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Nearly 1000 enjoy
Blount Kids Day on the Farm

By Suzy Lowry Geno

As a milking machine swished and warm white milk flowed through a clear plastic tube into a container, Matt Armbrester asked Blount’s second graders why the contented Holstein was "making milk?"

The children called out answers such as "for me" or "for us," but Matt explained the milk was in actuality "made" for Mrs. Cow’s calf. (And having seen two calves a short time earlier, including a husky little fellow only 18 days old, the children began to make the connection.)

Matt and his trailer (sponsored by the Alabama Dairy Farmers and Southwest Dairy Farmers) was just one of the many displays and exhibits at the fifth annual Blount Kids Day on the Farm held May 10 in the Blount County Agri-Business Center and enjoyed by about 800 second graders from Blount’s two school systems, the Multi Needs School and some homeschoolers, as well as teachers, parents and other adults.

The event (and its ever-popular tee-shirt) are sponsored each year by numerous local farm-related agencies including the Blount County Farmers Cooperative, Blount County Farmers Federation, Blount Cattlemen and Cattle-women, Blount Young Farmers, Blount Woman’s Committee, Blount FFA, Blount’s FCCLA (Family, Career, Community Leaders of America) and the county’s high school agriculture teachers, led by Appalachian ag teacher Bruce Tidwell.

Chris Heptinstall, Blount County Farmers Co-op manager, explained that where just a couple of generations ago, many families in Blount County still had hens for the family’s eggs, a cow for the family’s milk and more, now too many kids think food comes from cardboard and wax paper cartons! And some of their parents are not much better informed!

"There’re still so many Blount Co. kids who are raised in agriculture families and it’s so wonderful teaching about the basic values of life and family," Chris says. "But then there’re too many others who don’t realize how important farming is to our community and our country. With the threat of terrorism, the importance of our local farmers providing food for our communities and the entire United States has really been emphasized."

Jeff Maze, chairman of Blount’s Young Farmers, said he was dismayed to learn not long ago that a teacher (from another county) told her class erroneously that "BEFORE we LEARNED to PRODUCE milk, it came from cows."

One lady recently said she couldn’t buy free range eggs from chickens happily pecking across a yard in Blount County "because, eewwww, those eggs came out from UNDER a chicken!"

Jeff said, "It’s important that we reach these young people and let them see where their food and fiber come from. At this early age we may impress them so that they will eventually seek a career on the farm or one that’s agriculture related, or we may just help them in appreciating the work that farmers do."

A special guest at the day-long event was Miss Alabama Agriculture, Elizabeth Grimes, from Dallas County.

Vicki Hallman, Appalachian High FCCLA leader, noted she’d heard a second grader comment, "Is that a REAL rabbit?" And other youngsters noted, "Look at how big that horse’s eyes are!" and "I didn’t think it would be so stiff," after they’d petted a rather vocal black-headed Dorper ram displayed by Susan Moore FFA students Jake Smith, Josh Latham and Tyler Fountain.

Tractors of various sizes and styles were on display for kids to look over. Current and past farming practices were exhibited.

John Taber, traveled from his home in the Owens Crossroads community of Madison County, to give kids a chance to shell corn with an oldtime sheller and wash clothes with a rub board in a wash tub after pumping the water with a hand pump. Taber also provided a display of older farm equipment and explanations of how each was used.

P.J. Hogeland, Susan Moore 11th grade FFA member, exhibited his llama (used for fiber and as a companion guard animal) and Cody Glass answered numerous questions about his Quarter Horse, Skipper.

Teresa Fallin and J.B. Pennington FFA member Zach Fallin, of Soggy Bottom Farms at Brooksville, exhibited an Antwerp Quail rooster (named Bob!), squealing pigs of various breeds and ages, rabbits (for meat and showing) and more.

There was a cow with a really husky 18-day-old calf, Black Angus steers, a litter of kittens, a snuggling bunch of Bluetick Hound dogs from Denny Farms and day-old chicks courtesy of Maze.

Barbers provided great ice cream and other milk products with their ever-popular giant Jersey cow and there were beef burgers and more.

Second graders from each school traveled from station to station enjoying the many exhibits on a time table which allowed each child individual hands-on learning (and plenty of animal petting time as well!)

The wide variety of sponsors from both in and out of Blount County showed the community’s knowledge of the importance of the event. Tidwell, Maze and others said planning for each year’s event begins about six months prior to the actual activity.

Next year it is hoped that the popular sheep-shearing and bee/honey production display can return. One area that event planners hope to improve will be in providing more information on Blount’s ever-growing meat goat industry.

The Blount Agri-Business Center makes an ideal location for the event, ag teachers explain, because the day can be carried out no matter the weather, as kids are bussed in from all the county’s schools.

Teachers from throughout the county were using the event as a sounding board during the week for classroom activities connected to agriculture.

And you can bet every second grader in the county thought about Matt Armbrester’s big-eyed, lowing, black and white cow when they opened their cartons of milk at lunch the next day!

Suzy Lowry Geno is a freelance writer from Blount County.