By Kelly Ann Radzik, Extension Educator

How do you get eggs from a chicken? What is a cow's favorite snack? These questions and more were explored by John L. Edwards Afterschool students in the 4-H Farm to Market program.

The eight-week offering centered on the 3 F's of animal agriculture: animals on the farm are used for Food, Fiber, or Farmwork. These three areas were the focus of our meetings and all of our activities. We began with ducks, and a visit from 4-H member Megan Vining and her duck Quackers. After seeing a duck in person, the class designed nestboxes and we discussed how farmers act as engineers as they design equipment to meet the needs of their animals. We used recycled materials, as many times farmers will do. Our next animal visit was from Hannah Stark and her two production chickens. The class had a chance to make "chicken cluckers" and to test them out on a live subject. They also compared chicken eggs to duck eggs.

"The cluckers were fun," said kindergartner Melini. "The chicken talked back to me and jumped!"

Dairy is an important commodity in Columbia County, so many of the kids were very familiar with dairy cows and the importance of milk to their diets (although some still believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows). This gave us a chance to talk about animal nutrition and the science of silage. The group made their own "silage" from corn squares cereal, corn flakes, and popcorn. They inoculated it with cinnamon and sugar (as sometimes farmers inoculate their silage with bacteria) and sealed it into a vacuum bag to "ferment." Each type of corn snack represented a different part of the corn plant.

"I wouldn't want to be a cow," said third-grader Darrell. "I'm glad we get to eat our silage rather than theirs."

For a change of pace, we had a session on farm work and talked about the historical importance of animal helpers like horses and mules, and the more modern resurgence of guard animals like llamas and donkeys. The class worked together to make hay wagons from popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. Then we experimented with our "horses" pulling different-sized loads, and experienced the farmer’s frustration with finicky equipment. It was very real-life!

The final "F" was fiber and Claudia Krisniski wowed the class with her Angora rabbits and spinning techniques. We discussed the importance of protecting the wool on the animal, and how sometimes 4-H members will make blankets for their sheep with their 4-H club or farm logo. Each student had the opportunity to design their own farm logo and transfer it to a potholder. Former Columbia County Dairy Princess Annmarie VanAllen assisted with the designs.

It was exciting to work with the students from Hudson and see them make the connections to agriculture in their lives. While all had visited a farm before our time together, only 4 had milked a cow and only 1 knew how to get eggs from a chicken.