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Statements from famous people about cows:
Has anyone sung the song of the patient, calf-bearing, milk-flowing, cud-chewing, tail-switching cow?
Frank Lloyd Wright
The cow is the foster mother of the human race. From the day of the ancient Hindoo to this time have the thoughts of men turned to this kindly creature as one of the chief forces of human life.
William Dempster Hoard, 1885
The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other milk.
Ogden Nash, "The Cow" , 1930
The friendly cow, all red and white
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple-tart…"
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one!
“The Purple Cow”
F. Gelett Burgess, 1895
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| What is a scoop? A scoop is a small bit of information that is up to date, but not necessarily up to the minute. Twitter does that. Some of our scoops may seem more like a shovel full, but most will be simple and straightforward. |
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Cow Mathematics:
A cow's heart weighs about 5 pounds (2.25 kg) and pumps 400 pints (188 liters) of blood through the udder to produce one pint (.5 liters) of milk. That means nearly 10,000 pints of blood are pumped through a cow's udder daily to produce 3 gallons of milk.
Sprout Creek Farm cows produce between 5 and 10 gallons of milk per day. Can you calculate how many pints of blood are pumped through the udder to produce 10 gallons of milk?
That manure is the key to healthy organic soils, has been true for as long as earth has been able to support life forms both micro- and macroscopic. Here are some interesting factoids about this all important substance. You decide which wins the prize for producing the largest usable amount of this miracle substance. A cow weighing 1,000 lbs. or more will produce 12+ tons per year. A pig weighing 1,000 lbs. (mature weight) will produce 16+ tons per year. Approximately 200 five pound chickens will produce nearly 4.5 tons of manure per year! Sprout Creek Farm raises cows, pigs and chickens. We're rich. How about you?
How old is cheese? Before recorded history, that is, before cave etchings, we have little to inform us. We do know for certain that the domestication of cattle was first documented in 6,000 B.C. and that cheese was being made in 4,000 B.C. By the year 1,000 A.D. cheese was already an important article of trade in the cities of Europe – thanks in large part to monks in monasteries.
Scoop : Time to Harvest
After a long hot summer of farming and fun, it's time to harvest, and process our food for the winter. It's also time to finish harvesting our hay for the animals to eat in winter. Did you know that in the Northeast, if you take the 'eat local' slogan seriously, it takes 3 whole seasons to survive the 4th? Spring, to sprout, summer to grow, and fall to harvest. Winter takes all! The true test comes when days are lengthening and spring sprouts are…well, just that. And the pastures of plenty are only the sweet dreams of cows and goats. Think about it. But for now, we'll stave off the worry and celebrate the plenty. Cheers!
Scoop : Successful Summer Camp
Summer camp was a huge success and our happy campers had the run of the farm while learning to care for animals and plants, then enjoyed cooling down in the beautiful Sprout Creek after long hot days.
See Camp photos on facebook
Scoop : The weight of Cheese
A gallon weighs 8.6 pounds. Did you know that it takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese? Now you can figure out how much milk it takes to make a 12 pound wheel of your favorite
Batch 35 cheese!
Scoop : The "Digital" Farm
Watch our website for updates, read our e-letter, check in on facebook for new program offerings for children and adults starting this Fall.
Stay tuned! |
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