Retiring a team….

[jen judkins]

This is a question that was emailed to me through out DAPNet.org website by Christine H. I thought it was an interesting question and would make for a good discussion.

“I am sure you have heard about the controversy surrounding the planned slaughter of Green Mountain College’s team of oxen. I am an alumni of the school, and I was curious as to what would happen, in the past or now, to a pair of draft animals that could no longer work…are they retired (put out to pasture to live out their lives) or slaughtered. I’ve tried to find this answer online, with no luck, and would like to be able to think about this issue intelligently. (This, as we get ready to slaughter some lambs we have raised for meat over the past months.) Thank you in advance for an answer to my question.”

[Carl Russell]

Unfortunately GMC has used a reference to a notion that oxen are traditionally slaughtered when retired. While this may be true in some areas or historic periods when food was scarce, there is no validity to that assumption.

Individuals make their own decision about how to retire a team. I for one have never felt that my working animals owed me a thing. Some sell their old ones to meat markets, some bury them on the farm.

I think GMC has done a great job at having a community-wide discussion, and their choice may be perfect for the small school. Having financial affluence, like a school might have, does give some people the option to retire animals to the pasture, but since GMC is trying very hard, given the educational restraints, to run a “sustainable” farm, it is entirely reasonable to set an example of how components of a farm must contribute efficiently to the bottom line. Feeding them as pets is certainly an option, and may satisfy a certain bottom line, but most small farms don’t have resources to support that.

I have killed and buried every working animal that I have retired. A respectful burial was my choice. I could also see composting them and adding the nutrients back to the farm, which may be my next solution.

Carl

[Eli]

I remember asking my father what they did with their horses when they got old, he said they didn’t throw away 1800 lbs of meat. My father always spoke highly of their horses and I believe he truly cared for them. The body goes but the spirit lives on. The spirit of his horses lived in every story He told me, just like his spirit lives in my story. I would rather be respected for how I lived than rembered for how I died. Eli

[Baystatetom]

When I was a kid it was made very clear to me that oxen were meat that was going to end up in the freezer some day. I think that is just the old yankee way of not wasting anything. I however still have a hard time with it. I am a hunter and kill all sorts of stuff and it doesn’t bother me in the least. My oxen and I have a connection that I can’t get past though. I’ll still eat them when its time, but somebody else is going to have to pull the trigger.
This whole issue in my mind just comes down to people being disconnected from their food. Most folks don’t give a second thought to a package of meat in the store, but if they spent time with that steer I think they might feel squeamish about it.
~Tom

[Kevin Cunningham]

Tom this is not in direct response to your post, being a hunter, which I think is also a good way to experience food. Fairly recently Joel Salatin came and spoke in our county. There were a lot of points to ponder from his talk, but one stood out and my wife and I and our friends continued to discuss it after the talk, and I think about it often. He spoke of the qualitative difference of food that came from a “servant life.” As opposed to hunting in which we take from a nature that doesn’t give anything directly to us, domesticated farm animals serve a purpose. We keep them for milk, meat, fiber, draft, manure, companionship, beauty, and many other reasons. These animals have allied themselves with humans evolutionarily to such an extant that we are responsible form all the aspects of their lives. They rely on us for feed, shelter, and reproduction and in turn they serve us with unwavering loyalty. Some might argue that animals left to their own devices will go feral and never come back, but I think about wild horses and the many owners of mustangs that swear by them. Now this notion of a “servant life” has religious connotations that I won’t get into here because my own beliefs are too confusing to explain, but what strikes me as important is the concept of farmer as servant. Farmers are stewards of a piece of ground. As opposed to using resources and moving on, good farmers commit to taking care of a single place. I truly believe that a farmer can improve a piece of ground as opposed to simply take from it. So what does this have to do with all this. One of my main beliefs is that we are what we eat, on a very deep level. So food taken from such a loyal servant in my mind can only make us a better servant ourselves. I think it is one of the greatest travesties that we no longer have a deep connection with the food animals we eat. I have not been to that bridge and like Tom I do not know if I could pull the trigger, but when the time comes I will appreciate the gift that my steers offer to me, and I will gladly take them so that I too can be as loyal of a servant as they have been.

[bendube]

Its nice to hear everyone’s thoughts on this issue. I think everyone agrees that it is intensely personal. Relationships with working animals are deeply special, and if butchering an animal at the end of its working life feels like a violation of that, then I think that is too high a price to pay for some hundreds or thousands of lbs of meat. My personal feeling is that it doesn’t.

Carl, with regards to what is “traditional” I agree that it is very much time and space dependent. For the most obvious example: what percentage of cattle working today are in India? I know that during some periods of time in Europe, there have been taboos against eating oxen as well. So to call it “traditional” might be slightly misleading, but we do see what we’re doing as being consistent with the tradition of working cattle that we identify ourselves with.

[Carl Russell]

@bendube 37538 wrote:

…. So to call it “traditional” might be slightly misleading, but we do see what we’re doing as being consistent with the tradition of working cattle that we identify ourselves with.

I did not mean to discount following traditional practices, only that, it’s the way we’ve always done it (to paraphrase the concept of tradition) is not an argument that lends credibility to this type of decision. Especially since there are significant and culturally important aspects, such as broad community democratic discussion supporting the decision, institutional autonomy in regards to curricular exposure, the rights of people to decide how they care for their animals, and having choice about how food is sourced, that I consider to be much more valid arguments.

I hope we can all rise to the occasion with the same respect and understanding that GMC has maintained.

