Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[Henrietta23]

Ok this isn't it but here are some working...

 

[Henrietta23]

Found it!

 

[Henrietta23]

Had a cool experience at Whole Foods today. The owner of a small popcorn company was there handing out samples. Now I'd already bought the popcorn when I found it at Big Y. Before I realized the guy wasn't a WF employee I said to DS, "Oh look, it's our favorite popcorn!" The guy just beamed, pulled of his food serving glove and shook my hand. We had a wonderful conversation about his corn and why we like it. I mentioned this forum and he was really interested. He had lots of traffic by his table and I heard lots of other people talking about how they are avoiding genetically modified food. It was all very uplifting. Here is the basic info. http://littlepops.com/product.html I'm not so much pushing the popcorn since I have no idea if it's available other than online outside CT. I really just wanted to share a feel good moment I had today!

 

[Farmfresh]

What great pics!! The calf picture is wonderful!!!

I will have to ask my friend for some pics of his team. They are HUGE cattle, but as gentle as lambs. They often use them for school and other youth education events and this year they are planning on doing the "Trail" with them and their Conestoga wagon.

Thanks for the popcorn link as well. I am just about out of the homegrown a relative gave me in '02 that STILL pops better than commercial corn.

 

[Farmfresh]

Here is their website. Grassy Ridge Oxen
They also sell a coloring book which is all about working oxen. Might be a nice gift for a certain kid in your life.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Just as I thought!

My friend who has the oxen team used to volunteer at Missouri Town which is a living history village in our area. He said that they use the Devons because of the long time connection between the breed and early pioneers in this country. The Devons are good foragers, calve easily, milk well and make great oxen. What more could a pioneer family ask for?

ok i'm sold... i need cows!

 

[Henrietta23]

I emailed OSV and they confirmed that they're Devons. The calves are something they call milking shorthorns.
I'm still working on DH on the goat issue. I'm close. If I had space I'd have a cow too! I love milk.....

 

[tamlynn]

Great pics! So green and pretty.

 

[Farmfresh]

The Milking Shorthorn is also a VERY old breed. There is a farm near my sisters house that specializes in raising them. They are very pretty cows with lots of roan and other colors in the breed.

Technically there are TWO different kinds of Shorthorn cattle, both related. One strain, the Milking Shorthorn was a dual purpose cow, much like the Devon. They even make good oxen as well. The second strain is called simply Shorthorn or sometimes the Durham. They were bred up as primarily a beef breed (or strain), more like a Hereford or Angus.

All of those old ag books I love to collect, talk a LOT about the Shorthorn. In the past it was a very important breed, but the HUGE milking breeds like the Holstein with their enormous milk production were the cow of choice for commercial enterprise, so old "less efficient breeds" like the Milking Shorthorn were left behind. After all who needs a good milk producer that can also raise a calf worthy of some good table beef these days??

Seeing those green pastures dotted with beautiful Milking Shorthorns in all of their beautiful colors and knowing their history, I use to dream of owning a herd of my own. Now days I am leaning more toward the Highlander or the Lowline. I think with my health issues a smaller cow makes more sense for me.

 

[Henrietta23]

The Milking Shorthorn is also a VERY old breed. There is a farm near my sisters house that specializes in raising them. They are very pretty cows with lots of roan and other colors in the breed.

Technically there are TWO different kinds of Shorthorn cattle, both related. One strain, the Milking Shorthorn was a dual purpose cow, much like the Devon. They even make good oxen as well. The second strain is called simply Shorthorn or sometimes the Durham. They were bred up as primarily a beef breed (or strain), more like a Hereford or Angus.

All of those old ag books I love to collect, talk a LOT about the Shorthorn. In the past it was a very important breed, but the HUGE milking breeds like the Holstein with their enormous milk production were the cow of choice for commercial enterprise, so old "less efficient breeds" like the Milking Shorthorn were left behind. After all who needs a good milk producer that can also raise a calf worthy of some good table beef these days??



Seeing those green pastures dotted with beautiful Milking Shorthorns in all of their beautiful colors and knowing their history, I use to dream of owning a herd of my own. Now days I am leaning more toward the Highlander or the Lowline. I think with my health issues a smaller cow makes more sense for me.

My friend Marion the Librarian has Highlands. I love hers but couldn't here. No space.
HOWEVER~~~~
I just talked to the receptionist at my vet's office. He has goats but I wasn't positive he did any large animal work so I figured I'd better find out. You know, just in case. So after telling Cindy that this might be the year it happens she says, "You do know Dr. Z has goats available." uhoh. He's got two young bucks and two young does, all Oberhaslis. Hmmm. I honestly think we could section off a part of the chicken coop, which really is the size of a large barn, reconfigure the roosting situation, kick the ducks back out to their complex and house two goats more than comfortably in there. We could add a pen on the front of the coop, separate from the chickens and ducks.

= 0 this really could be the year!!