Talk about happy cows … At Graywall Farms in Lebanon , the cows are misted to keep them cool , and when they’re milked , they stand on rubberized mats . They also get to decide when they want to be milked .

These are a few things visitors learned about one of the six local farms that make up the Farmer’s Cow dairy company during the first of a series of tours of the company’s farms , on June 13 .

There was a steady stream of visitors , which was good news for the farm’s operators , Robin Chesmer and his son , Lincoln . It was a chance to teach people about how much work goes into producing milk and to let them sample some of the Farmer’s Cow products .

Since the company launched about six yearsago , it has branched out into other products , including half-and-half cream , eggs and what they’ve dubbed “ the Farmer’s Daughters’” beverage – cider and iced tea . On Saturday , visitors also were treated to samples of the newest product , an iced tea-lemonade combo .

The main attraction , though , was the cows . Graywall Farms has about 400 dairy cows , mostly Holsteins and 280 calves .

Children approached the cows as they munched on feed and squealed when they realized it was okay to pat their heads .

Two-year-old Juliette was especially curious about the cows – and everything else about the farm – and sometimes had to be corralled by her parents .

“ Some of the information is more complicated than they can understand , but I explain things to them , ” said their father , Francois Courtin .

Originally from France , he and his family moved to Storrs about two yearsago . Being a veterinarian working for the University of Connecticut makes it a little easier to explain things to his children , he said .

The adults on the tour had plenty of questions for Lincoln Chesmer , who led one of the tours and outlined the entire process – beginning with the feed grown on the farm and ending with how manure is safely processed .

Beth Bergsten of Andover – who carried her sleeping grandchild along the tour – said that while she’s no stranger to farms , the tour gave her some new insights into dairy farming . “ It was a nice tour , and some of this was new to me – it’s not stuff youhear about everyday , ” she said .

For example , Chesmer stressed the importance of what cows eat and noted that a nutritionist visits the farm once a week to monitor the animals’ wellbeing .

“ You’re not really feeding the cow … What you’refeeding are the microbes in the rumen , ” he said , referring to one of the four chambers that make up a cow’s stomach . ( Contrary to popular belief , a cow doesn’t have four stomachs , but does have four sections – the rumen , reticulum , omasum and abomasums . )

He added that what a cow eats affects the quantity and taste of the milk produced .

Graywall Farm’s cows produce about 150 pounds of milk a day – and are milked four times a day .

Rather than being herded into the milking facility , the cows decide when they want to be milked . Since pressure builds up as they produce milk , they actually enjoy the relief of being milked , Chesmer said .

He also explained how cows are rotated between three barns , including one where cows are allowed to rest for two months . Without a resting period , “ youwill milk the meat off their backs , ” Chesmer said .

There will be more opportunities to learn about dairy farming this summer as other Farmer’s Cow farms open their doors for tours including Hytone Farms in Coventry , from noon to 3 p . m . on July 11 ; Cushman Farms in Lebanon , from noon to 3 p . m . on Aug . 1 ( this tour includes a corn roast ); and Fort Hills Farms in Thompson , from 2 to 5 p . m ., on Aug . 29 ( including a mini-corn maze ) .

More information about The Farmer’s Cow is available at www . thefarmerscow . com .