Today we went down to Woodburn with our friends Rafaela, Maya and baby Tobias to visit the farm where our beef came from last year. The farmer, Karen, grew up on a farm in Australia. She buys grass-fed cows from local farmers and then raises them for a while on her farm before selling the beef to people like us. We arrived at her farm on a rainy day and slogged across the pasture to the cow barn, admiring the chickens on the way. (Black sex-link hens are really striking... maybe I'll have to get one of those next). It was very muddy - I was glad I had tall rubber boots on. Melina was definitely not into the mud so I ended up carrying her over the worst parts. We met the two cows, Opal - and I can't remember the other one's name. Opal is very affectionate. (And she is not destined for anyone's freezer... at least not in the near future). She's pregnant (the father is a German bull) and due next month. We rubbed Opal's back for a while, checked out the milking barn and the hay bales, visited a calf named Lollipop and went back to the house to drink some Australian tea. All in all a fun adventure, although Melina hasn't taken to the farming life quite like I was hoping she would. Maybe when I start my goat farm...
Friday, February 26, 2010
A visit to the farm
Today we went down to Woodburn with our friends Rafaela, Maya and baby Tobias to visit the farm where our beef came from last year. The farmer, Karen, grew up on a farm in Australia. She buys grass-fed cows from local farmers and then raises them for a while on her farm before selling the beef to people like us. We arrived at her farm on a rainy day and slogged across the pasture to the cow barn, admiring the chickens on the way. (Black sex-link hens are really striking... maybe I'll have to get one of those next). It was very muddy - I was glad I had tall rubber boots on. Melina was definitely not into the mud so I ended up carrying her over the worst parts. We met the two cows, Opal - and I can't remember the other one's name. Opal is very affectionate. (And she is not destined for anyone's freezer... at least not in the near future). She's pregnant (the father is a German bull) and due next month. We rubbed Opal's back for a while, checked out the milking barn and the hay bales, visited a calf named Lollipop and went back to the house to drink some Australian tea. All in all a fun adventure, although Melina hasn't taken to the farming life quite like I was hoping she would. Maybe when I start my goat farm...
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2 comments:
You know, I think it's great that you know where your beef is coming from, but I don't think I want to meet my dinner. I think I'd not want to eat meat again. And I like meat... so a bit of denial is good for me I'm afraid.
Yes, it did give me pause. I really liked that cow Opal - she was so friendly and affectionate. And what is the difference between a friendly and affectionate cow, and a regular cow? Why would it be OK to eat one and not the other? Maybe our cow was friendly too. Anyway, the only conclusion I've come to is that unless I become a vegetarian, I'm going to eat beef occasionally. And I'd rather that beef come from a cow that has a happy and healthy life, rather than a miserable cow in a feedlot somewhere. You could also argue that buying a cow from a local farm like we did improves the lot of cows in general, since the farmer's success encourages her to buy more happy grass-fed cows (and encourages other farmers to raise them).
As for being in denial, I know what you mean, but on the other hand I do appreciate what I'm eating a lot more when I see where it comes from. We had hamburgers from Our Cow last night, and I felt more grateful to the cow than I did before I met her compatriots on the farm.
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