Precious Pets: “Roo: Farmhouse sheep with a down-under
attitude.”
For those
of you who have a favorite wool Christmas sweater or enjoy warm wool socks on a
cold snow-drenched morning, Roo wants to tell you that she’s happy she can
help. As a Columbian sheep, the four-month-old Roo is known for the high
quality that her wool provides with each haircut she has.
So how does
a sheep known for its extremely soft wool get a name like Roo? It all happened
when one of the Bowers Farm student volunteers noticed that Roo wasn’t moving
through the pen like all the other sheep. Roo moves with quick little hops in
between some of her steps. With all of her excited hopping the student couldn’t
help but draw the connection to the Australian marsupial.
Besides hopping around the yard,
Roo has also gained some popularity in the petting farm department. Roo’s soft
and gentle wool has made her a favorite and has also earned her a regular spot
on the Bowers Farm travelling programs. When Roo visits a school or library,
the “do not touch” rules of an antique china shop do not apply as she happily
invites all the children to pet and brush her wool.
Precious Pets: “Cora: The Prettiest one of all”
It was
during one of the Charles. L. Bowers School Farm volunteer programs that Cora
the Alpine Goat got her name. Like all kid goats on the farm, Cora was being
fed through a bottle by one of the farms many student volunteers. As Cora
proceeded to feed, the student thoughts couldn’t help but notice the unique
color blend that Cora’s coat had.
Drawing the connection to the color of undersea Coral, the student named
the hungry kid goat Cora.
Kid goats on
the whole are the comedians of the barnyard. Playful and energetic, visitors to
the Bowers School Farm will often find the kid goats jumping over each other in
order to be the first to greet any new visitors.
Cora too, loves to be around
people, but the reason for her playful friendliness might surprise you. Since
all kid goats are fed by humans out of bottles, they see humans as mother
figures. It only takes one interaction with Cora to realize that she isn’t the
type of child to disobey a mother, which is a good thing because next Cora will
become a mother herself. Warm and gentle, Cora has become one of the favorites
of the Bowers School Farm.
Precious Pets: “ Latte: Bowers Farm’s ‘leading lady’”
Like any
good personality, Latte’s presence can be heard even before she enters the
room. With a color blend as rich-chocolate-brown as your favorite Starbucks
order, Latte’s important status on the farm is marked (and heard) by the bell
she proudly wears on her collar. In a herd, every member has its own role and
Latte’s bell tells the other goats that she is not only the oldest but also the
leader. Nearly eight years old, Latte doesn’t just accept the attention she
gets as leader but rather embraces it.
Not the
type to shy away from visitors and the cameras, many on the farm compare Latte
to a starlet from the days of old Hollywood. New and regular visitors to the
farm will often find that Latte is always the first one to greet you as if to
tell you that, “I’m ready for my close-up.”
Latte’s
fame hasn’t gone to her head though; she still knows what it means to be a
contributor in the production farm system. As an Alpine goat, Latte has the
responsibility of being a milking goat, a task that she performs by providing
nearly 1 whole gallon of goat’s milk per day. For being so good at what she
does Latte is often rewarded with her favorite food—a juicy red tomato. Any
doubts about her loud personality are dismissed with her tomatoes, as she
uniquely will put the whole fruit in her mouth and treat herself with a single
bite.
Precious Pets: “Mack: The Hardworking Horse from the Mitten”
One look at
the Michigan shaped patch between Mack’s eyes and it’s no surprise that Mack is
short for Mackinac. A 19-year-old Belgian Draft Horse from Holland, MI, Mack
arrived at the Bowers School Farm five years ago.
2,000
pounds heavy with the foot size of a dinner plate, Mack makes up one-half of
the Bowers Farm draft horse team, or better yet draft horse family. Mack’s
partner is his half-brother Jack, but they might as well go by yin-and-yang.
While Jack is more similar to a lazy couch potato, Mack is more of a hard
worker. But its their opposite behavior that makes them such a good team.
In order to equally distribute the weight of
the hayride wagon they pull during the autumn season, both Mack and Jack must
walk to the same pace and stride. When Jack decides to take a few plays off,
Mack lets him have it with a quick head bump and long stare. Mack’s not perfect
either though; Jack will let him know in the same tough-love way when Mack is
moving too fast. Without a single spoken
word, each brother lets the other know what needs to be done.
Anyone who’s visited the farm for a
hayride or fieldtrip knows Mack for the unmistakable Michigan patch on his
forehead but if it were up to Mack he’d want to be known more for his work
ethic.
Precious Pets: “Spike: Herding Dog/Crowd Pleaser”
Owned by
Holly Glomski, Manager of the Charles L. Bowers School Farm, Spike is a
seven-year-old Border Collie. His name might sound rough-and-tumble, but as a herding
dog Spike is more brain than he is brawn. Although herding is somewhat
teachable, the very best herders rely on their natural intellect and instinct
and coming from a family of herders Spike is a natural.
Everyday Spike fights the morning
traffic grind with Holly and clocks in at the school farm. Visitors to the farm
can see Spike leading packs of goats and sheep through the fields and paths,
circling the herd to group them together or stopping ahead of them as if to
say, “Hault!”
He may be stern with the sheep but
when he’s “off-duty” Spike dabbles in the trick department. Whether he’s
flipping milk-bones off his nose and into his mouth, playing dead or practicing
his manners with a friendly handshake, Spike’s tricks are loved by all. Driving
back-and-forth to work with Holly everyday Spike’s fame may be going to his head
as Holly thinks that Spike sometimes sees her as a personal chauffer to farm.
Don’t quit your day job Spike; there will be no one to herd the animals!
No comments:
Post a Comment