I took it as feeling maybe a little too eager and not wanting to irritate new cow friends despite “come on over any time”. Is that like really anytime, or sometime in the future but same day may be weird,…nah, fuck it.
Legit, folks that are willing to invite you over to see livestock aren’t industrial farmers, they’re running their own. They wouldn’t invite you if it wasn’t a genuine any time offer given with an address only. If they give a phone # with it, that means to call ahead.
I have a cousin that owns and operates a small dairy farm. Dude is always open to visitors, though he warns people that he and the workers would just keep on keeping on while you pet the cows.
So few people really want to go and smell poo, while walking around, just to pet cows and see a working farm that it’s always a treat for him. Unless you’re a relative, because you get put to work lol. Hell, he’s put visitors to work too. Never anything major, but still.
The local elementary schools do a yearly visit for (iirc) 3rd and 6th grades, though on different days. He has a little section that’s essentially a petting zoo where he’ll move his friendliest critters for them to meet. There’s usually a few hens, one or two of the cows that are the most sedate, this one old sow he took in from someone that didn’t know how big pigs get, plus the farm cats running around.
They don’t get to milk cows by hand any more, too much liability; but my uncle that ran the place back when we were kids would let the older kids do it. He’d make the young’ns in the family do it.
But they get to sample fresh (not raw) milk, watch the milking machines work, “help” make cheese, even churn butter.
It’s his favorite day of the year.
What’s extra cool is the “retired” cows. Most of those girls are super chill. So, if you’re an adult, he’ll usually let you just wander around with them. Those cows are ridiculous. They’ll come up and rub their heads on you until you give them scritches. That’s where he pulls the most relaxed cows for the kids to pet. There’s this one that’s always following me around when I go there, until I get put to work lol. I can’t even remember how old she is, but she’s been around for a while, something like 12 years?
Mind you, not every cow retires like that. There’s an upper limit to how many a working farm can afford to feed and such before it isn’t realistic. But he keeps as many as he can.
I took it as feeling maybe a little too eager and not wanting to irritate new cow friends despite “come on over any time”. Is that like really anytime, or sometime in the future but same day may be weird,…nah, fuck it.
Legit, folks that are willing to invite you over to see livestock aren’t industrial farmers, they’re running their own. They wouldn’t invite you if it wasn’t a genuine any time offer given with an address only. If they give a phone # with it, that means to call ahead.
I have a cousin that owns and operates a small dairy farm. Dude is always open to visitors, though he warns people that he and the workers would just keep on keeping on while you pet the cows.
So few people really want to go and smell poo, while walking around, just to pet cows and see a working farm that it’s always a treat for him. Unless you’re a relative, because you get put to work lol. Hell, he’s put visitors to work too. Never anything major, but still.
The local elementary schools do a yearly visit for (iirc) 3rd and 6th grades, though on different days. He has a little section that’s essentially a petting zoo where he’ll move his friendliest critters for them to meet. There’s usually a few hens, one or two of the cows that are the most sedate, this one old sow he took in from someone that didn’t know how big pigs get, plus the farm cats running around.
They don’t get to milk cows by hand any more, too much liability; but my uncle that ran the place back when we were kids would let the older kids do it. He’d make the young’ns in the family do it.
But they get to sample fresh (not raw) milk, watch the milking machines work, “help” make cheese, even churn butter.
It’s his favorite day of the year.
What’s extra cool is the “retired” cows. Most of those girls are super chill. So, if you’re an adult, he’ll usually let you just wander around with them. Those cows are ridiculous. They’ll come up and rub their heads on you until you give them scritches. That’s where he pulls the most relaxed cows for the kids to pet. There’s this one that’s always following me around when I go there, until I get put to work lol. I can’t even remember how old she is, but she’s been around for a while, something like 12 years?
Mind you, not every cow retires like that. There’s an upper limit to how many a working farm can afford to feed and such before it isn’t realistic. But he keeps as many as he can.
Both, I don’t want to bug my cow friend but also what if they’re just a human trafficker and I may never see anyone I know ever again