RUMFORD — Fifth-grader Adrianna Belskis was one of several elementary school children Tuesday morning who had a chance to pat Zella, a 550-pound, 7-month-old Holstein calf who lives just down the street from her in Canton.

“It’s really cool that Zella and Zora (her older, much larger sister) are here,” Adrianna said.

She was among dozens of youngsters at Tuesday’s Summer Adventure Program who got to learn — and offer their knowledge — about dairy cattle and dairy products.

Adrianna said another farm that raises beef cattle is right across from her house.

“I knew a lot about cattle,” she said.

So did many other fourth- through sixth-graders who listened to and answered questions from Natalie Sneller, a Dirigo High School and Virginia Technical College dairy science graduate who works at the Conant Farm in Canton.

“I learned how they milk a cow,” fourth-grader Noah Morgan said. “I knew they used machines.”

Another boy told Sneller that he knew a cow had four stomachs to process the grain, hay and silage they eat each day. But he didn’t know that each cow eats about 150 pounds of food each day.

Sneller said not only does the milking herd of 75 receive lots of vitamins and minerals in their daily food, but also a dairy nutritionist comes to the farm every month.

“Cows have a specific diet everyday so they can produce good quality milk,” Sneller said. “Cows need to consume a lot of calories every day to produce milk.”

Sneller told about the silage, hay, wheat and grain that each cow eats, the ear tag and number that each calf must have to identify it, and how antibiotics are given to the cattle, but the milk isn’t sold until it tests free of the medicine.

The visit by Sneller, and her husband, Matt, who also works in the dairy industry, is among the last of the Summer Adventure programs. Besides the program’s participants, another 30 summer school youngsters got a chance to learn about cattle and where milk comes from, pat Zella or Zora, and drink some milk and eat some cheese.

Western Maine Foothills Kids Association director Barbara Radmore said the Summer Adventure program will wrap up Friday with a trip to Mount Blue State Park. On Wednesday, local firefighters will present a program on safety, and on Thursday, children will participate in many Olympic-type activities at Hosmer Field.

Once classes resume in September, a new series of activities and presenters will visit the Rumford Elementary School site.