New Children’s Tour Links Farm to Table

Michelle Patterson said she has heard children say some of the darndest things while touring her family’s farm in southwestern Rowan County.

But one statement really got to her. She asked a group of young children what a cow says, and a 4-year-old, who was not trying to make a joke, earnestly replied, “Eat more chicken.”

“More kids know about the Chick-fil-A cows than the real ones,” Patterson said. “We have a lot of educating to do.”

Patterson said that lack of connection between seeing food in the grocery store or on their plate and its origins on the farm prompted her to design a new summer program for children called Learn and Grow Discovery Farm.

The program, which began in June and runs through Sept. 25, is designed to educate children about where their food comes from as well as learn an appreciation for farm life.

“We’ve always been very passionate about educating children about the importance of farming in our country,” said Patterson, a third-generation member of the family that established the 1,000-acre Patterson Farm in 1919.

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