Seeds of farm knowledge

Flickerwood Arena near Fruitland was filled with typical agricultural things Wednesday morning.

There were cows, a tractor, samples of corn and of course the allergens and smells associated with life on the farm.

But perhaps more than anything on "Farm Day" Wednesday, Flickerwood Arena was filled with curiosity. Roughly 800 third-graders visited 10 different stations set up at the arena. They sat on makeshift bleachers made of overturned five-gallon buckets and wood planks.

Hands routinely shot in the air, asking questions to the presenters, who ranged from beekeepers to dairy farmers, from soil experts to pork producers.

The Farm Day is sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Cattlemen's Association. This is the 10th year for the event.

"This used to be considered a rural area," said Larry Miller of the association. "Now, it's almost an urban area. But this event brings it home to the kids."

Grant Gillard, a local beekeeper, was host for what was clearly one of the students' favorite stations.

He got the students riled up when he asked them if it was better to be a boy bee or a girl bee. He explained that female bees did most of the work, flying in and out of the hive every day from dawn to dusk, collecting the nectar. He said the male bees generally laze around and eat. However, the females run off the males when the weather gets cold.

He displayed the bees in a closed plastic case so the students could get a close look. He had the students look for the queen, which had a spot of green painted on it for identification. He also had the students feel the plastic casing so they could see how warm bees kept their hives.

Nathan Carroll, a student from St. Vincent School in Perryville, Mo., said he liked Gillard's display the best "because he told me about how they pollinate apples and peaches."

Another popular stop was the dairy station, where Mildred Kirchdoerfer showed off her Jersey cows. The Kirchdoerfer farm has been in the family for 150 years. It is located just west of Interstate 55 on Route K.

"Jerseys," she explained, "are one of five dairy breeds. They are the smallest, but give the richest milk. The milk that our cows produce will go in butter, cheese and ice cream."

Several of the children appeared surprised when she told them cows drink about a bathtub full of water every day.

At the corn station, Roger Schwab told the students how corn was planted, the benefits of no-till farming and the many uses for corn. Half of the corn produced in the United States, he said, goes to feed livestock. Another 25 percent is exported. The rest goes to making things and for fuel. Plastic forks, golf tees and packaging peanuts are all made from corn, he said.

But Sam Clifton liked the soybeans the best. Like corn, soybeans are used in food products, but also used to make things like soap and crayons.

The St. Vincent student, who lives on a farm that grows soybeans and wheat, said he liked "all the different stuff you can make out of them."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635