Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Sitting in the petting zoo last Saturday watching the kids and adults holding 

the chicks and milking the cow, I thought a lot about the evolution 

of the Benton County Farm Bureau Petting Zoo.

Benton County Farm Bureau has sponsored a free petting zoo 

at the Benton County Fair since the 1990's.

Janice Shofner, our Women's Committee Chair at the time,

had the great idea of providing a petting zoo to educate kids and adults about

Benton County agriculture.

Our first zoo was in a tent under the big old tree at the

 fairgrounds in downtown Bentonville. 

Our current petting zoo at the Benton County Fair is under

 a tall red-iron structure with plenty of room for chicks,

calves,pigs, a couple of cows

 and a lot of kids!

I'm thankful for dedicated Farm Bureau members

 that continue to  see the value of the petting zoo in educating 

kids and adults about agriculture.

                                                     Even our Benton County Fair Queen
                                                                      loves  the chicks!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It wouldn't seem like Christmas without a cow on our Christmas tree!

I love all of our ornaments but I must say this cow is my favorite

 because she was a gift from my mother-in-law many years ago.

A great reminder  that 

 dairy traditions run deep!

During this Christmas season down on the dairy farm, 

I'm thankful for the cows on the tree and in the field,

 the cookies and milk,

and 

for making more dairy traditions and memories 

with my cookie eating Hattie Claire!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Northwest Arkansas has a rich agricultural history that includes 108 years of the Benton County Fair.  Although the petting zoo has only  been a part of the fair experience for the last 15 years, it ranks at the top of the list for things to do at the fair!

Come on over and ...

 milk  Betsy,

 the Farm Bureau cow that never goes dry,

                                                     love on some baby chicks,        

and

get a kiss from a calf.

As one of the zookeepers, I'm thankful for all the Farm Bureau and 4-H members that make this farm-city connection possible!