Ep 074: Andrew Van Ord: Olly Olly Oxen Free
08/03/20 • 46 min
Backyard Green Films is on the route home on the Great American Cattle Drive 2020, with another 2,000-odd miles to go. As it happened, we recorded this episode from the banks of the Mississippi River, only an hour from Pepin, Wisconsin. Some of you might know that spot as the original starting point for Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved Little House books. Her adventure with a wagon pulled by oxen was much more difficult than ours should be, and any kind of of journey is a big idea to tackle. But pioneer girls had to be tough in those days, and apparently that characteristic still lives in the spirit of the American girl.
Our podcast today is with Andrew Van Ord, of Ox Hill Devon Farm in northwestern Pennsylvania. He breeds Milking Devons, makes equipment for oxen, and passes on the family skill set — driving (oxen) — right on into the next generation. Andrew was the last of our American Milking Devon Cattle Association interviews on this trip, and he helped us to get a new perspective on what it meant to be a teamster, the outside-the-standard-box uses for cattle in all kinds of pulling adventures, and where he thinks it might go in the future. And he practices what he preaches. When we got to the farm, Andrew’s daughter Lily — and her little heifer — were already up and working to pull a tire up and down the gravel road in front of the farmhouse, with a stubborn fortitude and a pioneer spirit that was hard to miss. Who says a girl (and a heifer) can’t play the same game as the big boys (steers)?
As we leave the banks of the Mississippi River, and drive our own little wagon westward, we are grateful for reminders of the past, the ability to live in the present, and the possibilities for the future. And the reminder that they can often live in one place, if we let them.
Westward, ho!
Links:
www.oxhilldevons.,ocom
www.milkingdevons.org
Backyard Green Films is on the route home on the Great American Cattle Drive 2020, with another 2,000-odd miles to go. As it happened, we recorded this episode from the banks of the Mississippi River, only an hour from Pepin, Wisconsin. Some of you might know that spot as the original starting point for Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved Little House books. Her adventure with a wagon pulled by oxen was much more difficult than ours should be, and any kind of of journey is a big idea to tackle. But pioneer girls had to be tough in those days, and apparently that characteristic still lives in the spirit of the American girl.
Our podcast today is with Andrew Van Ord, of Ox Hill Devon Farm in northwestern Pennsylvania. He breeds Milking Devons, makes equipment for oxen, and passes on the family skill set — driving (oxen) — right on into the next generation. Andrew was the last of our American Milking Devon Cattle Association interviews on this trip, and he helped us to get a new perspective on what it meant to be a teamster, the outside-the-standard-box uses for cattle in all kinds of pulling adventures, and where he thinks it might go in the future. And he practices what he preaches. When we got to the farm, Andrew’s daughter Lily — and her little heifer — were already up and working to pull a tire up and down the gravel road in front of the farmhouse, with a stubborn fortitude and a pioneer spirit that was hard to miss. Who says a girl (and a heifer) can’t play the same game as the big boys (steers)?
As we leave the banks of the Mississippi River, and drive our own little wagon westward, we are grateful for reminders of the past, the ability to live in the present, and the possibilities for the future. And the reminder that they can often live in one place, if we let them.
Westward, ho!
Links:
www.oxhilldevons.,ocom
www.milkingdevons.org
Previous Episode
Ep 073 Hi-Ho The Dairy-O, The Farmer Is The Dales (Freiers, that is)
We're still GACD - Great American Cattle Drive, that is.
Today, we'll bring you a visit with a family that we think is peachy keen, absolutely fabulous, and the cat's meow (and yes, there were cats there, too). Three generations of the Freier Family hosted us for a delightful morning at Every Season Farm, learning about life on a dairy farm (and mini science lab) in the rolling hills of Seneca Falls, New York.
With the patriarch starting the milk jug rolling, and a pediatrician and an E.R. physician in the next generation, it's no wonder that the third generation of Freiers wowed us with their current progress and future potential in both agriculture and science. Two budding veterinarians, a potential agricultural engineer and a future ag law environmental specialist bustled about in the milking barn while we grilled (interviewed) Dr. Dale (Jr.).
The whole family has "truly likeable overachiever" written all over them. While we were there we were treated to a draft display by two teams and two Frieres and a grant writing discussion from a lad young enough to have recently received his driver's license. We learned that there is the intellectual equivalent of a "poultry bowl" Jeopardy! competition, at which one Freier excelled (humble though he was about it). A blue-ribbon bunch all around, and not just with the Virginia State Fair and showing their Milking Devons. We will definitely have a Part 2 Podcast of this get-together, but...
After all that, we felt it was important to cover the "milking" part of "Milking Devons," and this was the perfect place to do it. Dr. Dale and his intrepid crew are in the midst of studies on the output, content and nutritional values in the milk they gather, and the information might just bring some interesting insights into variances of production due to genetic diversity, even within a single breed.
We hope you enjoy listening to the hustle and bustle of a milking barn, filled with kids, kittens, cows and camaraderie. What a joyous time we had.
P.S.
Got Milking Devon?
Links:
www.everyseason.farm
www.milkingdevons.org
www.livestockconservancy.org
Next Episode
Ep 075 The Oregon Trail: You have died of Cholera. Or Heat. Or Sturgis.
Rick, Elara, Little Mule (newly named car) and Bessie (not-quite-newly named trailer) are nearly home after almost 6 weeks on the road on the Great American Cattle Drive 2020. After a quick detour across historic Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California, they have decided that they definitely have the good life travelling in the modern age. Especially with air conditioning.
The Oregon Trail. The California Trail. The Mormon Trail. The Bozeman Trail. The Pony Express Trail.
At least this time Elara didn’t eat it halfway across, due to Cholera (all of you 70’s and 80’s gamers got that one, we’re sure).
Links:
https://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/maps.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platte_River
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/photo/trails-west/ https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/oregon-trail-ruts http://milkingdevons.org/ https://classicreload.com/oregon-trail.html
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/agri-culture-35830/ep-074-andrew-van-ord-olly-olly-oxen-free-7606156"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to ep 074: andrew van ord: olly olly oxen free on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy