Making Hay

Hard Work and Healing

 

by Michelle Waffner

One of the unique things about Farm Sanctuary is the educational experience we offer people as they meet our rescued farm animals. Each of these animals is an ambassador for the others of his or her species who have not made it to sanctuary, and every one has a name and a personal story. People are justifiably moved when they hear about what some of our farm animals have endured before being rescued, and they are often changed by the opportunity to meet an animal face to face.

Each day during our tour season (starting May 1 in New York and May 8 in California), people come and get to know the animals and they learn about factory farming and its impact on the animals, the environment and human health.

But even when we're not open for general tours, there's lots of activity, and this past weekend was no exception. We had two different and very special groups, and who they are and what they did while they were with us speaks volumes to Farm Sanctuary’s work. 

On Saturday, we had our monthly volunteer work party, and a group of students from the Penn State Vegetarian Club traveled up for their bi-annual excursion to help us get the visitor center ready for tour season and to work on the sanctuary grounds. The club makes the trek every semester, and this is the fifth time Rusty, the club’s president and co-founder, has made the trip.

The other co-founder is a former Farm Sanctuary intern, and for the last several years, some of the students have participated in the annual Walk for Farm Animals in State College. This past winter, the club hosted Gene Baur for a talk and book signing. (One of the students I talked with was still excited when she shared that Gene signed her book for her!) After Penn State asked Gene to speak, he received several other local invitations. So, the Penn State Vegetarian Club effectively helped us reach many people in the region.

The students braved a cold night of rustic camping in a nearby state forest to help us, and they were indeed a bunch of stalwart - and pragmatic - souls. When asked why they decided to come, most answered that they really enjoyed the hard work and the ability to immediately see the impact of their labor. We can't thank them enough, and we look forward to their visit in the fall.

It was serendipitous that the Penn State students and other wonderful volunteers joined us on Saturday, because the next day we hosted another special group, and when they arrived the place was spiffed up and ready for them.

More than 40 people who attended an academic conference on animal studies at SUNY Cortland over the weekend traveled to Farm Sanctuary to put a face on some of the issues they work on. Many were college professors, others were students, still others were interested and active in animal issues and working for change.

Many had lectured or written about downed animals, but had never before met a cow who had been left for dead at a stockyard restively chewing her cud or a rescued layer hen taking a dust bath in the sunshine on a warm spring day. They had never seen the physical scars inflicted by factory farming, evident on debeaked hens and detoed turkeys. And, they certainly had not had the opportunity to offer up belly rubs to the delighted squeals of our resident pigs. These visitors went back to their lives with the first-hand knowledge that Farm Sanctuary is actively and energetically working toward compassion and change for farm animals, and that we offer lifelong safety to those we rescue.

They also experienced the transformative nature that a visit here can often have for people - a wonderful complement to the intellectual intensity of an academic conference.

"It was the perfect ending to the weekend," one of our guests said. "I'd never had the opportunity to meet farm animals even though I work on animal issues, so this was a truly healing experience for me as a human being. Knowing that this is here, it gives me hope."

Top photo: Penn State Vegetarian Club volunteers

Sweet Summertime

By Gene

We’re in the middle of summer here in the Finger Lakes region of rural New York, amidst bustling farmer’s markets and peaceful “pick your own” orchards and fields, which exemplify Earth’s bounty and the simple beauty of eating plants instead of animals. In the evening fireflies trail across the landscape, and at sunrise, hummingbirds (who had migrated from Mexico) begin their rounds, collecting nectar. It’s a beautiful time of year in this part of the world.

Last weekend, I attended Farm Sanctuary’s Country Hoe Down in Watkins Glen, NY where people pitched tents and camped out, enjoyed great vegan food and time with the animals, listened to inspiring and informational presentations, and danced and communed around the campfire late into the night. It is a joyful, welcoming event, and the feeling of community is palpable. Some Hoe Down attendees were longtime vegans. Others were not, though I hope and suspect many will eat fewer (or no) animal foods after their Hoe Down experience.

The hundreds of chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, cows, and other animals living at Farm Sanctuary represent and “speak” for the less fortunate members of their species who remain locked up in factory farms. We can connect directly with these cherished individuals living at Farm Sanctuary, and then remember the billions of animals who will never know a peaceful sanctuary, feel the warm sunshine, breathe fresh air, or experience human kindness.

Farm Sanctuary is a place of hope, where vegan is normal, and visitors are inspired to live conscientiously. Of course, the best thing each of us can do to make a difference for animals, as well as ourselves and the planet, is to adopt a vegan lifestyle, and eat food from plants instead of animals. And there is no better time to start than in the sweet summertime.

Independence Day

By Gene

This July 4th, Farm Sanctuary will be hosting our annual Pignics in Orland, California and Watkins Glen, New York where visitors will have a chance to try meatless hotdogs and other vegan treats, and to meet rescued farm animals. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has sent out a press release warning consumers to be careful about pathogens in meat. "Safe food handling is always important, but during peak grilling season in the warm summer months, there needs to be an increased awareness of safe food handling practices," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Of course, eating plants instead of animals is a good way to reduce the risk of contamination since plants don’t produce fecal pathogens.

Hopefully you can come to a Farm Sanctuary Pignic, but if not, please think about bringing a Pignic to your town by hosting a vegan event for July 4th, or by bringing veggie dogs, veggie burgers, veggie chicken patties, veggie skewers, etc. to other festivities. In 1776, American revolutionaries resolved to throw off the tyranny and exploitation of their overlords. Today, we can make a statement against factory farming and the cruel exploitation of the animals raised for food by declaring our independence from eating animal products.