Joel Turner at the Franklin News-Post reported on Dairy Day at Callaway Elementary in Virginia, where students and teachers learned about dairy production, farm safety, cattle trivia, animal care and nutrition facts.

There were eight stations for the students to take part in. At one station, the students milked Bessy, the cow. At another station, they learned what cows and calves eat. At another, they could taste dairy products. They could also attend storytime while eating ice cream. At other stations the students learned about tractors and ATV safety.

The day was a mixture of dairy calves, cow milking, ice cream, dairy products, a farm bingo game, a poster contest, storytime, videos and learning about what cows and calves eat. The Dairy Day was arranged and sponsored by several organizations, including the Franklin County Farm Bureau, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Southern States, Homestead Creamery, Kroger, Farm Credit and others.

Franklin County is the second ranking county in Virginia in milk production. Franklin County dairy farmers produced 142 million pounds of milk during 2008, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).

It looked like a fun day for these Virginia elementary students and a great way to promote dairy farming and products. Hopefully, other communities will follow suit and begin hosting Dairy Days in summer educational programs!