Many of the cattle I get are scruffy-looking things that have never felt a human hand. So, all my cattle go through my "training course." If they pass, I'll sell them as backyard pets. Folks in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and California buy my tame cows, calves, and steers.
Farming is hard work but can be exciting and picturesque – especially for kids. Family farms are fewer these days, but plenty of grownups still cherish memories of sunny, sweaty summers amid crops and livestock.
Who doesn't love a day-old calf? You owe it to yourself to check out this cutie.
Twenty children (ages 8-14) have signed up for one of two weeks of calf snuggling, horse riding, and stall cleaning at Cow Camp at Miles Smith Farm, and we have room for more.
Back in the day, oxen and horses were the tractors for farmers. Teams were used to plow the fields, pull mowers to cut hay and pull cultivators to clear weeds from the gardens. After farm work, they became the engines to pull wagons to haul produce to market or take the family to church. Horses and oxen were the "horsepower" of choice.
Did you know that a staggering 98 percent of animal communication is through body language? Surprisingly, the figure for human nonverbal communication is 90 percent. So maybe the next time you meet an animal, don't talk so much.
