Holy Cow

 

The smell of fresh manure. Yes this smell, more than anything, was my take away from my trip to Lake Farm Park. Okay, before count me off as a prissy teenager, please give me roughly 500 words to explain myself.

Let me begin by saying I had the greatest time on my trip to Lake Farm Park. I milked a cow, played with a newborn piglet, learned how one teaches a border collie how to herd sheep, and throughout all of this I was enamored by the sweet smell of freshly laid manure.

The smell of fresh manure triggered many thoughts for me throughout the day. So, without further adieu, here are my 3 manure inspired realizations:

1.      Throughout the day I saw many classes visiting the farm with students around the same age as me and my classmates when we visited. Seeing these students engage in the farm activities made me realize just how lucky we are to have this organization in our community. It is imperative that every child leaves the building, turns off the T.V, and smells some manure every once in awhile. For the future of both our environment and food sources, it is critical that at a young age one learns where their food comes from, how their milk made it to the grocery store aisle, and gains a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around them. This knowledge in many cases reduces tendencies to waste and possibly inspires farmers for upcoming generations. How lucky are we to have this resource, a farm dedicated to educating our community through hands-on activities, available almost every day all year long?

 

2.      During my visit I spoke with many of the farm’s employees. I quickly learned that these employees love what they do, and are very good at doing it. Their passion for their work shines through and their genuine excitement towards their job makes participating in their activity so enjoyable. Throughout all my visits I keep encountering the notion that true passion is essential for great success.  

 

3.      Lastly, I realized that it doesn’t matter if you are 8 or 18, playing with a baby piglet will always be fun.  I have found that sometimes, like during my visit to the pretzel shop, childhood memories can seem somewhat dull and disappointing when you try to revisit them; your current impressions sometimes don’t live up to how you remember it. However, fortunately, for my Lake Farm Park visit, this was not the case. Milking a cow was thrilling, and I was still eager to ride through the park in the wooden wagon. I think this sense of excitement will never fade at Lake Farm Park and more importantly, it will never stop being funny when a sheep “baaaahs.”

To everyone reading this, I encourage to visit the park, take chance, and as I like to say, wake up and smell the manure.