Full crowds for Newbury Elementary School Farm and Field Show

Bernie Marvin

Students from many surrounding schools learned the benefits of fresh farm milk at the recent Newbury Farm and Field program on the Newbury Common. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Newbury, VT - The annual ag education and showing program was held on the Newbury Common recently and attracted school kids from the communities of Newbury, Blue Mountain Union, Bradford, Barnet, and Walden.

Volunteers for this long-time program, which was started by Lottie Hannett 10 years ago, brought their animals such as dairy cows, beef cows, working steers, draft horses, alpacas, herding dogs, and a long list of other farm and ag demonstrations to the sunny commons for the public and school kids to enjoy.

Displays about animal nutrition, farm equipment, and a variety of animals and programs stretched from one end to the other of the commons. Project Leader Hannett said that 24 different entities had checked in and were displaying their specialties.

Lottie said the program started small, when she was in school and a participant. Eventually she took it over as part of her Newbury Elementary School Farm and Field program, and it has been produced each year.

Quite a wide range of Farm and Field attractions attend, including, for instance, Gordon Huntington and his John Deere Equipment, Cindy Ross Organics, River Bend Career and Technical School, Miller Farms Milk of Walden, Vermont, Kevin Lawrence and a collection of animal furs, the Carson Farm, the Newbury School of Weaving and Shelburne Farms.

The Newbury Elementary School Farm and Field Day is an excellent example of the local school and its children coming together on the common with an assortment of animals, crafts, systems, and organizations, and making it all available to other schools and residents.

It is always an exciting time as the children spend time at each station; this year, there were 24 different stops for the kids and their teachers. Farm and Field Day in Newbury is an exciting time of learning.

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