Farm Workers Speak
Emily Miller (Chicago,
IL)
Student Work Committee Barn Supervisor |
"Barn is concrete. You see the
results immediately and you know why you are doing it. It is a nice change
from abstract classes. The barn is always active. Its continuity is a piece
of the real world."
"The work on the farm and in the
barn is an enlightening experience, it makes me more aware and more grounded
as a human being.
"I am probably not going to be
a farmer, but I will be able to talk semi-intelligently about cows."
"It was hard to get up early
for am barn (especially in the winter), but once you were in the barn it
was very calming ... a good experience and a different pace from the rest
of the day."
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| "We feel really strongly that
it is a huge part of students' education. Both learning how to use a shovel,
how to work as a group and how to take care of animals."
"I think that there of lots
of different skills that come into play just by being in the barn, just
by working, just by having a real life experience."
"It has nothing really to do with
getting the manure out of the barn, which would happen one way or another.
This is all about empowerment and making students feel accomplished."
"For a lot of kids it's something
they really enjoy doing. One of the things about Putney is that
everybody can find their niche. They can be in the music wing or down in
the sculpture studio or in the barn."
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Margie
Levine (Westminster, VT)
Farm Staff
Member |
Dabney Alix
(Windham, NH/Bivalve, MD)
Sudent PM Barnhead |
"You quickly get over the dirty
details of working in the barn, they become meaningless, when at the end
you feel good and satisfied about the job."
"Barn is my favorite thing in
the day. Other students may look forward to a free block, I look forward
to afternoon barn chores all day."
"It is a system worth knowing
about. The cowbarn is a constant cycle of input and output, a turnover
of cows and milk."
"I love milking best of all, you
interact directly with the cows and race with them to keep up with their
flowing milk."
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"I like mucking and doing gutters -- the direct shoveling and hard work. Shoveling cow manure builds muscles. I like milking, too, but it can be stressful because you really need to know when the cow is done."
"The end of chores depends on how well the crew works together. Sometimes the cows are scattered in the barn and it can take a while to get the cows all locked in."
"When you have an 8:00 am class you really have to juggle things to get done with milking, have breakfast, and get to class on time. It can be hectic, but that is part of life here."
"The farm work has gotten me really interested in agriculture and sciences. I like to study indigenous agriculture and the relationship between it and culture -- ethnobiology."
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Jonathan Boyd (Memphis, TN)
Sudent Barn
Worker |
Charlie Israel
(SaratogaSprings, NY)
AM Barnhead |
"The closest I ever came to a
cow before I got to Putney was driving by one on the highway."
"This is the third time that I
am doing am barn for a trimester assignment. I obviously love it.
I feel like I am part of the process, not only as a consumer, but also
as a producer, thereby contributing to society."
"It is a unique way to start the
day. Working like this gets everything moving and lets you accomplish
clear tasks."
"Farm work teaches you the value
of manual labor."
"I like anything but feeding.
Feeding is more divorced from handling the cows. I love milking,
it is a real challenge. It takes more skill, you need to know for example
how to manipulate the udders."
"Farm and barn work is a life
transforming experience for me. I am applying to Cornell Agriculture School.
I never thought about where food came from, now it has become part of me.
I need to have that there. I want to be a link between production and consumption
and live the whole cycle."
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