexy came to school
to help children understand all the
work that goes into making good
tasting milk for them.
Ordinarily, adults teach Ag in
the Classroom sessions. But, on
this day, 11-year-old Denise Bol
linger, taught the students about
cows.
“I’m here to tell you about cows.
Yeah, they’re big,” she said in
chatty kid lingo. “Tltey grow to be
about 100 feet or higher.”
Maybe Denise exaggerated the
size of the cow a bit, but she knows
A cold rain forced Vanna the Cow and her calf Sexy to seek shelter Inside the class
room at East Petersburg Elementary School. From left are Ruby, Darryl, and Denise
Bollinger.
what she is talking about when it
comes to milking and showing
cows.
Denise, the daughter of Darryl
and Ruby Bollinger of Manhcim,
helps every day on her parents’
dairy farm. She told how she
milks, feeds, and keeps record of
the cows,
She told about taking cows to
shows.
“Sure you miss school, but it’s a
lot of work,” she said. “Every day,
you’ve got to wash, feed, and clip
them.”
She showed the students the
many cleaning supplies to keep
cows looking their shimmering
best. Hair spray is used to make
their hair stand just right and hoof
polish or shoe polish is used on
their feet, but then you got to gel
that stuff out, she said.
For that, she uses Undress or oil.
The haliers need to be shined
with mineral oil.
“When you put the halter on,
hold the animal tight. Train them
to hold their heads up and tell them
to behave, she said.
“To gel the most control of an
animal, walk it backwards,” she
said.
She explained the necessity of
of registration and pedigree pap
ers. “A cow is given an car tag, car
rings for life, she said.
Cows, she said, do get sick. A
vet is a doctor for animals. But
medicine doesn’t take care of
everything. One of Denise’s cows
had an allergic reaction to medica
tion and got hives all over it.
Denise explained the four sto
machs of a cow, how they chew
their cud and it comes back up into
another stomach.
“You feed cows hay or silage,
but cows will eat anything, even
Whenever strangers visit
the school, they must wear a
badge to prove that they
have been cleared by sec
urity. So when Vanna the
Cow visited the school, she
naturally wore a hat to prove
she was cleared by security.
ropes if you don’t watch out,” she
said.
Denise got some help from her
mother when she showed an auto
matic milker and how it is hooked
up. She told of the need to wash a
cow with iodine to kill bacteria and
germs.
“I’m so lucky, I get to feed the
calves," said Denise as she held up
the bottle used to feed the calves.
“Every cow must be fed a
balanced diet, just like you,”
Denise said.
She talked about the feed that is
fed to the cows a mixture of
oats, com, and molasses. Vita
mins, fiber, protein, and salt are
added.
“It tastes good. I tasted it,”
Denise assured the students.
Her father showed the students a
bucket of feed from which Vanna
nibbled.
Each of the students petted Van
na and her calf and admired her
glossy co^t.
While the students needed to
spend a whole day at school, Van
na did not.
She nonchalantly chewed her
cud as Denise’s dad led her
through the doorway.
“It’s the first time a cow was
actually in the classroom,” Denise
reported with pride.
Now, Denise can add that
accomplishment to the record
book that she keeps on Vanna, that
also won two blue ribbons and
some other placings at local fairs.