Farms in Africa

Once again I am writing about another fantastic learning adventure out on our Biology practical, although, sadly, today was our last class. We traveled to a dairy farm to take a tour and examine the different aspects of agriculture and its effects on the environment. The first character I met was, Fred. Fred was a tubby, blonde, English lab who followed us around the entire day. He started with leading us to the beginning tour of the milking room. You could smell this room long before you entered it. We saw the milk machines where they do the testing and sampling for each production. After the technicalities of the process of farming the real fun began as we started viewing the cattle. The baby calves were adorable. I walked from pin to pin sticking my finger to the baby, in hopes they would try to suckle as the farm hand had explained; however, the calves were incredibly fearful and most of them backed up before I even tried to touch them. Only one little calf came towards me and tried to get milk form my finger. His little whiskers and tongue tickled and I let out a giggle, which must have shocked him because he did not come back to my hand after my response. We next loaded into the bed of a truck and drove to see the dairy cows. Halfway down the road Fred came running towards us with as much speed as a fierce warrior. We called to him and encouraged him to keep his chubby legs running and to our utter amazement he did. In fact, his speed was shocking for his stocky body. Eventually we stopped our car but Fred was so exhausted once he caught up that we had to pick him up and load him in the bed. I swear he was panting with a happy grin on his doggy face. We continued and I looked out at scenery that was absolutely breathtaking. Rolling green grass stretched for miles and the overcast sky formed shadows that danced across the hills. Scattered patches of black and white announced their presence with an occasional “Mooooo!” One of the cows was raised by students and was shown for competition so she was very friendly. Her name was 7-Up and she came trotting towards us when we called her, causing her pasture mates to give her a funny expression because she was racing towards the humans who had invaded their grazing space. She was a pushy old lady who was happy to see us, mostly because we brought her some grain. The beef cattle were next. These cows were brown and huddled together under the shade of a giant tree. The mothers were extremely protective of their young and they stood around their babies, staring us down with an intensity that was respectable. We then drove off road and bounced up and down. Wind whipping through my hair and the sun kissing my face, I breathed deep in the glory of God’s creation. We stopped to taste some sugarcane, which we chopped off with a machete. The day ended with a picnic by a large pond. Once again, I had an incredible day viewing the glory of God in nature but today also reminded me a lot of my dad because he has a heart for lost farms and rolling countryside. My heart wishes I could transport my loved ones back home to the beauty of South Africa, so that they can see what I have been blessed to see because a picture can only capture so much. And then I remember that the beauty of the Lord can be found in many places and those I love are experiencing a season that causes the trees to come aflame with vibrant, fiery colors. May you soak up the Autumn scenery that God places around you.
All my love,
Gennavieve