Jenna gets a haircut

[pgg]

Goats and cows and sheep, oh my! | Napa Valley Register

Goats and cows and sheep, oh my!


Judd Redden of Minniglenn Ranch in Sonoma shears a sheep at the Day at the Farm at the Napa Valley Expo on Friday morning. About 1,200 Napa school children took part in the event sponsored by the Napa County Farm Bureau and the Napa County Agricultural Commission. J.L. Sousa/Register | Buy photos imgInstructor Heston Nunes of the Dairy Council of California, answers questions at the Day at the Farm at the Napa Valley Expo on Friday. Betsy the cow and the mobile dairy classroom was just one of the exhibits at the event, which was sponsored by the Napa County Farm Bureau and the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner. J.L. Sousa/Register | Buy photos
More than 1,000 kids get a look at farm animal basics
Saturday, March 21, 2009 Share Email Print Comment
By MIKE TRELEVEN
Register Staff Writer
The future of farming looked strong on Friday, when an army of some 1,200 local schoolchildren and 100 adults descended on the Napa Valley Expo.

During Day at the Farm, youngsters had a chance to pet a pygmy goat, see a cow get milked, learn more about the glassy-winged sharpshooter, kick the tires on a grape harvester and pose for photos with Clo the cow from Clover-Stornetta Farms.
Some of the children were so impressed by the sixth annual event, sponsored by the Napa County Farm Bureau and the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s office, that they announced they want to become farmers when they grow up.

Izabela Poljanec, 6, was all smiles while petting a pygmy goat. The girl, who attends Napa Valley Language Academy, said the little black goat didn’t want to nibble on the Ritz cracker she offered.
Her classmate Leilani Saude, also 6, chimed in to explain what the goat was thinking. “He took a bite of mine. He just wasn’t hungry anymore,” she assured Poljanec.

This was the first time Poljanec ever petted a pygmy goat, but Saude said she petted one once at Connolly Ranch. Both nodded their heads in unison when asked if they were having fun.
The Napa chapter of Future Farmers of America brought three pygmy goats, which took turns working the crowd.

“The goats can get a little stressed,” said FFA student Rebecca Shearn, explaining why they rotate them for petting duty.

Shearn smiled when a child asked if the pygmy goat named Houston has a girlfriend.

Milk on the move

The Dairy Council of California’s mobile dairy classroom drew big crowds of children and adults.

Children were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a section of bleachers as Heston Nunes, of the Dairy Council, talked about the dairy cow munching on alfalfa hay behind him in an open-sided trailer equipped as a milk barn.

Nunes, using a microphone, talked about how cows produce milk. “How many of you like pizza.? How many like ice cream?” He then told them cheese and ice cream are made from cow’s milk.

For Nunes, Day at the Farm in Napa, was his fourth city in five days.

“This is good for the kids to see where their food comes from. And, it’s good for the farmers to give something back and educate the public,” said Nunes, who is from Modesto.

Nunes said the Dairy Council has five mobile dairy units statewide that visit about 300,000 school children per year.

Nunes has heard about every conceivable question from the attentive school children — such as “Does the cow have a husband? Why does she have a price tag in her ear? Is she a happy cow?”

Minutes after Nunes’ presentation, many of the school children scrambled over to the sheep shearing demonstration.

Kids stood on straw bales positioned around the pen to see a lamb get a haircut.

Standing ringside was Lisa Maass and her daughter Natalie, 5, a kindergartner at Alta Heights Elementary School.

The 5-year-old, being held in her mother’s arms, was content to put her head on mom’s shoulder and rest. Lisa Maass said Natalie was a little tired from all of the activities going on at Day at the Farm.

But Natalie Maass said, “I liked the horses and I like the cow.” She thinks she might to want to grow up and be a farmer someday.

“We have thought about getting her involved in FFA at some point when she is older,” said her mom.

Stretching over into the pen to pet a beef calf was Aidan Marek, who finally was able to scratch its forehead.

So how did it feel to pet the calf? “It felt kind of dry, but it was pretty cool,” said Marek, 9, who is in the third grade at Northwood Elementary School.

Next to the pen, the Napa-Solano Cattlewomen had a table full of educational pamphlets free for the taking.

Marek said petting the beef calf and the goat were her favorite part of the day — so far — but there were still plenty of things she hadn’t checked out.

“I am going to be a farmer someday. I want to have horses,” Marek said confidently. Then she went off in search of the next exhibit.

[Jenna]

I was fleeced!

[CTR man]

Admit it Jenna. Your best friends are FFA and 4-H students. Oh, and of course, sheepdogs.

Nice article PGG. Contrary to popular belief, there are farms in California.

Nunes has heard about every conceivable question from the attentive school children — such as “Does the cow have a husband? Why does she have a price tag in her ear? Is she a happy cow?”

Of Course! Happy Cows come from California!

[Odd]

A nude sheep is a rude sheep.

Now they need some LEDs