Who's Been Eating the Pumpkins: A Super Smart Mystery

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're not sheepish about wondering whether it's better for lambs to be born in the winter or spring. On most farms, lambing season — the time when lambs are born — happens in either the winter or the spring. But is one more preferrable to the other? Do winter lambs really get a jump on their spring siblings? And how do farmers decide which season is better for them? Join host Elmer and Wally the sheep as they figure out the right time for lambing season in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at [email protected]! Thank You to Our Sponsor Fulton Bank For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer visits Farmer Clementine's farm to talk with Wally the wool sheep about winter lambing versus spring lambing. Inspired by a question from young listeners Rowan and Ethan, the episode explores the advantages and challenges of raising lambs in different seasons. Kids learn why winter lambing can be a good choice for farmers preparing sheep for summer livestock shows at local 4-H and FFA fairs, as winter-born lambs have more time to grow and may experience fewer parasite problems when they move to pasture. The show also explains the challenges of winter lambing, including cold temperatures, the need for adequate indoor barn space and the importance of monitoring sheep for disease. Through Wally's conversation with Elmer, young listeners discover the benefits of spring lambing, when fresh pasture grass provides a natural food source, potentially reducing feed costs and giving farmers more options for where lambs are born. The episode also highlights the importance of pasture management to ensure sheep and lambs have access to good-quality forage. Interactive quiz questions reinforce key lessons about lambing seasons, barn safety and what lambs eat, introducing children to sheep farming, lamb care, livestock shows, pasture management and the everyday decisions farmers make to keep their animals healthy.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're tossing aside our rulers and learning how to measure horses and ponies — in hands. How tall are you? Forty inches? Three feet tall? Ten hands tall? Wait, what? Humans are usually measured in feet or inches, but horses and ponies get measured in hands. But why? How big is a hand? And why do we use hands instead legs or feet or other body parts? Join host Elmer and Poppy the pony as they discuss why horses and ponies are measured in hands and why that might be starting to change. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at [email protected]! Thank You to Our Sponsor Fulton Bank For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer and Poppy the Pony explore how horses and ponies are measured in hands rather than feet and inches. Young listeners learn that one hand equals four inches and that ponies measure 14.2 hands or less, while taller equines are considered horses. The episode explains the history of horse height measurement, from ancient cultures that used body parts as measuring tools to King Henry VIII, who standardized the horse hand at four inches in the 1540s. Elmer and Poppy discuss why the traditional measurement is still used in the equestrian world, including when buying, selling, breeding and showing horses, while also exploring the growing use of the metric system and meters in international horse competitions. Interactive quiz questions reinforce key facts about horse height, measurement conversions and the origins of the horse hand. To put their new knowledge into practice, listeners learn how to calculate their own height in hands by dividing their height in inches by four. This kid-friendly episode introduces horse care, equine science, pony measurements, measurement history, math skills and equestrian traditions through fun farm conversations and educational questions.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're ready to get a little lost in order to find out how farmers create corn mazes each fall. If you've ever found yourself in the middle of a corn maze, you may have had a few questions: Where am I? How did I get here? Where do I go next? But have you ever asked: How did the farmer create this maze? Corn doesn't naturally grow with winding paths and fun patterns. So how do farmers manage to turn a field of corn into a twisty, turn-y maze? Join host Elmer and Frank the farmer as they take us down the path to the truth. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at [email protected]! Thank You to Our Sponsor Fulton Bank For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer visits Farmer Frank to discover how farmers turn a corn field into a corn maze. Young listeners learn that creating a corn maze starts with choosing and carefully planning a design, then mapping the paths in the field using measurements, GPS, mapping equipment or other tools. The episode explains two approaches to growing the corn maze: planting only the areas that will remain in the maze or planting the entire field and later cutting the paths with tractors, mowers or specialized equipment. Kids also learn why timing, careful measurements and following the maze map are important to creating the twists, turns and dead ends that make a maze challenging. The show explores what happens to the corn after maze season, including harvesting it for livestock feed or selling it to other farmers, and explains how corn mazes can provide additional farm income while remaining part of a working farm. Elmer and Frank also discuss the history of modern corn mazes, including an early widely recognized Pennsylvania maze created in 1993 as a tribute to Field of Dreams. Interactive quiz questions reinforce lessons about corn maze design, farming equipment, corn production and crop use, giving kids a fun introduction to the agricultural planning behind a favorite fall farm attraction.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, it's time to rise and shine and talk about why farmers wake up so early in the morning. Most farmers get their days started early — so early, in fact, that by the time you get to school in the morning, most farmers have already put in a couple of hours worth of work! But why do they get up at the crack of dawn? Does the early farmer catch the worm? Or is it because there are jobs on the farm that just can't wait? Join host Elmer and Bessie the cow as they explain why most farmers are such early risers. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at [email protected]! Thank You to Our Sponsor Fulton Bank For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer and Bessie the Cow explore why farmers get up early and how a farmer's daily schedule depends on animals, crops, weather and other farm responsibilities. Young listeners learn why dairy farmers milk cows on a regular schedule, often twice a day, and why feeding livestock, providing clean water, checking for illness or injury, and maintaining clean and comfortable living areas are important parts of morning farm chores. The episode also explains why fruit and vegetable farmers may start early to harvest, clean, sort, pack and deliver fresh produce to farmers markets, while some farmers choose to complete outdoor work in the cooler morning hours before afternoon temperatures rise. Elmer and Bessie also discuss the importance of sleep and rest, including how much sleep children and adults need compared with cows. Interactive quiz questions reinforce lessons about dairy farming, livestock care, farm chores, farmers markets, harvesting fresh produce, weather and farm schedules, giving kids a fun, kid-friendly look at what happens on a farm before the rest of the day begins.

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're saying goodbye to summer and looking ahead to fall — and the crops that get planted when the weather cools down. Most crops are planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. However, some types of wheat follow a different schedule: They're planted in the fall and harvested in the early summer. This kind of crop is called winter wheat. Why does it grow on a different schedule? Don't the crops wither in the winter weather? What's vernalization and what does it have to do with any of this? Join host Elmer and Winnie the wheat as they discuss what makes winter wheat different. Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at [email protected]! Thank You to Our Sponsor Fulton Bank For More Lancaster Farming Podcasts Click Here In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer learns about winter wheat, a wheat variety planted in the fall rather than the spring. With help from Winnie the Winter Wheat, young listeners learn how winter wheat grows after fall planting, becomes dormant during the winter and undergoes vernalization, a cold period that helps the plant produce grain when growth resumes in spring. The episode explores the differences between winter wheat and spring wheat, explains how varieties such as hard red winter wheat and soft red winter wheat are used to make flour for bread, cakes and cookies, and reveals why winter wheat is harvested in early summer. Kids also learn how winter wheat works as a cover crop, helping prevent soil erosion, add plant material and nutrients to the soil, and compete with weeds. Interactive quiz questions reinforce lessons about vernalization, soft red winter wheat and global wheat production, making the episode an engaging introduction to wheat farming, crop production, cover crops, soil health, plant dormancy and agricultural science.