9:12 a.m., May 12, 2009----When we sit down to dinner each evening, few of us think about what it takes to grow the food that's on our tables or the process to get it from field to market.

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“It's important for people to understand what farmers do and to appreciate the complexity and challenges of modern-day farming,” says Anna Stoops, New Castle County Extension agent. A Day on the Farm is a way for Delawareans to learn about agriculture at a fun, family-oriented event.”

Co-sponsored by University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, the eighth annual A Day on the Farm takes place Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Woodside Farm Creamery, at the intersection of Little Baltimore and North Star roads in Hockessin. The event is free and parking is free.

More than 45 exhibitors will be on hand to present tours, demonstrations and displays that showcase the diversity of Delaware agriculture -- the state's number-one industry. Exhibits run the gamut from apiarists practicing the centuries-old art of beekeeping to scientists demonstrating how global positioning software (GPS) is used in farming and other professions.

Visitors can enjoy hayrides, a woodland walk, spinning and weaving demonstrations and exhibits on food safety, nutrition, composting and much more. Back by popular demand is a demonstration by Guiding Paws assistance dogs and displays of tractors and other large farm equipment.

There will be a slew of activities specially designed for the kids, including simulated cow milking, games, and lots of farm animals, including horses, cows and sheep.

Farm-fresh food for sale will include produce from local farms. Hot dogs, hamburgers, Delaware-made scrapple, cold drinks, and Woodside Farm's ice cream, made right on the premises, also will be available.

Woodside Farm began serving ice cream -- made from milk from the farm's cows -- in May 1998. Woodside serves more than 50 flavors of ice cream, including such kid-friendly choices as “dirt,” “motor oil,” and “fluffer nutter.” For those who want something a little more sophisticated, there's amaretto, black forest and cappuccino crunch.

Visitors to the event also will have an opportunity to share food with area families in need. Those who attend are asked to bring canned, boxed or bagged non-perishable items, which will be donated to the Food Bank of Delaware.

“Our goal is to collect 500 non-perishable items,” says Stoops. “We have partnered with the Food Bank of Delaware to increase hunger awareness and to help fight hunger in Delaware. We are looking to the community to come together and help.”

Jim Mitchell, who is the proprietor of Woodside Farms, says that the 75-acre working farm has been in his family for more than 200 years. He says it's one of the few farms left in the area.

“My family and I take every opportunity to teach and to help our neighbors understand what we do here and how we do it,” says Mitchell. “A Day on the Farm is one more way to reach out and show Delawareans how farmers contribute to their lives.”

For more information about A Day on the Farm, call New Castle County Extension at (302) 831-COOP or visit the Web site.

Article by Margo McDonough
Photo by Danielle Quigley