As the students wrinkled their nose at the pungent, sweet smell of haylage, Ken Schoenberg, a dairy farmer from Lurgan Township, spoke about the farm’s trench silos. Schoenberg pointed out the plastic and tires which shield the haylage from precipitation. He also gave the students a short lesson on the symbi otic, or mutually beneficial, relationship between the farmer, the cow, and the land. Cows eat the haylage, ex plained Schoenberg, produce milk, and give manure as fertilizer for the crops. One of the goals of the day was to help the children understand how farmers are careful stewards of the dent insisted that pancake mix just comes out of a box, said Bonson, who explained about the wheat ingredients needed for the mix. “We’re a rural community and you would think kids would know. I want to show the connection of where food comes from, from farm to table, not just the grocery store,” said Students got inside information as they toured through this station and learned about ration ingredients and the names of the cow’s four stomachs. Hands-on experience: Chambersburg fourth graders learn “firsthand” about calf be- “We can no longer stay on the farm and do what we have always been doing and not communicate with our non-farm neighbors. This is a challenge and we must meet 5 Anna Swailes Co-chair, promotion and education committee Bonson. During the day children also stopped at a station about 4-H to learn about the rocketry, cake decorating, etymology, and food clubs offered. “You don’t have to live on a farm to be in 4-H,” stressed Linda Bryson, a leader of the Shippensburg community club. Forum For Communication Anna Swailes, co-chair of the promotion and education com mittee of Franklin County Farm Bureau, sees the event as having double goals for both schoolchil dren and the general public. “Saturday is a more free environ ment, it’s more relaxed. Guests can still have ice cream and milk and milk a cow or have a wagon ride. “This gives them a chance to experience the farm and where food comes from, that farmers are stewards of the environment and need the clean air and clear water. Students don’t have ac cess to a working farm to go touch a calf, milk a cow, to see the real story of agriculture.” The day, said Swailes, also shows the students the busy work schedule of the farm life- style. According to Swailes people in agriculture-related occupations account for only two percent of the total population. Swailes pointed out that this fact means that the other 98 percent are in control of legislation, which should motivate producers to ed ucate their non-farm neighbors. “Two years ago for every farm in Franklin County there were 22 non-farm households,” said Swailes, noting that the number of farm households has possibly decreased since two years ago. “That means every farming household has to reach 22 non farm households,” said Swailes. “Every farmer must commu nicate. So we have a job to do.” “We can no longer stay on the farm and do what we have al ways been doing and not com municate with our non-farm neighbors. This is a challenge and we must meet it.” Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 16, 2000-813 Kayla Wood and Olivia Owens, both of Chambersburg, enjoy an icy serving of the dairy food group during the Fall Farm Fun Fest. “I didn’t know cows ate chocolate,” said Wood, who enjoyed seeing and smelling the ration ingredients. So, this is what a cow’s stomach looks like... Stu dents learned the names of a cow’s stomachs, plus had the opportunity to see and smell the cottonseed, ground ' chr ilate id oth >ti r edi Mr Extension agent Ann Bonson demonstrates that pota toes are actually a root, one of the important ideas Bon son attempts to teach students raised in a grocery-store world. “Most kids do not even know chips are made of pota toes,” said Bonson. “I want them to understand the con nection of where food comes from, from farm to table, not just the grocery store.”
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