WINDSOR — More than 1,200 elementary and middle school students took a break from their classrooms Friday to visit the Northeast Livestock Expo at the Windsor Fairgrounds.
Adults and children from as far away as Cornville packed the fairgrounds, which were filled with farm animals and activities the students could observe and learn about.
Event organizer Cindy Kilgore, a livestock specialist at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said farming is a growing industry in Maine, but children barely know what animals live on farms.
“Some kids don’t even know the difference between a cow and horse,” Kilgore said. “We’re just trying to put animals in front of them that they can touch and see.”
A national agriculture census released in February 2014 showed the number of Maine farms had increased slightly since 2007 – from 8,136 to 8,174. This bucked the national trend that showed a 4 percent decrease in working farms.
The events in Windsor on Friday included learning about the digestive and skeletal systems of cattle and watching a llama go through an obstacle course. Along with that, basic farm tasks, such as shearing sheep, were being performed.
Kilgore highlighted the “kids teaching kids” aspect of the event in which members of local 4-H clubs held presentations with livestock.
“They are blow-drying the beef calves and shearing their sheep,” Kilgore said. “We have two young ladies who are dairy princesses, with their dairy calves.”
Hilary Ware, owner of Hill and Gully Llamas in Norway, had one of the most popular exhibits, which featured an obstacle course for her llamas. Ware wanted children attending the event to learn respect for the animals they saw.
“I want them to come away with a very healthy respect for animals, and what they can do,” Ware said. “Even the animals we eat, there are so many things we can do (with them).”
Ware believes children are becoming disconnected from animals, and she wanted to show that time spent with animals, even unfamiliar ones such as llamas, can be rewarding.
“Kids are naturally attracted to animals,” Ware said. “Llamas are very gentle. Kids come away knowing how easy they are to handle.”
Lukas Finley, 9, of Windsor, enjoyed seeing all the farm animals, but he was skeptical about owning them.
“Mostly, the hamsters and rabbits were my favorite,” Finley said. “I don’t really want them as pets; maybe a Great Dane and a cow.”
The free event was made possible by farmers who are looking to build awareness about their work.
“Everyone here is a volunteer. Not one person gets paid,” Kilgore said. “Some of these people are traveling up to two hours just to present to these kids. They love to do it.”
The event continues Saturday and Sunday.
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