9/25/2023 0 Comments Buttercup dairy smith“I grew up on a hobby farm in Bishopsbourne and often helped my uncle tail lambs, shear sheep and pick peas,” Estelle said.īefore purchasing their own farm in 2008 the couple did a stint of share farming with Jeremy and Veronica Carins on the farm next door. The first-generation Legerwood farmers are no strangers to the country life with Ben growing up on a farm in Talawa and completing his first apprenticeship with Theo and Cheryl McCartie in Ringarooma. “One benefit for all schools is that it’s all free.”įor more information on the California Dairy Council’s Mobile Dairy Classroom, visit or call 87.Watching their two boys grow up eating Weet-Bix covered in milk straight out of the dairy vat is just one of Ben Fulton and Estelle Smith’s fondest memories of raising kids on the farm. “It’s such a fabulous thing that the Dairy Council comes out and does such an educational, informative and entertaining presentation for our students,” Smith said. “You should see how excited some of the adults act when they actually meet a cow up close for the first time.”Īfter the assembly, teachers and staff helped students to sanitize their hands before heading back to the classroom to discuss the dairy presentation, with the help of curriculum provided by the Dairy Council. “You’d be surprise how many people in the inner city and rural towns have never seen a farm animal up close,” Valenzuela said. Each mobile unit visits only one site per day as to not stress the animals. Valenzuela said the Dairy Council has six mobile classrooms that are split between Northern and Southern California. “Oreo is so soft, just like my dog,” said one little girl, with pink bows in her hair. “Do you jump back when you open your fridge at home and see a container of milk?”īut the amazement factor and decibel level from the children nearly quadrupled when Valenzuela introduced Oreo, Buttercup’s 2-month-old bull calf whose stage fright was made evident when the Holstein calf produced a small cow pie.Īfter Valenzuela covered the calf’s offering with wood shavings, the children lined up to pet Oreo, with many of them saying they’d never met a farm animal up close. “Why did you jump back, are you afraid of milk?” Valenzuela, 43, asked. 1 agricultural product produced in the Golden State, with milk going from “farm to store” in 24 to 48 hours.Īfter Valenzuela explained the difference between milking a cow by hand and machine to produce about eight to 10 gallons of milk per day, the children howled with laughter when the farmer shot a 6-foot stream of milk toward the crowd. Valenzuela explained that people in the High Desert and throughout the California consume some of the freshest dairy product in the nation since milk is the No. ![]() “Can you imagine what kind of mess she’d make if we were inside?” ![]() “It’s good that we’re meeting outside, with Buttercup in the trailer,” said Valenzuela, as the cow stared back at the group. ![]() Tuesday's presentation was part of the Apple Valley school’s focus as they celebrate National Nutrition Month, according to Valerie Smith, director of the school’s Paul Swick Family Center.ĭairy farmer and instructor Efrain Valenzuela explained to the children how each part of the cow works to produce milk, and how the “calcium rich” liquid is produced, from the cow’s digestion of hay to milk cartons in grocery stores. The 2-year-old brown Jersey cow was part of the Dairy Council of California’s Mobile Dairy Classroom, which reaches over 400,000 students a year with the message that milk, proper nutrition and exercise does a body good. APPLE VALLEY - A small army of wide-eyed children squealed with joy as Buttercup the cow used her foot-long tongue to lick her lips and runny nostrils during an early morning, outdoor assembly at Yucca Loma Elementary School.
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