Onondaga County 5th Grade Dairy Field Trip to Barbland Dairy

In celebration of Dairy Month, Onondaga County 5th Graders had a field trip to Barbland Dairy in Pompey, New York on June 4, 2025.  Students and teachers from Fabius-Pompey, LaFayette, McKinley-Brighton, and Solvey learned about dairy farming, dairy cow milk production, sustainable farming practices, and even pet calves! 

Many children and families in Onondaga County have never been on a farm and do not understand where their food comes from. Cornell Cooperative Extension and Barbland Dairy, with the generous support of the Onondaga County Agriculture Council and volunteers from the agricultural community, offered a farm-based learning experience to 280 students. Students toured Barbland Dairy to learn about milk production and all the foods they eat that are made with milk.

Barbland Dairy Farm milks over 2,300 cows and grows over 4,800 acres in crops to feed the cows . Three families own and manage Barbland. Multiple family farms allow farms to grow. “Growth of a farm is what works to make a farm sustainable for the next generation,” says Bret Bossard, part-owner at Barbland.

This is the second year in a row that Onondaga County 5th Graders visited Barbland Dairy Farm

In addition to a narrated wagon tour of the Dairy Farm, students engaged in activities on nutritional benefits of dairy foods, they were able to practice "milking a cow" on a cow model, and enjoyed tractor tire rolls and hay toss games during lunch. Experienced dairy farm volunteers answered students' questions all day.

The lunch menu included Chobani yogurt, which Chobani donated for this event.

Tractor and wagon loans from The Apple Festival, Heritage Hill, Navarino Orchards, Java Farm Supply, and SN Partners supported the wagon tour rides.  

We are grateful for the twenty volunteers from across the agriculture community who offered their time and expertise to make this a fun and educational event for Onondaga County fifth-graders. 

Many thanks to Barbland Dairy for hosting Dairy Day two years in row.  Barbland Dairy's dedication to agricultural education shines through their interactions with the public.  The fifth-grade students learned where their dairy comes from and gained a sense of appreciation for what it takes to run a dairy farm. 

The following video is from the 2024 Fifth Grade Dairy Field Trip to Barbland Dairy.

Last updated June 18, 2025