I originally tried blogging this
topic as my first blog, but hadn’t quite figured out how blogspot worked and
posted it somewhere to moodle…where it has since disappeared. My post was
recorded after our field trip to Bruce’s farm, a trip that I found very eye
opening. I also captured cool pictures of Bruce’s herd, and of my first
high-tech milking experience. Before my visit to Bruce’s farm, I had only been
to one farm, and that was Common Thread. I remember seeing a cow at a petting
zoo once, and on my drives to Colgate, but aside from that, I had never had a
close encounter with the animal. I was amazed when we arrived at the farm and saw
the size of Bruce’s herd. I was even more shocked when I learned that Bruce
managed the farm with just his wife and a couple of workers.
When
discussing tasks on the farm, I was most taken aback with the aspect of
birthing cows. Bruce explained that every spring, he assists in delivering
hundreds of calves. The prospect of this seemed impossible to me. I could not
digest the amount of hours that would go into delivering and subsequently
handling hundreds of newborn cows. The incredible effort involved in this
process became even more apparent when Bruce detailed the amount of free time
he normally has left over. I specifically remember Bruce saying that he had not
gone to see a movie for seven years- and that he had last gone to the movies
for his anniversary. Additionally, Bruce revealed that he rarely travels
further than fifty miles from his property. The constant attention demanded by
running a cow farm prevents him from being absent for extended periods of time.
It seemed that Bruce’s life revolved
around running his farm, a commitment that I found extremely commendable.
Once again, I found myself thinking
the same thoughts that I often thought while farming: How do these people do
this every single day? In my opinion, farmers have one of the most difficult
jobs. Their job makes it almost impossible to go on vacation, and they have to
rely on intense, manual labor to make a living. Maybe it’s because I’m a girl
and am seriously lacking in the biceps department, but this life seems hard.
Bruce has to carry around hundreds of baby cows every year, and has to maintain
the dozens of acres that he owns. This job is never-ending, and is always
demanding.
Another thought that ran through my
mind (trust me, a very unexpected thought) was guilt toward my carnivorous
diet. I didn’t exactly feel this guilt when we pulled in and saw the cows; the
feeling arose during the milking session. I remember one of Bruce’s workers
directing dozens of cows into the milking rows. It was weirdly adorable how
compliment each cow was. They all quietly lined up in their designated spot,
and peacefully allowed the placement of suction cups on their utters without a
flinch. When I personally attached the suction cups, my cow stood there
patiently throughout the whole process. I began thinking about cows that were
raised only to be slaughtered for our own meals- and it felt horrible. I have
always been a meat eater and never really understood the prospect of being a
vegetarian until taking this class, and my visit to Bruce’s farm was probably the
first moment that I felt an understanding. This experience by no means
converted me to vegetarianism, but it certainly instilled an appreciation for
the animals we rely on for everyday meals.
Here are my images from the trip:
First time milking!!!!
^The herd.
