Farming with Heart

One thing was learned - we have a lot to learn.  The cows are curious, but very leary of anything new.  Anything at all.  So it may be awhile before either of us are the ones doing the milking.  But what a morning!  Vibrant blue sky and chilly air.  We rode on a trailer, towed behind the ancient red tractor George drives to the field every morning.  The girls were happy to be milked, and nearly ran to the milking pen when they spotted us rolling up the road. 

George and his wife, Celeste, are farmers with heart.  I think it takes heart to do what they do - stand in the middle of the modern agricultural current and stay their ground.  They are committed to farming in a way that respects.  Respect for their animals, respect for the land.  George began farming in 1976.  He grew up in the lowcountry, and that's why he is here.  But according to him, South Carolina is not the easiest place to farm.  Raising grass fed cows requires grass.  Which poses a real challenge in the winter.  The cows are supplemented on hay, and the lack of good grass cuts milk production by more than half.  But that is the way these farmers farm.  They milk the cows as they need to be milked.  They allow them to rest.  The cows are never pushed to produce mass amounts.  And for that reason, they are really quite lovey-dovey toward George.  Robert and I got a little of that love from the braver ones too.

Milk given by these cows is as nutrient rich as it can possibly be, and the fact that George and Celeste leave it raw means that it is absolutely wholesome, as God intended.  I can say that I loved it today, even if it was mostly observing.  And I'm excited to learn more.