Welcome to the county of Devon with amazing green rolling hills, narrow hedge lined roads and the nicest people around! Devon is one of the counties of England where our dairy farming host lives. It is beautiful! We knew England was going to be wonderful, but our hosts and the beauty of this country impress and awe us everyday!
Julie and I arrived in Exeter on July 20 and were met by our fantastic hosts. It was immediately after arriving and driving down the road to the farm that Julie and I were able to take in the amazing greenery of the pastures and fields and the giant hedges that line the roads.
We started our first days with our new host surrounded by sweet, cute and wonderful Holstein cows and calves! We love good looking dairy animals! We have walked the milking cows, dry cows and small calves down and around back roads and along main highways to new paddocks and pasture. The hedges are amazing fences! We've never even had to chase an animal yet! The system here is fantastic for moving the girls and boys!
Julie and I have been out on the Kubota buggy checking the heifers and steers and enjoying the views from the bed of the gator. Julie is a rockstar milker and helps each morning! I've been busy with all the new baby calves and feeding and caring for them! I love baby calves!
One of our first days here, we were able to help fix fence! I was actually impressed with my hammer skills. Julie is always the best assistant, too and was busy handing the herdsman and I the tools. We also came across two men who thatch roofs working on a home in the nearby village. It was fantastic to go up on top of the roof, learn about thatching and see the work being done. Many houses in Devon, especially in and near this village, have thatched roofs. It's so incredible to see such a traditional craft still being used today in such a developed country as England.
While seeing and doing so much, we have the best company and host to share it all with us. The family on the farm consists of the Mom and Dad and two children, a son and daughter. The farm also has three employees who keep the farm running smoothly along with our hosts. This dairy and beef operation milks 100 to 150 cows and sells steers for meat. In addition, most of the grain and haylage is grown and harvested on the over 400 acres of land. The feed the family produces is fed right back to the animals they are raising.
It's amazing how similar agriculture is throughout the world. Here in England it is no different. The milking parlor is like those in the US, we have most of the same brands of tractors and Julie and I feel right at home doing all of the chores and tasks with the animals.
We've been able to do so much already since arriving in Devon and hope you enjoy all the updates to follow!
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| Milking cows headed down the road to milking. |
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| Feeding time! |
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| Babies enjoying supper! |
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| The cows and the milking parlor! Double 10! |
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| Julie working hard on the fence, trying to count the black and white girls. Brown cows are easier to see when trying to count them! |
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| Fixing fence and wielding a hammer! |
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| Down the road in the buggy! |
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| Grass for thatching! This is up on the house you can see in the photo above! |
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| Julie and the expert thatchers! |
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| View from the bed of the Kubota! |
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| Happy cows are in England, too! These dry cows are running to explore their new pasture! |
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| Julie tries to keep up with her massive wellies! |
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| Amazing blue skies and the greenest hills around! |
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| Sunset in Devon |
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