CORTLAND COUNTY, N.Y. -- Fifth graders from Cortland County spent the day at EZ Acres in Homer getting a little taste of life on a farm.

"They're excited. They were really excited, excited to come," said Jeff Gebhardt, a fifth grade teacher at F.E. Smith Elementary. "And to see the actual milking in their final trip today, it was really pretty exciting for them."

And snuck in with all that fun was a little education.

"It's the number one industry in the county and for them to really learn about farming and what it takes and, again, everything from the birthing of the calves to the feed that is mixed for them. It's just really a great experience," Gebhardt said.

"Fewer and fewer of them have any connection to agriculture at all left to agriculture and we think it's important for them to know where their food comes from," said Mike McMahon, owner of EZ Acres farm.

More than 200 students came to learn what it takes to run a successful dairy farm, everything from the latest advancements in technology to mixing more than a dozen types of food to make every cow happy.

"Learning what cows eat and what the cow's normal day is like. You know, if she wants to hang around the water cooler with her buddies and talk or whatever," McMahon said.

These cows have gone high-tech with computer chips around their neck recording all of their personal activity.

"And so her production and temperature and other pertinent information is transferred to her personal page on a computer as she's being milked," McMahon said.

But McMahon says the most important advancement is dairy farming is giving the cows a little respect. That's why he installed back scratchers, mattresses, sprinklers and fans to make the cows more comfortable.

"These cows depend on us for their well being," McMahon said. "And comfortable cows are happy cows and happy cows are high producing cows."

And high producing cows make the farmer happy as well.

The farm is open to visitors seven days a week.

For more information, visit www.adadc.com.