LOCAL

Students get sneak peek of Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest

Jennifer Fitch
jenniferf@herald-mail.com

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Dairy farmer Robert Musser believes agriculture education is important, particularly in an era in which farmers are struggling to make ends meet.

He hopes visitors Saturday to the 28th annual Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest feel inspired to have an extra glass of milk or extra scoop of ice cream in their homes afterward.

"I think it's a good thing to do. We need to get the school kids out to see what we do," he said.

Musser's farm at 203 Pinola Road in Shippensburg will be open to the public Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be free dairy products, children's activities and wagon tours.

Fourth-graders in Franklin County, Pa., schools got a preview of the offerings this week before the public festival, which has free admission and parking.

"It's really cool," said Samantha Chepren, who attends Corpus Christi Catholic School.

"You should definitely come because you can see many things and learn many things about a dairy farm," said her classmate, Melanie Black.

The girls and their fellow student, Nathaniel Bryson, said they enjoyed touching male bees that didn't have stingers. Nathaniel also enjoyed the hay maze.

Musser's daughter, Faith Musser, wore a T-shirt that declared her a "crazy calf lady" as she interacted with children. She helps her family with the 230-acre farm it has operated since 1973, milking 140 cows each day.

The Mussers, like other dairy farmers, are struggling with the prices they are paid for milk. They are receiving $14.77 per hundred pounds when it costs them $17.50 per hundred pounds to produce that milk.

"I'd love to break even for one month," Robert Musser said.

Shalom Christian Academy student Blake Sedgwick gets a close look at a cow Thursday at a preview event for this weekend's Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest.
T.J. Hays Jr. grinds corn Thursday as students partake in a preview event for this weekend's Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest.
Alex Surcica offers fourth-graders an opportunity to touch bees and wasps Thursday at a preview event for this weekend's Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest.

What: Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest

When: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: The Musser Farm, 203 Pinola Road, Shippensburg, Pa.

Cost: Free

For more information, find Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest on Facebook.