A Tribute to Charlie Paul

Charlie Paul, a retired teacher and long time resident of White Plains, N.Y. contracted the "farm bug" a few years ago and has since introduced himself to virtually every dairy farmer in Dutchess County, N.Y. About three years ago Charlie arrived here one day just wanting to ask some questions and talk about his experiences of farming when he was young. He asked if he could be of any help to us.

Since then, Charlie spends long solitary hours on various tractors haying and brush hogging fields. That's where he does his thinking he says — serious stuff, you know. But when he comes in the barns with his broad smiles and his infectious sense of humor, you'd think he hadn't a care in the world.

Charlie got to know every dairy within a 50 mile or more radius, soaking in the learning of centuries through the stories and experiences of farmers, their memories of their fathers, grandfathers, some anecdotal material going back almost 200 years when their farms were started. The more Charlie learned, the more we learned. Charlie has become a true source of encouragement for us at Sprout Creek, who do not have the accumulated knowledge of farming brought down to us from generations of people on the land. Charlie shares with us all he harvests from his numerous farmer friends.

A couple of months ago, Charlie got an idea about a gift for Sprout Creek Farm. He searched high and low, consulted with all his farmer friends and after weeks of deliberation, made the choice. Charlie bought the very pricey, very beautiful Jersey, Dunkirk's Dessert #815. She was checked for pregnancy, vaccinated, trimmed, and brought to Sprout Creek Farm! Today she may bring her little calf into the cold world of the first October Nor'easter in recent history.

Charlie has terminal cancer. He's been "terminal" for a couple of years, is missing some parts that I didn't know you could live without, and by all accounts of doctor after doctor, should be pushing up alfalfa by now. But Charlie just got off the tractor smiling despite the bracing wind today.

Charlie's gift to Sprout Creek Farm is the best gift a farm could ever hope to receive. She'll live on for many years, producing many calves and from the looks of that perfect udder, lots of creamy Jersey milk. But she'll be known forever more as Elsie, because Charlie remembers, as do I (and very few others around here), Elsie the Borden's cow.

How do we thank Charlie?  

— Margo Morris, rscj
Director, Sprout Creek Farm