STAYING COOL THE SAFE WAY

Get ready for the ultimate cool down! Beat the heat this summer when Adventure Play & Spray opens at Davis Farmland on Saturday, June 18th.

Adventure Play & Spray offers two spray grounds – one for toddlers and one for children up to age twelve and their parents. The toddler spray ground features mini sprinklers and misters, while the larger spray ground has shooting geysers and fountains to cool off the kids. There are also water tables, horse cannons, showering sunflowers, misting spray rings and even a pretend car wash and gas station.

You can stay cool and relax in our shade pods, cabanas, thatched umbrellas and even birthday cabanas to celebrate your big kahuna’s special day!

Play & Spray houses the largest purification system of its kind. All water is recycled into a huge underground storage tank and completely filtered every fifteen minutes. The water is computer monitored continuously and carefully chlorinates as needed. Zero-depth water play and our revolutionary filtration system make this the safest water playground for your children and also the most fun!

Parents and children alike will love our Splash-tacular activities this weekend – including a water balloon toss, temporary tattoos, the limbo with Moo Moo and even a conga line over to our new Slip and Slide! Kids can soak up the suds in our Bubble Blast and enjoy making their own foamy beards. Those with extra energy can try the new “Surf the Wave” Slip and Slide!

Don’t miss these exciting events during Splash-tacular Weekend – Davis Farmland is overflowing with fun!

Harvesting Heritage

While most families are vacationing on Memorial Day Weekend, farmers are working hard to prepare for the first harvest hay of the season. There are multiple steps in this harvesting process that take many days to accomplish and require excellent weather.

The first step is mowing the fields with a giant, six-propeller lawnmower which is attached to a tractor. Next, a large rake is used to form the hay into rows. Once the rows dry, the grass turns into hay. Following that, a special machine called the round baler is attached to a tractor and scoops up the rows of hay. Finally, when the round baler is full of hay, the backdoor is opened and a giant round bale rolls out. The newly made bales are placed into pastures where animals can roam freely and eat them. However, the farmers have often heard the animals complaining that “they just can’t get a square meal.”

Solar System Unveiled!

This past Earth Day, Davis Farmland unveiled their new Solar System. Sitting atop a barn roof are 144 state of the art Photo-Voltaic solar panels which will bring the farm one step closer to energy independence. These panels will help decrease the draw on outside energy resources needed by our Municipal Light Department, which in turn saves local residents money and reduces everyone’s carbon footprint.

Farmland’s new Solar System will generate the same amount of electricity required to power four to five homes; as well as, reduce carbon dioxide emissions which is the main cause of global warming.

The Davis family is constantly looking for new ways to sustain the family farm, benefit the greater community and be an example of innovation with a conscience. Green energy projects, like the Solar System, create jobs, new technologies and a better future.

Endangered Animal Spotlight: Cleveland Bay Horse

Davis Farmland has a new horse out on our hayride! For those who haven’t met her yet, Dakota is the new Cleveland Bay Mare on the farm. We’ve never had this particular and endangered breed here before and there’s lots of interesting history about these amazing horses.

The Cleveland Bay is currently on the Critical List, with about 1,000 left in the world and about 180 left in North America. This breed of horse is bay in color with black points and no white (except the occasional star) and therefore pretty uniform and distinct-looking. The breed originates from Yorkshire, England and is England’s oldest breed of horse.

Cleveland Bays have tremendous strength, stamina and speed and were used for transportation as coach horses (by Queen Elizabeth Herself) and farm work. As time went on and transportation became more industrialized, the demand for these horses diminished. The purebreds themselves were not great sport horses but they can be cross-bred with several other breeds and produce excellent sporting horses.

The breed first came to the United States in the 1800s and their status has been Critical since the early 1900s. A fun fact about these horses is that they are still used and bred by the Queen of England.

For more information on this breed visit: Cleaveland Bay or Albc-USA.

Gross Gub Challenge Weekends!

We’re into September with our Survivor Mega Maze off to a great start!

This year you really get to experience Survival Challenges at Davis Mega Maze. Not only are there more challenges inside the maze than EVER, but you can win immunity from admission by competing in our Gross Grub Challenge on Saturdays and Sundays!

Roll the Dice of Fate to determine which of these grotesque dishes you will have to eat to win

• Pickled Herring
• Crickets
• Blood Pudding
• Head Cheese
• Pickled Turkey Gizzard

If you complete this Survival Challenge you get to roll the Victory Die which will determine if you win a FREE day at Davis Mega Maze, other awesome prizes or even NOTHING AT ALL!!!
Out Wit, Out Last, Survive!

Endangered Animal Spotlight: Karakul Sheep

Karakul sheep originated in Asiatic Russia and came over to the United States around the 1900s. Male Karakuls (rams) grow horns but the females (ewes) do not. They are generally used for the fat they store (to make candles and such) and for their wool.
The Karakul is characterized by its broad tail which stores excess fat. Most breeds of sheep store this fat throughout their entire body, making the Karakul different from any other breed. They are called “fat-tailed” sheep because the base is so wide and their tails can weigh up to 8 or 10 pounds.

Karakul sheep are born with a soft coat of wool that will mature into a layered coat. The newborn lambs have such beautiful, silky-soft curly black wool that it is coveted for Persian Lamb Skin. Perhaps you’ve seen pictures of Russian leaders with round curly black hats or 1940’s movie stars with black curly collared jackets. These are Persian Lambskin from Karakuls. As the sheep mature, the outer layer of wool becomes long and coarse and the inner layer stays very soft. Karakuls are generally black in color and grow to have long and silvery wool. Even after their wool turns silver, the sheep keep their black faces, Roman noses and adorable flop ears. These unique features create higher demand for the Karakul wool, which is used to make oriental rugs.

The breed is considered threatened, which means there are fewer than 5,000 left in the world!

Farmland is not alone in the effort to preserve this amazing breed of sheep. Several organizations world-wide are working to re-build the population of Karakuls. You can check out the American Karakul Sheep Registry and find more of these fascinating sheep right here in the U.S. You can also learn more about this breed’s conservation by visiting the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory website.

Spotlight on Farmland Farmers!

Farmer Tom: 3^rd season Outside Farmer

What is your favorite thing about Davis Farmland?

“I think it’s very cool that Farmland is a sanctuary for endangered animals and it’s also such a great place to bring kids and play.”

How has working here benefitted you the most?

“I’ve met so many great people working here. I’ve learned a lot about animals and about all kinds of animals. But I really understand now how much work it takes to maintain a farm. People don’t realize how hard it is to keep a farm going every day.”

Who would you recommend Farmland to and why?

“Everyone and anyone with young kids; the spray park is so awesome. Definitely the best reason to come is the employees; the people who work here have fun interacting with the kids and families and you don’t get that anywhere else.”

Farmer Hillary: 1^st season Food Service Farmer

What is your favorite thing about Davis Farmland?

“I love that kids can feel safe and have fun here. They get a little freedom from their parents’ watchful eye because their parents know the facility is so safe. Kids get to just be a kid and have fun here!”

How has working here benefitted you the most?

“Working here I’ve learned how to work as a team with everyone else on the farm; even people who I may not work directly with every day. It’s also been really rewarding working with guests because I feel like I’m making a difference by being here. When you are doing a great job you can see it on guests’ faces and it makes you want to keep making their day better.”

Who would you recommend Farmland to and why?

“I would recommend Farmland to everyone with kids. I tell all my little cousins’ friends about this place and they love coming here to interact with the animals. They love to feel like they’re helping the animals when they brush them with those little brushes. Whenever they visit, they always have a blast!”