These kids were older than most touring farms, but I quickly found out that all ages enjoy experiencing farm life. Some held a chicken or a rabbit. They were able to feed goats, sheep and even a very old horse.
Superstition Farm is a dairy farm, in Gilbert. When the farm first opened, they were in the middle of nowhere. Now there are homes, churches and even Highway 202 nearby. I was impressed with the measures the folks at the farm go through to be good neighbors and keep the smell and flies down. These measures include weekly removal of the “fertilizer” from the corral and baths three times a day for the cows.
We were able to see what cows eat; and here I thought they just ate hay. In addition to the alfalfa hay, they eat the leftovers from cotton plants that can’t be converted to fabrics, and the leftover parts from corn in making ethanol. The cows’ strong stomachs convert these waste products into something delicious; my favorite being ice cream. As the hayride trekked us around the farm, we saw the cows eating some fresh cut grass from a local farmer. The coolest part of the hay ride was seeing two calves born within the last hour!
After all this food and hard work, those efficient cows – about a thousand of them – give about 9,000 gallons of milk daily. Now that’s a lot of ice cream! I guess that could be a lot of milk, butter and cheese too. As part of our tour we chose a sample from about 12 flavors of milk; and we had a cup of ice cream before the day was over.
Kids from kindergarten up to high school enjoy spending time on the farm, and so do their chaperones! But you don’t have to wait for your child’s school to tour Superstition Farms; it’s an activity you can enjoy with your family on a Saturday, or Tuesday through Friday with an appointment.
Leave a Reply