Retirement, Farm Style

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It’s been a year since Bruce and I closed the Miles Smith Farm store, but we still have a small herd of 18 cattle. I’m not retiring from farming; I’ve just changed how we farm. We’ve given up the heartbreak of raising beef cattle for sale. I still eat meat and process cattle from our herd, but only when I have to.

My retirement focus is training working steers and oxen, and the children who want to work with them. Raising cattle for slaughter doesn’t require that we get to know them. But training cattle to work in a yoke is different. Training isn’t about domination; it’s about gaining the animal’s trust.

For example, our two elderly Scottish Highland steers are gentle giants with majestic horns that sweep to the sky. At 2,000 pounds each, it would be impossible to use force on them. They have learned to trust me, and I trust that they won’t impale me with those horns. Both follow voice commands and walk calmly with me, more obedient than most dogs. If they didn’t, there is no way I could control them with a puny lead rope.

Two of my teams were in my beef herd, but because of their gentle, calm natures, they are being trained to be working steers. Size matters, and a team should be similar in height, but I also like my teams to be the same color. One pair is solid black, and the other is chestnut.

Calves, even with the best of care, can die after birth, so I cut back my breeding herd and now buy calves from Matty, owner of Huckins Dairy Farm in New Hampton. Because Huckins is a dairy farm, calves are born all year. I only buy the males because the females have a future as milk cows. The males are usually raised for beef. As working steers, the calves I buy can look forward to long lives as living-history reenactors. The older calf team, named Ben and Jerry, competed in the 2025 Sandwich Fair, and the other team, named Pip and Merry (from Lord of the Rings), will be ready to compete next year. Win or lose, it’s great fun.

So that’s my ideal retirement. Working with what I love, cattle, at the pace I want to.

Now, all that’s lacking is membership in a Thursday Murder Club. There’s one in a movie in which elderly professionals use their learned life skills to solve murders. It’s an excellent movie and an appealing concept.

So, here’s my ideal recipe for retirement:

1. Care for two elderly Highland steers (Finn and Curious Bleu)—for my soul.

2. Train calves to be oxen—for my enjoyment.

3. Take afternoon naps—for my health.

4. Join a Thursday Murder Club—for my mind.

Given that there isn’t any real-life Thursday Murder Club, I guess my retirement is as good as it gets.

If you’d like to visit my farm and meet Curious Bleu and Finn or my delightful herd of calves, CLICK Here to schedule an appointment. They will love to see you, especially if you bring carrots.

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Besides training cattle, Carole helps dogs train their humans to be calm, consistent leaders.