Honorable Mention

We Love Our Alfalfa Farmer!

By Brice Lore
3rd Grade, San Bernardino County
Home Choice - Pam Eshelman, Teacher

One starry night, two kit foxes (father and son) were enjoying a stroll through Mr. Alfalfa Farmer's alfalfa field. This was Kit Fox Junior's first time out exploring the field. "Look son, isn't it amazing that this big, beautiful, open, green field invites over 675 different types of wildlife?" Mr. Kit Fox explained. "All sorts of animals happily hang out here, including those that are threatened and endangered like you and me!"

"WOW!" exclaimed Junior.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH! A great sound came from the sky. It was a big, blue and grey bird swooping down to greet them. He was as tall as a child, with a wingspan of two children.

"Well hello there, little one!" Aaron the Great Blue Heron said in a deep, low voice. Junior scurried behind his dad in fear.

"Oh! Wonderful!" Mr. Heron exclaimed, "Mr. Farmer would love to meet you! He is such a kindhearted man. Boy, just the other day I saw him taking in some poor, abandoned, helpless, bird eggs. Would you believe that he actually took care of those little ones for a while then set them free? He has helped out all sorts of birds, and I am very grateful to him for this."

Suddenly, they heard, "BZZZ... BZZZ!" "Good evening, Honey Bee Bell!" Mr. Fox and Mr. Heron greeted her. Thinking she would sting him, Junior was too scared to move.

"I won't hurt you little fox. I've come to drink the delicious nectar from the beautiful purple alfalfa flowers."

"Does Mr. Farmer want bees around his field?" Junior wondered, because she looked SO scary!

"Why of course he does! I am a honeybee. Mr. Farmer thinks it is so important that we come. We produce about one third of the U.S. honey from these special flowers."

Ladybug Lucy came crawling by and said, "My! Farmer loves to have us here too. We get to eat as many pests as we can fit into our bellies. This wonderful insectary is home to over 1,000 different kinds of insects. We need this alfalfa field for its cover, food and moisture. It's a wonderful habitat for us!"

Mr. Fox and his son continued to walk through the field, when from up above they saw two huge eyes glaring down on them and a loud, "WOO...WOO!" sound. "What a glorious evening!" Billy Barn Owl hooted.

"What makes you so happy, Mr. Owl?" Junior wanted to know. "Is Mr. Farmer kind to you too?"

"Oh indeed!" Mr. Owl cried. "He is so giving! He built nest boxes for us to live in. His field is a perfect place for us to find food. We never have to fear going hungry here. Mr. Alfalfa Farmer and his field take good care of us."

"He built us houses too!" eavesdropping, Buffy the Bat glided down and continued. "They are so comfy cozy! Also, his alfalfa field keeps us surviving with the millions of pests he invites our entire colony to feast on!"

Just then, a tall, slim, messy haired man came walking outside. It was Mr. Alfalfa Farmer! He had been sleeping on a bale of hay when Mr. Owl woke him up with all this hooting. He didn't mind though. He enjoyed visiting with the animals.

"Awe... what do we have here... a cute little kit fox. I've been waiting for you. I can see that your new friends have been telling you about the field." Mr. Farmer gently stroked his back. "Would you like to know some more interesting facts about this wonderful field?" The little fox wagged its tail, stared into the farmer's eyes and smiled.

"Well, it's one of the top three crops in the U.S. Without alfalfa, many farmers would fail. It has many good things that keep us healthy like protein, calcium, vitamins A, C, and K and more! Alfalfa has many benefits; we'll talk about them later. I know your father has been looking forward to taking you out tonight. Have fun little guy!"

The little fox was very happy to have met the farmer and the animals. He learned that the farmer's desire was to help make our environment a better place for all living things.