dairy days

For the second year in a row, Reyncrest Farm held Genesee County's annual dairy days and yesterday 630 kindergarten students attended from various surrounding schools in the county. 

As technology changes, family farms adapt differently with land resources. Every two years a different farm gets rotated, said Shelly Stein of the Agricultural Farmland Protection Board for Genesee County. 

Family member Kelly Reynolds said the farm has 15 full-time employees plus six family members, who work with 1,200 milk cows plus 1,100 young stock consisting of calves and heffers around the clock seven days a week on the farm.  

Evan Stout raised his hand during a tour of the milking parlor at Grassland Dairy in Pavilion this morning because he wanted to know if it hurt the cows when they're milked.

Steven Tudhope assured him they were not hurt.

Evan was one of more than 200 area school children who toured Grassland, owned and operated by Brent Tillotson, as part of Kinder Farmin' Day (formerly Dairy Day), sponsored by the Genesee County Farm Bureau. 

"It's important for today's generation to learn about agriculture because they're going to be tomorrow's consumers and tomorrow's ag workforce," said Barm Sturm of the Farm Bureau.

Tillotson said he hosted the tour this year because he thinks it's important for children to learn firsthand about dairy farming.

"We do as much for kids as we can," Tillotson said. "It's good for them to come out and see that food doesn't just come off a truck."

Steven Tudhope explains to a group of Pavilion students how cows are milked.

Chad Tillotson shows a group of Wolcott School students the different kinds of organic feeds used on Grassland, which is a certified organic dairy farm.

Kara, of Wolcott School, holds a chick.

Melissa Thater with her young goat and a group of children.

First grade students from throughout Genesee County made a field trip today to Post Farms in Elba for the Farm Bureau's annual "Dairy Days" educational event.

The 645 students were able to meet cows, calves, goats and meats, sample honey, dairy products, play in different soils -- and with worms.

Dozens of parents along with teachers -- 125 adults total -- also participated in Dairy Days, which each June for Dairy Month.

Jeff Post said it's important to help children learn about where their food comes from.

If you don't educate children about farming early and often they just grow up not knowing and not caring about where their food comes from and that doesn’t coincide with what we’re trying to do on a daily basis," Post said. "We’re trying to create friends of agriculture and not people who don’t know why they need to follow a tractor slowly down the road on their way to work or why it might smell like manure outside."

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.