Hey guys!
So you know how I was supposed to go on a 4 day fieldtrip with Kilian and a group of college kids? Well that trip is cancelled/ postponed until further notice. Even though this happened, it was a really great day overall.
I accidentally woke up late (6:06) and hurried down to the farm through the rain. The river was still flooded, but it wasn't as bad as yesterday and people just walked through. Everyone was sitting in the outdoor kitchen and getting ready to split into groups and tackle the farm work.
For today's activity I got to castrate and vaccinate some calves with Daniel! It was so exciting. We all pilled into the back of one of the EARTH trucks and drove up to the commercial farm. I had never been that far back before and it was really beautiful. We drove through the forest in the back of the truck. It was like a videogame in the sense that we had to dodge branches, duck at the right times, and hold on when we hit a pothole. It was really fun! The farm was pretty small, only a little bigger than the lecheria, but it had a lot of acreage. There were big fields all around us and you could see some of the mountains in the distance. We hopped out of the truck, pulled out our supplies, and set up shop.
We had to round up calves with a certain number, so Daniel and the other boys lassoed 2 or 3 calves at a time and brought them in to castrate. These calves ran all over the place so it was a little scary at first. They would run away from the person holding the lasso and occasionally run towards you or run into the feeding buckets. The guys had to flip the calves onto their backs and tie them up so we could safely castrate and vaccinate them. I had never seen anything like this before. Daniel, Mau, and all the other students helped me out with the first castration and first set of vaccinations. I was nervous because these calves weren't as docile (or secured) as the pigs. The calves were a lot bigger and even when they were tied down they rolled around and tried to jump up. Castrating them was tougher too. I didn't cut deep enough and my hands were shaking so it only made it harder. Eventually I got the hang of it and castrated a 2 or 3 calves successfully. Vaccinations were pretty easy, I had to give intramuscular for the majority of the time and there was only one subcutaneous shot. You give the intramuscular injections into the neck where it's softer and you do the subcutaneous by pulling some skin around the armpit and injecting it in between the fold.
At the end of our time at the farm I even got to flip a calf! Here's a video of someone calf flipping. They used a different technique than us, we grab the ear with our left hand, the muzzle with our right, and twist the head so the calf loses it's balance and falls to the ground. You want to get the calf on the ground quickly so you can tie up the legs and immobilize it. We were in a small pen and we only had one calf left. This little guy backed himself up into a corner of the fenced in area. His mom was on the other side of the fence, so that was scary. Daniel climbed over the calf and got him into the main area of the pen where I could try and catch him. Now, I just want you all to take a second and picture me, covered in mud, in a small pen, with other people on the ground castrating calves, trying to wrestle a 200lb or so calf to the ground. It was hard and I was nervous about screwing up and hurting someone else, the calf, or myself. Once the calf entered the main area I got a good grip on him and pulled him down to the ground, but I fell back as well and let the calf go. The second time I tried to get the calf he started to run away and head towards the other people. After my second attempt, Daniel helped me get a hold of the calf and told me what to do. I grabbed the ear as hard as I could, wrapped my hand around the muzzle, twisted the head, and pulled the calf down. It was so cool, it was an adrenaline rush that I had never had before. He tried to get up a few times while the boys were tying the legs, but I was not going to let that calf up again. I kept my knee on his neck and held down his chest until he was tied up and ready to be castrated.
After all of the calves were taken care of we sat together, washed our hands, and waited for the truck to come back. I was covered in mud and manure (well I was on the ground trying to hold a calf down, plus the floors where we first castrated weren't clean) and exhausted. We washed our hands and talked a little bit about EARTH and some of the experiences on the farm. Daniel was the only person in our group who speaks english really well, so we talked a lot. He's a senior and plans to work in the USA once he graduates. He already has a few job opportunities lines up, and after seeing him rope calves, teach us how to castrate, and helping me flip a calf, I know he'll succeed in any ag related business in the US. Soon the truck came back and we all piled in the back to start the ride back to the finca pecuaria. We were all tired, but the rain cleared up and we made a game out of dodging branches. Once we got back everyone grabbed their bags and headed back to the campus.
Once I got back to my room I took a quick (but cold) shower and had the rest of the day to relax. I really enjoyed working on the commercial farm with the calves. Daniel was telling me that there'll be a rodeo before I leave and that he'll have a team that will flip calves and do all the other rodeo things. I can't wait to see it! Maybe one day I'll be roping and flipping calves like Daniel and all the other students here at EARTH.
Well, that's it for today guys! Have a good rest of the weekend!
-Allie
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