by Cheryl Wylie
I grew up on a beef farm. The herd was small, only about a dozen or so cows and one bull that I could virtually walk under as a child. I often watched them throughout the summers and sat in the pasture with them any time that I could. My weekends were consumed by 4-H and Future Farmers of America, and summer vacation didn’t begin until the County Fair ended in July. It was not always the easiest life, but it truly shaped who I am today.
Who am I today? I am a veterinary technician and the full time caregiver at VINE Sanctuary. Living in the middle of one of five pastures, I am surrounded by and ultimately responsible for the health and care of the cows of VINE. Currently VINE cares for 27 cows ranging from 5 months to 12 years of age. Some of our residents came from cruelty cases; some were pets; some were retired from farms; and others were saved from slaughter by a friend, relative or a stranger who made a personal connection with them. Regardless of their background, they all find their place in the herd and a personal peace that is seldom present at “production-based farms.” On occasion we have welcomed a resident who had more challenges adjusting, but inevitably they find a companion who makes the transition easier.
Cheryl with Norman at VINE (photo: Selena Salfen)
Thankfully—since seven of the steers weigh over a ton!—cows are true herd animals and demonstrate respect towards the older members. They save the pushing and shoving for play. The larger elders also help us by instructing the adolescents in proper cow etiquette. They often can be seen leading a group of younger calves across the pasture to better grass.
The story of Bill and Lou has proven to be far-reaching. The offer from VINE was made in the same spirit that all of our offers are made when we are contacted regarding an animal who needs placement. VINE simply wishes to offer a place for Bill and Lou to live out their lives, however long that may be, in peace and with the opportunity to form new friendships.
Our multiple pastures allow us to ensure that our cattle are not only matched with others whose company they enjoy but also that they are in pastures that best match their physical abilities. Our goal at VINE is to ensure that our residents enjoy their lives. Various “surprise” plants are seeded in the spring in out-of-the-way corners of our pastures to encourage exploration and offer a special taste treat. We have several animals on supplements to help maintain joint health, and we do administer NSAIDs for those who have arthritis or pain associated with past injuries.
We understand that death is inevitable and that cattle do grieve when a herd member is lost, but they also support each other. Members of the herd say their goodbyes and are able to move on. When the time comes that quality of life dictates euthanasia at a sanctuary, the animal dies peacefully in their home, surrounded by things that are comforting and familiar. If that happened for Lou or Bill, the survivor would have the strength and comfort of the herd on which to rely.
If retired to VINE, Lou and Bill will be together, receive veterinary care as needed, and be monitored to ensure their quality of life. We would welcome respectful students, facility and alumni who would wish to visit Bill and Lou in person, and we would be happy to forward photos, video, and updates as possible. VINE would also be happy to update any news sources that have covered the story, lauding the college’s compassionate decision to retire rather than slaughter.
I welcome the chance to answer any questions regarding VINE or my own personal experience. I offered to attend today’s meeting at the college, to provide information about the sanctuary and the life chances of cattle with injuries such as Lou’s, but that offer was refused by the event’s moderator. We understand that the meeting has now been closed to the public.
I hope that the students at the meeting will realize that, for Lou and Bill, this is not an abstract debate. Now is not the time to argue about diet or definitions of “sustainability.” The only question really should be: What is best for Bill and Lou? I ‘m sure that, if they were able to speak for themselves at the meeting, they’d ask to be allowed retire to VINE.
I grew up on a farm. I know that retiring work animals to pasture is a long-standing tradition of kindness in agriculture. I hope that Green Mountain College will generously elect to honor that tradition.
Thank you for writing such an insightful, passionate, but yet sensible and respectful letter. If this doesn’t get students and faculty to rethink Bill’s and Lou’s fate, I don’t know what kind of appeal would.
And to think I used to firmly believe that Green Mountain College was such a special college that truly represented Vermont. Shame on Bill Throop.
As for donations, we have actually suspended our usual fundraising efforts while this controversy rages. We would not like to seem to be in any way seeking to profit from the dire situation in which Lou and Bill find themselves. So, while we always accept donations, we won’t be asking for them until this has been resolved, one way or the other.
Thank you for your beautiful and moving open letter to Green Mountain College. I hope the College will hear you and see Lou and Bill for who they are instead though the blinders of resource management.
Karen Davis, President
United Poultry Concerns
Such a beautiful letter! Thank you for dedicating your talents and compassion to the animals of VINE. I truly hope that you will have the opportunity to update news outlets that the college has made a compassionate and progressive decision for Bill and Lou. The college would be seen as trailblazers to a kinder, wiser world.
“I grew up on a farm. I know that retiring work animals to pasture is a long-standing tradition of kindness in agriculture. I hope that Green Mountain College will generously elect to honor that tradition.”
Any of us who had farming in our families — small farms that by today’s hip and “sustainable” standards, would be model farms — understands that tradition of kindness in agriculture to which you speak, gestures of kindness that were often antidotes to the reality of a grueling existence. There are plenty of modern cases, too, where a farmer, when offered a more compassionate solution for an animal, takes the offer.
