Phoenix, left, and Sugar are eager to get their soft muzzles petted by visitors at Jo-Kay Corral in Negaunee. (Journal photo by Jackie Jahfetson)

By JACKIE JAHFETSON

Journal Staff Writer

NEGAUNEE — Did you know that pigs don’t have sweat glands and they roll in mud to stay cool and prevent sunburn? Did you know horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal? Or that a cow has four chambers in its stomach?

Simple farm facts that used to be common knowledge are still valid in today’s technological, virtual world and it’s the main initiative Jo-Kay Corral in Negaunee strives for.

At the Jo-Kay Corral, located on Snowfield Road in Negaunee, Jodi McIlhany hosts Farm Day-Camps that meet from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays through Thursdays during a few weeks in the summer. These camps are split up into two groups, 5-8 year olds and 9-12 year olds, and run every other week through Aug. 20. Each group has about 10 local kids and registration is $100 per child.

Walking up to the barn, kids can greet the six horses — three large horses, a yearling and two ponies — along with two donkeys. Chickens and white ducks peck around the barnyard and barn cats will meow for some attention. The Farm Day-Camps are unique lessons that are engaging and fun for children, McIlhany said, noting that part of the lessons go through each farm animal and address what they do and the purpose they serve.

“Really, the goal is to teach the kids to just learn and understand farming (and) agriculture, where their food comes from, how to care for the animals and what’s involved in it,” McIlhany said. “So we’re just trying to make kids aware of just the importance of agriculture — that’s our food supply. So if we don’t appreciate that and take care of it, things would not be good. We’re dependent on that.”

On the farm, children not only play a few games but they also do some chores, such as brushing the horses, or shoveling the horse manure, or as McIlhany puts it, “picking the horse apples.”

“Just to expose them to some of the work and what it takes. Kids come here and they’re like, ‘Yay, this is so fun.’ But they need to see that anything worth doing, it takes effort and work,” she said.

Since opening the Jo-Kay Corral in 2016 with seasonal public events, McIlhany noted that she likes the simple farm feel it welcomes visitors with. Though the Farm Day-Camps only began last summer, the slots are filling up quickly.

Kids marvel at what they learn on the farm, such as the fact that an egg takes 21 days before it hatches, she said, adding that agricultural knowledge is something they won’t learn unless they’re exposed to it. By the third day of camp, kids yearn to go return to the farm another day and it’s that unforgettable experience McIlhany hopes to continue.

“I just think it’s so good for kids to just get out and play in a wholesome environment without their devices. You know, get dirty,” she said with a giggle. “Play in the corn crib and hunt for eggs and climb on the hay — they just need to do that. I can’t tell you how many kids come here that have never been on a horse or even seen (these) animals in person on a farm.”

Starting in September through mid-October on Fridays and Saturdays, Jo-Kay Corral will be offering fall events to the public with horse and hay rides. For upcoming public events and more information, visit jo-kaycorral.com or call 906-235-4490.

Jackie Jahfetson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is jjahfetson@miningjournal.net.