Mantua – In honor of National Milk Day, which commemorates the first time dairy milk was delivered to homes in sterilized glass bottles, Crestwood Primary School welcomed some very special guests to their school. Miss Becca and Farmer Nate (Rebecca and Nathan Goodell), from Goodell’s Family Farms, along with Farmer Larry (Larry Guyette) from Guyette Farms in Mantua came in to share some fun facts about milk and to help students get a better understanding about where their food comes from. Active in the local community, the Goodell’s daughter Rebecca is a first grader at CPS, while Guyette’s son Jacob is in kindergarten.
The program, “Moovelous Milk: From Our Farm to Your Fridge,” stemmed from a discussion between Rebecca Goodell, who serves as President of the Portage County Farm Bureau, and Jennifer Bujak-Hirsch, the Food Service Director at Crestwood Local Schools. The long-time friends thought that National Milk Day would be a great opportunity to share this special message with students.
According to healthyeating.org, milk and dairy foods like yogurt, milk, ice cream, and cheese serve as good sources of calcium and vitamin D as well as protein and other essential nutrients. Dairy products provide phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B12, and riboflavin.
According to Goodell, the Farm Bureau is on a mission to educate students in Portage County about where the milk they drink and the dairy products they enjoy come from. She asked if anyone knew how much a full-grown cow weighs. When no one readily answered, she asked a class of kindergarteners to stand up, explaining that one full-grown cow weighs as much as one class. When she asked if anyone thought they could lift a cow, a young student responded, “only the Hulk could lift a grown cow!”
Showing photos and videos of cows — cows at their farm — Miss Becca explained how farmers feed, water, and help cows grow, and in return, cows give milk. She explained the process from the milking parlor at the farm to the cooling tanks where milk is stored. She showed, through pictures and video how the milk is transported via refrigerated truck to a plant for pasteurization, testing, bottling, and eventually delivery to local stores.
In addition, she shared fun facts like these: a cow eats up to 100 pounds of feed every day, or the equivalent of 300 peanut butter sandwiches, and that cows can provide up to six gallons of milk per day, which can make enough cheese for 20 pizzas. “Farmer Larry” (Guyette) brought a real live calf named Clarabelle to school that day. Farmer Nate (Goodell) brought Daisy the dairy cow — an interactive display that gave students the opportunity to try their hand — literally — at milking a cow. According to Rebecca Goodell, Portage County currently has four dairy farms. That number is reduced dramatically from the twenty dairy farms in operation in the county just 10 years ago.
After speaking to students from kindergarten through second grade at CPS, the group continued to Crestwood Intermediate School to share their stories at the lunchtime CPS Career Café. Through the Farm Bureau, the group is trying to share this program throughout schools in Portage County. For information on bringing this educational program to your school, contact Rebecca Goodell at goodellre@yahoo.com.
