![]() They thought that was amazing,” said Nissa. “The kids were really impressed with the technology used to feed the babies and how the formula gets warmed up and all the care that goes into making sure that the calves get the right nutrition. “Their teacher told me that the students were just enthralled with the tour and that it surprised the kids how much a cow eats and the actual process of milking a cow. Some people think farmers still milk cows by hand, so being able to see the machines was a big thing for the kids,” said Katie. Virtual city playground dairy farm needs resupply free#The TourĪs part of the Virtual Farm Tour, Katie took the students through the calf barn where they talked about automatic calf feeders, showed them the milking parlor, and took a walk through the free stall barns so students could see the cows leisurely doing whatever they wanted to do – whether eat, drink, rest or socialize! And since the virtual farm tour, a few of the students have reached out with more questions. Using the hashtag #AskFarmersNotGoogle, anyone can join the conversation. She welcomes students and others to talk to dairy farmers about dairy farming. “They couldn’t wrap their heads around that they knew the person and it was live, and that they were watching her in real time giving the tour and actually doing the work while doing the tour,” says Nissa.Īnd Katie was all too happy to give students a glimpse into the life of a dairy farmer. When the Live Virtual Farm Tour began, Nissa’s class was surprised that they knew the host. They’re going to have buying power, so I want them to have the facts and know the truth behind farming and I’d rather they hear it from me.” The Farm Host: A Familiar Face “I look at the high school students and know that this is our next generation of society, and they’re going to be making decisions very soon. That’s why Katie Dotterer says she never turns down an opportunity to educate or engage with the public. Dairy Farmer: A Few Feeding the Manyīeing less than 2% of the population, farmers have a big job to do in communicating what happens on dairy farms and what they do daily. “Those are the students that it’s important to connect with agriculture,” says Nissa. Nissa says taking the Virtual Farm Tour “made them really proud to be part of the farming community – to see someone else who is a farmer and that farming was showcased in class, and that it was something treated with respect and pride.” But most of her class has no farming knowledge at all. So close that a couple of the students grew up on or near dairy farms and are familiar with cows and farm life. Why have her class participate in a Live Virtual Farm Tour? “They need to understand the culture that’s happening around them and understand how the farmers live and that they’re close to us,” says Nissa. ![]() Among the 370 students participating in the tour were 20 eighth graders from Nissa Quill’s class at Walkersville Middle School. Seventeen classrooms, grades 7 to 12, logged in for a tour hosted by dairy advocate Katie Dotterer at a dairy farm that helps supply local milk to the Fredrick County school system. ![]() Using video chat technology, Virtual Farm Tours are helping students make the connection of where their food comes from and how it is produced – without having to leave the classroom. Where does real milk come from? How long does it take for milk to get from the farm to your table? How do dairy farmers care for their cows? Getting answers from real farmers on working dairy farms has never been easier. ![]()
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