Animal Town Livestock Chats Clearing Up Misconceptions

Animal-education-at-the-state-fair

Emily Jones of Hancock County has put her ten years of 4-H experience to good use as an intern for the Indiana State Fair. Her experience showing just about every livestock species is evident during the Let’s Talk Livestock demonstrations at Animal Town. Demonstrations have included rabbits, beef and dairy cattle, chickens, sheep, boar goats, pigs, llamas and horses.

“We do four chats a day at 1, 3, 5, and 7 PM, and we will bring in four different species each day,” she said. “We try to correspond with what shows are going on at the fair so that when the public learns about the chat they can go and watch the animal show as well.”

Jones enjoys teaching young and old about the animals in a presentation style that includes questions and answers with the audience. Part of the process includes addressing some important misconceptions.

“People believe that brown cows produce chocolate milk, so when they find out it’s not true it’s mind-boggling to them,” she told HAT. “They produce white milk. Another one is that dairy cows have to have a baby to produce milk but for some reason people thought that they just started producing milk right away. But just like a human has a baby in order to produce milk, they have to have a calf to produce milk.”

An added element at Animal Town this year is Party with the Animals each day at 10 AM and 6 PM. The $10 fee gets you even more access to the animals, a view of what happens behind the scenes, and your own turn handling the animals. Animal Town, sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau, is just east of the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand.

Emily Jones is a junior at Hanover College majoring in communication and business. She hopes to continue education and advocating on behalf of the agriculture industry.