DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire will welcome more than 800 area school children to the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center for the 29th Annual School-To-Farm Days June 7 to 9, 2016. This educational opportunity is sponsored by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, NH Agriculture in the Classroom, and the Rockingham and Strafford County Farm Bureaus, and strives to teach Granite State youth about the importance of agriculture in the state.

"School-to-Farm events enable children to learn about the agricultural heritage of our state while building an appreciation for the critical role that our food and fiber systems play in their everyday lives. Agricultural topics can be used to give real life meaning to many core curriculum requirements," said Debbi Cox, state director for NH Agriculture in the Classroom.

Fourth graders from several Strafford County communities will learn about farm animals, farm equipment, and dairy cows, and visit the UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, the UNH Equine Center, and other educational stations. Students also will speak with alpaca farmers, county foresters, beekeepers, and maple syrup producers. UNH researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students present information on their dairy and agricultural research. A Granite State Future Farmers of America officer from Pinkerton Academy will present information about corn production, and the Strafford County Conservation Commission will teach school children about composting food waste to improve soil quality.

The Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center develops new knowledge and management expertise focused on improving animal health and the profitability of the regional dairy industry. The facility houses about 90 milking-age Holstein and Jersey cows and approximately 70 growing, replacement animals. Included in that number is the 20-cow, student-managed Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management (CREAM) herd, with the remaining animals devoted primarily to research in the area of dairy nutrition and reproductive biology.

Educators interested in learning more about School-to-Farm Days should contact Debbi Cox at NH Ag in the Classroom at nhaitc@nhfarmbureau.org or 603-224-1934.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH's original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 13,000 undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/sites/colsa.unh.edu.nhaes/files/media/images/compost.jpg
The Strafford County Conservation Commission will teach school children about composting food waste to improve soil quality. Credit: NH Agriculture in the Classroom.

https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/sites/colsa.unh.edu.nhaes/files/media/images/greenhouse.jpg
Students will visit the Farm to You NH high tunnels at the Fairchild Dairy. Credit: NH Agriculture in the Classroom.

https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/sites/colsa.unh.edu.nhaes/files/media/images/maplesyrup.jpg
Students will speak with alpaca farmers, county foresters, beekeepers, and maple syrup producers. Credit: NH Agriculture in the Classroom.

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