Old Fort Collins has a farm

By Marty Metzger
Correspondent

It's a cheerful little village laid out like a patchwork quilt of paddocks and tidy red and white barns. Content creatures live here. Big, brown, blinking cow eyes, gregarious goose honks and melodious whinnies annually greet thousands of visitors to this pastoral setting, The Farm at Lee Martinez Park.

Welcome to what petting zoos dream of becoming when they grow up.

The bucolic scene is located just a couple miles northwest of downtown Fort Collins, presenting an agrarian oasis in an otherwise urban panorama. Picnic tables, a playground, clusters of mature trees and other amenities give added value to visitors' stays.

Residents of The Farm represent diverse species: eight chickens, three ducks, two geese, two turkeys, three sheep, two goats, three piglets, three cows, one calf, two cats and 13 ponies.

Plaques at each animal abode denote the purpose for that species. Chickens produce eggs, meat and feathers for fly-tying. Ducks and geese additionally supply down and provide insect control.

A farm hand, two full-time employees and a handful of seasonal workers, as well as numerous young volunteers and community service workers fastidiously maintain the entire 12-acre farm.

This shipshape Noah's ark-like atmosphere might never have been if not for the dedicated perseverance of H.R. Phillips in the early 1970s. Phillips persuaded city officials that Fort Collins needed a refuge from encroaching urbanization where people, particularly children, could learn about our area's rural roots. City fathers ultimately agreed and purchased the land at 600 N. Sherwood (just north of Cherry Street) in 1973. Originally a dairy farm owned by J.A. Nelson until the early 1940s, The Farm and adjacent Lee Martinez Park officially opened to the public in July 1985.

Bridget Brownell is recreation supervisor at The Farm. She beamed like a proud parent as she talked turkey- (pony and piglet, too). However, she also made it clear that, rather than being financially burdensome, The Farm is a working agricultural endeavor that pays most of its own way. Admission fees, the store, birthday parties, classes, weekend pony rides, the Adopt-an-Animal program, tours, hayrides, autumn pumpkin sale and a donation box all generate revenue.

Here, children learn hands-on about animals' historic and current roles in American culture. Age-appropriate classes draw youngsters 2 through 18. For example, beginning June 4, a 12-session horsemanship class is open to equine-crazy youth ages 12 to 18. Children ages 13 to 18 can gain more agricultural experience by volunteering to help clean and feed, summers or year-round.

While children bond with critters, parents also can learn about the area's farm and ranch history. The Farm Heritage Museum, for example, abounds with antiques and data. This Rotary Club of Fort Collins project includes glass-enclosed displays of chicken and dairy breeds, cattle brands, harness pieces, saws, types of barbed wire, hand tools, blacksmithing equipment, pulleys and pre-electricity home refrigeration (farm ice house).

The museum profiles a particularly interesting local celebrity. College Ormsby Burke, better known as Mama, was a Colorado State University dairy cow. In 1966, Mama trampled the record set in 1955 by a British bovine for lifetime milk production. For 10 years, Mama's achievement of 334,248 pounds of luscious liquid yield held fast.

Tipping the scales at an impressive 1,700 pounds, the big cow produced more than 66 pounds of milk daily which, it is touted, could supply all the dairy products for a family of six for 76 years. Mama also produced 10 calves, each probably hoping to assume control of the family dairy business when the champ retired.

Supervisor Brownell well-knows the delights children experience at The Farm, having worked there for 21 years. She told tales of tots whose fingers had to be pried loose from parents for first-pony-ride time, then similarly pried loose from the pony when time was up. Brownell also chuckled about children's candor and innocence.

"Kids are so honest and up front," she said. "They say what's on their minds. One day, we were milking a cow that had a wound on the inside of her leg, which I mentioned to the group. One kid asked, 'How can you see inside her leg?'"

Pee Wee Farmers, ages 4 and 5, provide many smiles and chuckles. As a group of them stood wide-eyed watching a ewe lambing, a Pee Wee shook his little head and mumbled, "I don't get it. I just don't get it."

Another one stood in a line of youngsters taking turns learning to milk a cow. When the boy's turn came, he balked at tugging on the cow's dangling teats. Brownell asked, "Are you scared of her? Is she too big?"

"Nope," the child answered.

"Too scary?" Brownell further inquired.

"Nope," came the same succinct reply.

"Smells bad?" Brownell delved ever deeper into the child's refusal.

"Nope," the boy insisted. "It's just that if I did that to me, it would really hurt!"

Anatomy differences aside, most visitors eagerly participate in farm activities that draw people from all over the region, including Cheyenne, Greeley and Loveland, as well as Fort Collins.

"It's a unique facility not many communities have," said Brownell.

And The Farm intends to add more attractions, including a hands-on farm implement program planned for the bottom of the lofty silo that stands like a stately sentinel on the property.

The Farm's peaceful, rustic beauty is so alluring, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see hopeful animals, as well as human visitors, eagerly lined up for admittance. Old MacDonald would be proud of the happy, lifetime memories for adults and their children made at The Farm at Lee Martinez Park.

To inquire about classes, tours, hours of operation, volunteer opportunities, special events and more, call The Farm at 221-6665.