By STEVE NOVAK

Herald Staff Writer

WANTAGE — Chances are, millions of Russians will soon learn what it's like to milk a Sussex County Holstein.

That's only part of the plan for Colesville resident Jon Alpert, an Emmy-winning documentary maker who is hosting a group of Russian television journalists over Labor Day weekend.

By-Acres Dairy Farm gave four of the Russian journalists and a translator a tour of the farm Friday afternoon as part of the "reporting exchange" program set up by several independent media groups.

"Where else (but) in America could some kids who have never driven before be given the chance to drive a multi-ton, several thousand dollar piece of equipment?" Alpert asked, laughing as he watched the tractor driven by the young journalists rumble up the driveway.

For the afternoon, Alpert carried around a camera recording the life-on-the-farm lessons while the journalists traded off using a second camera. The Russians interviewed farm owner Rich Byma, while he described the business of farming. The journalists took particular interest in that, because farmers in Russia do not own their land.

The rest of the time, Henry Byma — Rich Byma's son — showed the journalists around the farm as they documented each other milking cows for the first time and taking a tractor out for a spin.

"You can't be afraid of getting dirty!" Henry Byma told them throughout the afternoon.

Alpert — whose work include HBO's recent "Baghdad E.R." — is the co-director of the New York-based Downtown Community Television Center which, with its partners Internews Russia and Internews Network, has set up the "The Russians Are Coming" program.

"This is a chance for (Russians) to learn about America," Alpert said. "They also brought a film about life in Russia for us to see."

The goal of the program is to foster understanding between cultures.

"As (the journalists) learn about us, millions of Russians will learn about us," Alpert said. "There is a big multiplier effect having them be TV reporters."

Five journalists — Yulia Karetskaya of Nizhiy Novgorod; Ksenia Cherepanova of Krasnoyarsk; Andrey Fedorov of Irkutsk; Maxim Voronin of Tomsk; Tatiana Borisova of Sergiev Posad (who was not present at the farm) and translator Olga Kravtosva of Moscow — were selected by Alpert for the program after he gave a seminar on independent media. All five, three women and two men, are reporters for independent media sources scattered throughout Russia.

"I appreciate people who take reporting seriously, who take risks to get information out," Alpert said. "We have enough fighting and wars. They only thing that is going to help is understanding."

The Russians arrived in the United States Aug. 20 and have been touring the eastern regions of the country by bus to get an idea of what American life is like. They arrived in New York and traveled to smaller towns such as Hamburg, Pa., and Whitesburg, Ky. to learn about small town businesses and culture. However, the most memorable experience for some of the group came in New Orleans, where they attended the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall.

Voronin called the city "beautiful" and "spiritual." Karetskaya said, "In New Orleans, people celebrate life. They are very strong."

After New Orleans, the group came to Sussex County to learn about rural America — and to have a little fun on the farm.

The journalists are scheduled to celebrate Labor Day in Bridge Hampton, N.Y., before departing for home on Tuesday. On Friday, it seemed that the visiting journalists have seen a positive picture of American life. "Every place was very interesting," Kravtosva said. "Americans are very friendly. They say 'Hi' on the street. Russians are also that way, but you don't always see it."

Alpert, who lives close to the Byma's farm, said that he is "happy to show off the best America has to offer."