Carl

[Andy Carson]

Personally, I think that debating about if killing and eating your oxen is traditional or not is missing the point. I think the most critical thing to emphasize is that teamsters have the right to make thier own choices when it comes to end-of-life options with reguard to thier animals. They are uniquely qualified for these desiscions because they (and they alone) are close enough to the animals to know 1) if they are in pain, 2) assess thier current and future quality of life, and 3) are familiar with how these animal(s) can serve a purpose at the end of thier lives. I believe that the vast majority of teamsters (and certainly the ones in this example) consider these options carefully and do not make rash judgements. I see it as being no different from when someone who raises beef cattle decides to slaughter one of his/her animals. I think this is the way to present this argument. By including all cattle (indeed all animals) in the discussion, if reminds the general public that organizations such as PETA are against all animal slaughter, not just these. It reminds them that this is a slippery slope that will hit them in the stomach when they can’t buy a bacon cheeseburger.

For me personally, I will definately eat my oxen and/or sell meat. This is, in truth, one of the main reasons I chose to work with oxen instead of horses. The meat is worth a substantial chunk of change, which makes my working animal also livestock animal of substantial value. As a concrete example, I found that keeping horses (for power) and pigs (for meat) was less efficient in many ways than keeping oxen for both. This is a real advantage that oxen have over other animals, but it only reveals itself when you actually slaughter them. Personally, I think that if you are not eating the oxen (or selling the meat) they are not reaching or demonstrating thier greatest potential as complete farm animals. I understand not everyone feels this way, though… I have to admit that I have had people accuse me of being “cruel” for eating animals I know and raised. I couldn’t disagree more. I can ensure that the animals I know have a good life, open fields, fresh grass, a long life, and an opportunity to be of service. Contrast this with the lives of mass produced cattle in feedlots or industrial dairies…

PS. I like bacon cheeseburgers too… 😉

[Howie]

Can anyone give an honest reason why it is any worse to eat an ox than a shrimp or even a watermelon.
You are still taking a life.

Howie

[mink]

bottom line of this oxen team at this college was that it was in the public eye. at ones private farm or homestead it wouldnt be an issue except for the farmer , teamster , or lamb raiser. if a person wants to eat them, bury them or compost them it should only be an issue to the party involved , not all the goody goodys.

[jen judkins]

@mink 37566 wrote:

bottom line of this oxen team at this college was that it was in the public eye. at ones private farm or homestead it wouldnt be an issue except for the farmer , teamster , or lamb raiser. if a person wants to eat them, bury them or compost them it should only be an issue to the party involved , not all the goody goodys.

Mink, I am concerned about your ‘lack of concern’. These VINE and PETA people will use their success with GMC to attack every small farm in america. These people are fanatics with a fair amount of backing and want to eradicate the domestication of any animal. They scare the shit out of me and I think with good reason. Jennifer.

[Oxhill]

This controversy is such a shame. Death is a part of life and will come for us all. Hopefully we will all be allowed to pass without becoming a stepping stool in someones political agenda.

Who is VINE to interject themselves into the situation? This is a very personal decision and one only the school should make. The people who have worked and cared for these animals day after day are more qualified to act on their behalf than anyone else.

Donating the injured ox to VINE would have been the easy way out. It also would have been irresponsible and cruel. Why force an injured ox to endure a frigid winter and frozen ground to indulge VINE’s selfish sensibilities? Does he owe them anything? GMC should be commended for standing by their old friend and taking the responsibility of seeing him through to the end. GMC should be supported in their time of loss rather than attacked and vilified.

As far as the question asked by Christine H. Historically an advantage that oxen had was that they could be eaten in the event of injury and that they increased in value during their working life. An old saying is that “an ox will grow until he is seven and then get big.” Meaning his frame will grow until seven and then he will just put on weight. I think that it is why it was common to work an ox hard from four to around seven or eight and then fatten and sell or butcher them.

I raised an ox for sixteen years from the time I was eight till I was twenty-five. In the end he became arthritic and I had to make a decision about his future. Making him suffer with arthritis through a frigid winter walking on uneven frozen ground was not an option. He was my friend and owed me nothing and I felt it would be selfish to do that to him. Would he be honored most by being euthanized and buried or by being butchered like so many oxen before him? That was a very personal decision. One only I could make. One in which I was supported while I made it. One I guess I should be thankful that I was not threatened, attacked and vilified for. In the end my father walked my friend through the process at the local slaughter house and ensured that he was treated with the respect he deserved. My only regret is that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Thanks again Dad!

[mink]

jenn its not lack of concern, media attention is what made this grow. like you mention you have some lambs you raised , if you take them to the processor and have them cut and wrapped to your liking all is fine . im saying the media attention is what peta and vine thrive upon.i have beef and horses and if i slaughter one or put it down its nobodys’ business but mine. again its my thought that the media attention is what stirred this up not my lack of concern

[Anonymous]

@Jen Judkins 37569 wrote:

Mink, I am concerned about your ‘lack of concern’. These VINE and PETA people will use their success with GMC to attack every small farm in america. These people are fanatics with a fair amount of backing and want to eradicate the domestication of any animal. They scare the shit out of me and I think with good reason. Jennifer.

We all have learned from our draft animals how to be a loving and strong leader, using these lessons to represent what you feel is the right course as the leader will compel others to follow. I used to manage a public farm near GMC and prior to me working there they had an issue with a peta type person stopping the trailer with two beef steers on the way to slaughter, she convinced the farm to trade some artwork for the steers and the only reason it worked was because the organization was scared. I met this same woman while I worked at the farm and we got along surprisingly well because there was no fear from either party despite the fact that I butchered a lot of livestock. Half of my interns were vegetarians when they came to work with me and I supported that. Because my love and respect for the animals came through in my lessons all of my Interns left meat eaters on their own accord.
As long as we represent what we feel is the best and most humane farming practices then the people that surround you will recognize it and they will respect you no matter how radical they are. So dont be afraid of your fellow man just because they dont know you yet.

Jared

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