A day in the hay

Andrew Glazer

FAIRGROUNDS--Some knelt right down, clutched the rubbery udder and

squeezed a shot of milk out. Others--the squeamish ones--pulled, pinched

and tugged delicately, but to no avail.

Camilla, a patient Holstein, stood indifferently, only occasionally

swatting the young, aspiring dairy farmers with her wiry tail.

“That’s nature folks,” said Kia Smallcomb, teacher for the group of

fifth-graders, as Camilla took a brief bathroom break, causing spectators

to scatter. “Just try to enjoy the moment.”

They were participating in the Agademics program--a workshop at

Centennial Farm allowing children more familiar with concrete and

cul-de-sacs at least one day to play in the hay.

Students in the program learn to churn butter, milk cows and plant

vegetables. The girls and boys from Carden Academy of Basic Education in

Mission Viejo wore their uniforms of red kilts and navy shorts.

“This is really fun at first, but I don’t think I could do it for a

living every day,” said Justin Yang, 12, after scraping a ditch in the

dirt where he and his class would plant Cherry Ball radishes. “I think

your hands would get very blistered.”

Jennifer Withrow, the program’s organizer, admits that knowing how to

milk a cow might not be a practical skill for most Orange County

children.

“But I think it’s important people know where their food comes from,”

she said, washing celery, carrots and radishes that she had just pulled

from the farm’s soil. “Plus it’s good that they know the difference

between a ram and a lamb, a boar and a sow, a dairy cow and a meat cow.”

“I think they’ll have a better respect for full-time farmers,”

Smallcomb said. “I’ve taught them this is a way of life for some people,

but a means of life for others.”

Brooke Severns, whose blond ponytail swung while she talked, said her

one-day experience helped her better understand her father, who grew up

on several farms.

“This is what he did all day,” said Brooke, who at home grows parsley,

basil, tomatoes and cilantro. “Maybe this is something I’d like to do

when I get older.”