All summer I did a petting zoo at a local farmers market. It was the major draw to the event each week. Part of why I do it is to get people at least a tiny bit back in touch with agriculture. I do mean touch. I take very friendly animals and have the people come in the pen and pet, hug, kiss, follow around the animals. I take a couple of calves, sheep, goats, rabbits, and a mini horse. I try to educate people and tell them the other side to the activist bullcrap. I take a beef calf and a dairy calf. I show people that dairy bull calves are not all just killed at birth and they can live a great life upto the one bad day. I've taught children that most dairy cows would have horns if they had not been removed. Many people think if it has horns it is a bull but a cow is polled. I set them straight. I teach them that my wool sheep need to be shorn to be healthy. I take a hair lamb and a wool lamb. I take a meat goat (boer) and a pet type (pygmy). I try to explain to people that farmers dont abuse their animals as it cuts into the slim chance of profits to not do right by the animals. People seem so shocked that I can have 5 month old bulls with 2 year old kids petting them and the bull is just lying there chewing his cud. I do explain that they should not expect pasture cattle to be this docile so dont go into a pasture of cows you dont own it you might get smashed. Sometimes an animal, usually a calf or goat, will bash another animal. I give them an immediate correction. A few people look shocked but I do tell them that if I dont correct my 350 pound heifer then when she is 1200 she will think she is the boss cow and smash me. My point is that producers need to get into the community and try to get people back in touch in any way we can. Relate the animals to them. Teach them facts so they wont be so easily swayed by the activist nonsense. Example: I watched a crazy video a "rescue" group put out about a cow they rescued that was separated from its calf. They describe the calf as being so weak the next day when they "rescued " him that he was passing out. They kept saying he was near death from dehydration. So they open the trailer and a 5 month old Jersey steer comes out. As they are trying to lead him to the cow, he keeps doing the " jersey flop". I explain to people that the Jersey flop is like a temper tantrum that Jersey calves are famous for doing because they dont want to be led. He wasn't weak and dehydrated but just the opposite as he was strong enough to repeatedly tantrum. On another note. The Hereford momma must have had this one grafted onto her because genetics tells us a Hereford cow cant be the biological momma to a purebred Jersey calf. By explaining to people the problems with the activist claims, it makes them realize how the activist are lying to them about all of it. By the way, I had a Jersey there that demonstrated the Jersey flop.
