For four amazing years, I had the opportunity to serve as a district representative on our state Young Farmers committee. During that time, I was able to meet some amazing folks, explore different agricultural pursuits, and create a network of friends that I am almost certain will last a lifetime. In those four years, I gained a lot of knowledge, experienced more than I could have imagined, and made a promise to myself to come back home and make agriculture — specifically, dairy — fun for kids of all ages. So, I did.
As I mentioned in my last article, I started a dairy club in my home county. At our interest meeting in November, we had nearly 30 kids come and check out the farm. We had our first official meeting this past week, and 23 youth showed up, plus another 10 said they couldn’t make it but wanted to know when the next one will be held. It was pretty amazing to me. To put things into perspective, we only have four dairies left in my county, and most kids have never even seen a cow before, so it’s impressive to have them come out!
However, the title of this blog is “Making dairy fun again,” so let me explain what all I did. I spent the week before our first official meeting ordering folders, binders, scissors, glue, colored pencils, and crayons, and creating worksheets. The Sunday before the meeting, I made eight dozen cookies and bought 10 tubs of icing. The day of the event, I dressed in a cow onesie, cow socks, and a Santa hat. I wanted to give these kids a good laugh, and I wanted them to have a great time.
We learned dairy breeds that night, both cow and goat. At the end of our lesson, each kid was given cow and goat cookies to decorate as their favorite breed. The kids made the cutest cows and goats and seemed to have a wonderful time. I heard laughter, and fingers were pointed when they saw me in a cow costume. To me, that was the greatest thing in the world.
We live in an age where kids are so far removed from agriculture that they only know food comes from a store. We can shove facts at folks as much as we want, but as farmers and advocates, we have to learn how to connect with that generation. I want them to learn and get excited about cows and agriculture. So, even though I looked “udderly” ridiculous, I did it for the kids. Stay safe y’all.
The author is a sixth-generation farmer and fifth-generation dairy producer in southwest Virginia, where she and her family own and operate a 145-head Holstein dairy. Courtney is involved in agriculture organizations throughout her community and is a graduate of Virginia Tech.
