Our first stop was the Conestoga wagon.  This is the kind of wagon that the pioneers traveled to Nebraska in...it didn't have a DVD player!

We couldn't ride any real horses because they don't belong to the farm, but we did get to ride Billy.  He was a rocking horse, but he had a real saddle.

This is the tack room where all of the saddles and horse supplies are kept.

We got to see an old gang plow.  This plow was pulled by horses in the early 1900's.

We got to go inside a hollow tree.  The tree was struck by lightning and the center of it was burned out. 

The hollow tree was fun.  It would make a great home for small animals.

There was a walking bridge across a pond at the farm.  The pond is home for fish, birds, frogs, and turtles.  It's also where the horses get their drinks.

Here was the pond.  Can you find the frogs?

This is a gazebo to overlook the farm.  You can see the yard, the pasture, the pond, and the fields. 

Here's another picture of us in the hollow tree.  We were squished!

This is Harold, the scarecrow.  The farmer dressed him in his own clothes after he'd worn them so they would look and smell like a person.

Harold didn't scare us!

This is the corn field that was just planted.  They have a big high fence around it to keep all of the deer out.

The farm had 3 grain bins to store the corn and other grain when it's harvested.  They were empty so we got to peek inside.  It made loud echoing sounds.  The long thing in front of the bins is an elevator to move the corn to the bins and to the truck to sell it.

We petted a baby lamb.  He was very warm and soft.

This is an adult sheep.  She's called a ewe.  She had an ear tag to help the farmers identify her.  Her fleece is sheared in the spring to make wool for blankets, clothes, and lotions (lanolin).

We saw goats.  We learned that more people in the world drink milk from goats than cows.  They are also raised for their meat.

These were the ducks.  The boy ones (ganders) are prettier and have curly tails.  We noticed their webbed feet.  This helps them swim better.  They are raised on the farm for their eggs, meat, and their soft feathers (down).

The turkey was resting.  Turkeys are raised for their eggs and their meat.

The chicken live indoors.  The rooster has a fancy tail and a big red comb.  He crowed really loud when we were there.

The hens didn't have as large of tails or combs.  They lay 1 egg each day in their nesting boxes.  At night they sleep on a 'ladder thing' called a roost.  This keeps them safe from animals that might be on the ground.  Farmers raise chickens for their meat and eggs.

This was a fancy chicken.  She had big fluffy feathers on her head.  She felt very soft.

We got so see a chick that was a few weeks old.  It was in a small area with a brooder (heat) lamp to keep it warm.

We went to a barn and sat on some straw bales.  We thought it was itchy, but the animals think it makes a great bed.

This is a pot-belly pig.  She weighs about 800 lbs!  She was someone's abandoned pet and came to live at Gifford Farm.

These pigs were resting.  We noticed that their long snouts that they have for rooting for food.  They had hair and sharp hooves.  Farmers raise pigs for pork, but they also give us medicine for diabetes, heart valves, leather for footballs, and parts of their hooves are made into marshmallows and jello...yum!

This was the grain shed.  We learned about the crops raised on Nebraska farms.  Soy beans are the most popular crop in Nebraska.  Iowa raises mostly corn.  We learned that corn and soybeans are used in all kinds of foods, fuels, and household supplies.

They gave us some popcorn at Gifford Farm.  It was still on the cob.  We washed it, put it into a paper bag, and popped it!  It tasted just like "real" popcorn from a movie theater (except without the butter and salt).

We saw a lama.  Our guide took off his hat because he said that the lama tries to take it off of him.  The lama is from South America.  It has hooves that help him walk in the mountains and carry heavy loads.

Here we are in the chute pretending that we're cows going onto a truck.

We learned about milk...how it gets from the cow to our house.  We need milk to make milk, cottage cheese, butter, yogurt, and ice cream.

This is a dairy bull.  He had a really long tongue and tried to lick some of us.  We also got to pet a beef calf.  Beef cows are raised for their meat and for leather.