Super Smart Farm Show

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're taking a trip to the library to check out one of our favorite farming books, 'Charlotte's Web,' by E.B. White. Generations of children have loved the story of Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider, but just how realistic is the farm portrayed in ' Charlotte's Web ?' How did E.B. White know how to write about farm animals? Do pigs really go to county...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're bundling up in our hats and scarves and then heading out to the barn to find out how farm animals stay warm in the winter. Cows don't wear coats and coal stoves aren't safe for the barn. So how do animals stay warm during the winter? It turns out, they're able to stay nice and toasty thanks to some natural defenses against the cold and with help from f...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're stopping by the chicken coop to learn why chickens and roosters are such a chatty bunch. Chickens and roosters make all kinds of sounds, but what are they trying to say? What's the difference between a gentle cluck and an ear-splitting squawk? And did you know that chickens and roosters make different noises in different languages? Join host Elmer and...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, it's time to head out to the Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Christmas tree farmers put in a lot of work to make their farms welcoming places during the holidays, but they work even hard all year round to get their trees ready for Christmas. How long do they care for those trees before they're ready to be cut? And what happens to...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're heading out to the barn to learn all about how tractors power the tools they pull behind them, from balers to tillers. Tractors pull a variety of tools behind them, but tractors engines, the source of these tools' power, are all the way up front. So how does the power from the engine travel all the way back to those tools? The answer lies in a tractor...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're trotting out to the stables to discover why horses wear horseshoes. There's nothing like the distinctive "clip-clop" of shoed horses, but why do they need shoes in the first place? Do all horses wear shoes? When you outgrow your shoes, it's time to head to the shoe store, but where do horses get their shoes? Join host Elmer and Poppy the pony as they f...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're getting our gobble on and looking at why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Nowadays, turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving table. But did you know that at the very first Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag in 1621, turkey was nowhere to be seen! What was eaten instead? And who do we have to thank for introducing turkey as our go-to Thanks...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're exploring how we get cheese from cows. We're all familiar with how we get milk from cows, but how does that milk turn into cheese? And who was the first person to look at milk and think, "Hey, what if we let this get chunky or stretchy?" Join host Elmer and Bessie the cow as they discuss how cheesemakers separate milk into curds and whey and discover t...

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're going underground to find out how soil helps plants grow. Listen as host Elmer and Sawyer the soil scientist talk about the tiny organisms and networks alive under our feet and learn the difference between soil and plain old dirt. 

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're taking a look back in history to find out what farmers did before tractors were invented. Listen as host Elmer and Wendy the farmer talk about the kinds of animals farmers used to plow fields and pull heavy loads — from horses to reindeer! 

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're taking a look at Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and its ties to farming. Listen as host Elmer and Lucy the librarian recount the exciting tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman while pointing out how the story reflects American agriculture in the 1800s. 

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're taking to the skies to figure out how farmers use drones. Listen as host Elmer and Frank the farmer talk about how farmers use drones to monitor fields and livestock through a bird's eye view. 

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're cracking open a new case: How do chickens make eggs? Listen as host Elmer and Henrietta the chicken talk about all of the work that goes in to make one of your favorite breakfast foods. For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're tackling a question of epic size: How big can pumpkins grow? Listen as host Elmer and Peter the pumpkin talk about growing pumpkins, giant pumpkin weigh-offs and the world record for the biggest pumpkin ever!

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're buzzing with excitement to find out how bees make honey. Listen as host Elmer and Beatrice the bee discuss how bees are able to make honey from the nectar they collect from flowers. 

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're welcoming fall and wondering: How do scarecrows work? Listen as host Elmer and Sammy the scarecrow get to the bottom of how farmers use scarecrows and why scarecrows have become such iconic figures on the farm and in our culture.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're going for a hayride. Or is it a straw ride? What's the difference between hay and straw? Listen as host Elmer and farmer Frank talk about how farms use hay and straw for different jobs.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're exploring the differences between ponies and horses.  Listen as host Elmer and Poppy the pony as they discuss what makes a pony a pony and why they're more than just small horses. 

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, we're getting up early to figure out why roosters crow. Listen as host Elmer and Roy the rooster discuss what makes roosters crow and if they really on crow in the mornings. 

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, it's time to get to the bottom of a popular dairy myth: Does chocolate milk come from brown cows? Listen as host Elmer and Bessie the cow discuss where milk — chocolate and regular — comes from and meet cows of all colors: brown, red, white and more!

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, we're addressing the hot topic of why it's so warm inside greenhouses. Listen as Elmer and Lavern the fern dive into how greenhouses work and why they're so important to farmers, gardeners and scientists.

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, we're chomping into the juicy mystery of why apples come in so many colors. Listen as Elmer and Granny Smith the apple discuss how a combination of genes and weather work together to determine what color an apple turns out to be.

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, we're picking apart the rumor that goats will eat just about anything. Join host Elmer and Gilbert the goat as they pick out the perfect menu for hungry grazers.

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, we explore if there's more to plants than simply sitting in one place. Join host Elmer and Sunny the sunflower as they learn about phototropism and how flowers move.

This week on Super Smart Farm Show, we find out what would happen if sheep were never shorn. Join host Elmer and Wally the sheep as they discuss why sheep need to have their wool cut each year.