This is the core of the Animal Husbandry program, where student farmers are given responsibility for the daily animal and poultry chores. Student farmers are introduced to the nature of our various livestock and poultry species including social behavior, eating habits, flight zone, and vision—all contributing factors in low-stress handling for moving them on pasture, as well as when loading and treating them. Responsibilities include daily observation, feeding and care for our beef herd, sheep flock, seasonal pigs, poultry and draft horses.

During their first week on the farm, students pick up a dairy cow from our neighboring farm for school programs and immediately begin the time-honored tradition of daily hand milking. This course covers clean milking practices, safe raw milk handling, care and nutritional requirements for the lactating cow and the process of drying off. This course is congruous with the dairy transformation course.

Over the course of the year, students learn to manage the myriad of factors that effect production in our 100 bird laying flock, herd of Devon mixed-breed beef cattle, flock of Border Leicester sheep as well as seasonal meat birds and pigs. Students will design and build shelters and plan how to meet nutritional needs while engaging in a series of classes covering basic species-specific animal health information regarding gestation, heat cycles, breeding, reproductive complications, birthing, common ailments and their treatments, vaccinations and parasite management. Students also learn how to process the gift that each animal brings to the farm—manure, eggs, meat, wool—in a humane and respectful manner. Compost management and its application in the field is taught and an optional introduction to the slaughterhouse is provided along with instruction on cutting choices. Also, interested student farmers participate in the on-farm processing of poultry, during which staff mentors pass along skills in a carefully guided atmosphere with attention to humane and clean handling and processing.

In a series of classes, students are introduced to the importance of grass in a farm operation. Basic botany, grass and legume identification and overall pasture performance in relation to intensive grazing and haying form the beginning of the class. Students then practice rotational grazing on a daily basis from May through December and are asked to evaluate height and quality of each stand to determine stocking density for each 24 hour period. Additionally, students are taught the theory and benefits of multi-species, successive grazing with our livestock and poultry. Summer brings haymaking—cutting, tedding, raking and baling­—that results in stronger muscles along with a barn full of square bales and haystacks in the fields for winter feeding.

Students are introduced to various types of portable electric and semi-permanent fencing systems. In a formal on-farm class students are taught about species-specific set-ups, voltage, appropriate chargers, sourcing, pricing, safe and effective connections, shorts, trouble shooting, gates, and overall maintenance. Students are asked to design an appropriate fencing system given a set of parameters. Students gain a working familiarity with portable fencing through their management of rotational grazing on the farm.

This course first introduces the fundamentals of safely harnessing, hitching and driving single-horse and two-horse teams. Students learn to drive from the ground and then on a wagon and fore-cart with a focus on clear communication through effective use of the driver’s hands and voice. Over the course of the year, one-on-one instruction in farm work with our experienced team of Belgian workhorses builds skills and confidence. Technical skill development is achieved only through extensive time with your hands on the lines, possible through an independent study working with our team.