Last night I drove out to my friend, Lorna's, farm to deliver the pitchfork she lent to the theatre as a prop for "Comic Potential". I had perfect timing as she was just getting ready to start her evening feeding chores. I first walked with her into her new barn to feed the male goats. They were crying and wailing in a very vocal chorus that sounded almost human. She showed me how you can hold handfuls of corn and let them lick it out from between your fingers. She pointed out who was who, names and how they were related, as we gave them alfalfa. It was one of the cutest things to see them, seven at least, all lined up at the feeder chomping away. We did the same with the girls except this time, Lorna feeds them in the far pasture so she always has a large goat herd behind her which is particularly entertaining when she plays with them and runs. Next we headed to the old barn to check on the two male studs who stink because they pee on themselves. Lorna doesn't know why. Our next stop was the chickens which she will be selling half of and restocking with the ones growing in the next coop. Onto the pigs where I learned what the term, "squealing like a stuck pig" really means. They are LOUD!
Lorna and her family sell the goats, pigs, and hen's eggs and eat the rest themselves, though her girls won't eat the goats. I spent several years on a farm myself and saw a goat being born and a goat skinned. I was also in charge of feeding the cow, Bessy, and getting her back into her pasture when she got out, which she did on a regular basis. So a farm life is not new to me. I'm used to squeezing between the pasture gates and stepping in poop. It doesn't bother me. What did make me ask a question or two was how it felt to take care of an animal knowing it was going to end up on your plate. We didn't eat the animals we raised. She told me that is what they are there for, it is a way of life for her. She also treats them very well until they go off to be butchered and I saw that first hand myself. She treats them with dignity.
Last week I saw the movie, "Food Inc.". It is the most recent lesson I've been learning in "Where our Food Comes From". Do you know how many of our foods have corn in them? Nearly all the processed ones. Look on the ingredients! And those pictures of meat processing are burned into my eyes. They do not treat those animals with dignity. It was an interesting comparison to see videos of a large scale operation and then a small town farmer. I am still thinking about how this affects my own eating habits but between the two, I think God would prefer us to treat the animals we eat with care and dignity.
365-09 #219Labels: 365-09 Challenge