Jefferson Farm & Gardens will host children's event Saturday

COLUMBIA — Jefferson Farm & Gardens will hold Kids Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Youths will be able to milk a cow, ride a pony, feed and identify types of fish, catch and identify types of insects and create an edible soil profile — a demonstration of the soil's layers using candy — and do other farm activities. An employee will also be available in the MFA Children's Barn to show children different types of animals and their uses on a farm.

Admission is free for children ages 2 and younger, $4 for ages 3 to 12, $6 for adults and $5 for senior citizens. Visitors can also as a family for $25.

Jefferson Farm & Gardens is a 67-acre educational farm owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute, a nonprofit research organization. 

Amanda Gilbert, an intern at Jefferson Farm & Gardens, said the farm is focused on hands-on education for all ages. 

"For a lot of those kids, it will be the first time milking a cow," Gilbert said. "I think it will be exciting for them."

This is the first year that Jefferson Farm & Gardens is holding this event, but Gilbert said she hopes this will draw more Columbia residents to the farm. 

"One way to start opening the gates is to have kids come and see the farm and to give parents a taste of what it's like," Gilbert said. 

Jefferson Farm & Gardens is located at 4800 E. New Haven Road. For more information, call 449-3518.