Where Does the Story of Cheese Begin?

That was the big question all day on our field trip to Shelburne Farms!  Our day began down at the dairy barn.  This part of Shelburne Farms isn't normally open to the public with the level of access we had that day.  We met our group leaders, Christine and Matt.  They started by asking our group a question...where does the story of cheese begin?  At each stop they asked again...does the story of cheese begin here? 
 

Our group started in the heifer barn.  Here the children helped push hay closer to the cow stalls.  They were able to pet the cows and see them up close and personal!  Then we walked over the the part of the barn where they keep cows who are almost ready to freshen.  One cow in particular was apart from the others and we were told that it often means they're getting ready to calve.  We couldn't quite identify the ear tag so we'll never know if our cow had her calf that day! 

Then we moved to the feed barn where the smell of silage had kids plugging their noses!  They used shovels to push the silage closer to where the cows would stand to eat...thus began their understanding of how hard farmers work.  The shovels and silage were heavy and hard to move!

Then we went to a small courtyard where a lonely cow stood alone...waiting to be milked and brushed!  Children took turns milking the cow!  Even I tried...it wasn't as hard as you might think BUT so little milk comes out with each squirt, that it's hard to imagine making a living as a dairy farmer when milking was done by hand!
 

Then we moved into the milk house.  We met Farmer Renee who was looking at the breeding chart and moving the cows' numbers to the correct places on the chart.  Our group leader Christine did an amazing job of making a breeding chart seem incredibly interesting!  Then we walked into the milking parlor where they can milk 24 cows at one time.  She showed us the milking machines and explained that farmers get up at 4:00 in the morning...further proof that farmers work hard! 

Then we made our way to the calf barn...we could have stopped and started here!  It was a huge hit!  All those cute calves with the big eyes and long eyelashes!  The calves were just as interested in the kids and kept licking and nuzzling and rushing to the side of their fences to meet them!  Kate fell in love with the calf that had just been born that morning...he was quiet and still and didn't even have a name yet!  Greta and Hannah wouldn't leave the side of Skittles!  Zagnut tried to eat my shirttail!  They were very sweet!  Finally, we washed our hands and then they sprayed our shoes or boots and we got on the bus to head up to the big barn to the education center for lunch. 

Many of us ate outside on the lawn.  When lunch was over, our group headed up the hill... and then up the hill again to the peak where you can look out over the fields and part of Shelburne Bay.  Did I mention how nice it was?  Blue sky, green grass, gentle breeze and cows grazing...ah!  After sampling some cheddar cheese made right at Shelburne Farms, we headed down the hill to the cheese room and saw how cheese is made.  Our last stop was right in the courtyard where we talked again about the story of cheese...where does cheese begin?  Finally, we decided that like many things, making cheese is part of a cycle...grass, cow, calf, milk, cheese...and you can start anywhere in that big cycle!

Many thanks to the chaperones who came with us and to the staff at Shelburne Farms!  It was a truly wonderful day!