Education: Great Brooke State Park Farm

       At Great Brook Farm, we had the chance to take a tour of an organic dairy farm. There, we were able to take a tour of the farm and learn the history of the farm and the land surrounding it. Going in to the visit we were suspicious of what we might find at the farm where the cows were permanently kept under the roof of a barn. However, when we got there we became enamored by the picturesque view of the pond, chickens roaming the grounds freely and the natural feel of the farm—all very different than what we expected from prior research.

       We became even more enthralled with the animals when we began our tour. Curious cows met us at the gate as we listened to Greg, the Park Interpreter, recite the history of Great Brook Farm and explain to us in colorful detail the operation of the farm. Greg explained many of the farming practices and why they created a better environment for the cows while also producing higher amounts of milk than ever produced historically. The new horizontal silo technology, automatic milking machine, and specialized diets for the cows were particularly impressive. After looking at the cows with our own eyes we did not see any discomfort or illness from the cows—outside the badly cut hoof of one cow. Clearly the owners and operators invested a lot of thought, time, money, and energy into the quality of life for these cows on the farm—while they were producing milk.

       While the animals we saw seemed content with their lives at that moment, there was also a feeling that something was not quite right. Newborn calves were kept away from their mother and bottle-fed, any bulls were turned into steer after a year or two of growth, and old cows past their ability to produce new calves were mysteriously sent off to become beef. Great Brook farms is certainly a far-cry from the mass factory-produced beef and chicken farms that we’ve seen in harrowing documentaries, but it still left us with a few questions: How much do we really need to cater to animals in order for us to feel confident that they had a high quality of life before we used them for their products? How do we know that the food we consume has gone through a process that we find ethical/moral? Where do we draw the line between pet and food?

- Theron "Square" Mercadel II