That these students and faculty are so theoretically distant from this concept, and so insistent on slaughter as a badge of their honor and courage, makes their endeavor look much more like a dilettante project than the thoughtful and globally-conscious program it purports to be. When did “sustainability” become synonymous with turning a cold shoulder toward the suffering of others? Talk about an oxymoronic designation.
I trust a few GMC students will be encouraged by your humble message to do some soul-searching. Indeed, it’s impossible to know how many hearts and minds you’ve transformed by your unassuming words and your quiet actions — by your practice without preaching.
Because this speaks to the way you live your life, Cheryl, I’d like to quote a comment addressed to Baylee Drown, assistant farm manager of the college’s Cerridwen Farm (see http://james-mcwilliams.com/?p=2408). Jennifer Hane writes: “Genuine love is about making sacrifices for those who can’t repay us. Want to teach your students a positive lesson about love? Try doing something for an animal without ulterior motives, without worrying about whether that animal will be of use to the human race or not. This is the kind of thing that will serve as a good example for your students, not just in their relationships with animals, but in their relationships with each other.”
Thank you for being that good example, Cheryl.
In any event…thank you each and every one on behalf of Bill and Lou. Here’s hoping….
This is why I like this letter, you gave your background and what you think should be done. You have given me a lesson on herd dynamics as well for I have watched Bill and Lou run our herd for the time I have been there. I have now seen them be superseded in power by our younger up and coming team (which does not go along with your observations at VINE). I have great love for these animals and I watch them in pain and it pains me very much. Thats why I feel ok with sending them to slaughter and not to continue their lives in such pain.
As for after their death, this I think is what seems to me has been the base of the online discussion boards. What the student body generally have decided is they would rather eat meat raised locally who have ate nothing but grass for the past 10 years in the dining hall because speaking with the people at the dining service, if they do not get it there, they’ll get it somewhere else. Which from that statement being said, I have spent this last semester helping them find more local meat options because I care about local economies and raising meat humanly and happy. But yes raising meat.
I have very much respect towards the vegan and vegetarian ethic, I am an omnivore and I choose to eat meat only when it is raised by someone I know or a company I trust (like animal welfare approved, google it if you don’t know what that is). I do not try to change your food ethic because I respect your choices, so in return I ask for the same. Going to an environmental college I see the impact of animals in agriculture and in extreme situations it can be really bad for the environment. In small-scale operations, I find it an environmental plus. Having animals on pasture reduces soil erosion, improves soil fertility and shows what I believe to be a healthy relationship between animal and human. All these oxen eat is grass, and every bit off them is a bite of grass. Meat is a nutrient dense food and while humans cannot digest grass, they can digest the things that eat it.
I very much approve of VINE not accepting donation during this time and the fact that they refuse to raise money to buy Bill and Lou, they are not for sale anyway. Although economics have a role in this, they are not the driving factor, if you were to offer ten times of what they were worth in meat, we would say no. Having read the various articles online, this has been quite the education experience for me to have such an interesting ethical debate. Although I have taken into account the different points of view, I have not changed my mind. It is letters like this that make me respect VINE as an organization and I would love to help save animals that are living terrible lives in factory farm conditions, but not humanely raised animal-loving institutions like my college. Thank you Cheryl.
To “Student,” this is not about those who eat meat or those who don’t. This is about the inhumane ending of two oxen who served your organization so faithfully for so many years. If you read and fully understood Cheryl’s letter, you would have reailzed that Bill and Lou would receive the proper care to relieve any discomfort. GMC has chosen not to treat them to make them comfortable since it would ruin their meat. If sent to VINE, they will have a happy, comfortable retirement. You’d no longer have to worry about the pain you see them in.
Older members of the herd always call the shots. Not sure what experience your referring to since GMC doesn’t even own a “herd.” Anyone who manages herds of animals knows how to put the correct personalities together to make the herd work. Cheryl at VINE knows exactly how this works so again, you’d have no worries about them being harmed. VINE knows what’s best for Lou and Bill for more than GMC does. VINE has much more experience with cattle, especially those who are physically/mentally compromised. Please have a change of heart and support Lou and Bill’s retirement to VINE.
Could you start a change.org petition to help this cause? I know I would sign it. I sent a letter, forwarded the response to Karen Davis of UPC since I don’t see your contact information.
Thank you,
Maria
You won’t hear any convincing arguements, because none exist.
Now it’s just a matter of their pride and “sticking to their guns” rather than truly giving Bill and Lou a chance by giving them a stay of execution so that those who make these decisions can discuss this with VINE. Words on paper or computer are nowhere near as good as in person. A decision made in TRUE fairness would include such actions
Well, he lost my vote in the election.
Do the right thing and let them go to VINE! Please.
With that being said, I hope the students and staff at Green Mountain College take this into consideration: The lives of these animals should not be their decision. Although, the decision does fall upon them, the time of life and death should be natural. It should not be one that others make, especially when using the though of what that being is “worth” or its “use.”
Lou & Bill are beautiful creatures, just like you and I. After all, we are all animals, aren’t we? Why not spare compassion to these animals who have done nothing but good for this school. Do you really consider it humane to treat them in disfavor of their own life?
VINE is willing to provide wonderful support, care, and a great future. Isn’t that what life is all about? Living for a greater purpose, for yourself and others, then dying with that in mind? Only one part of that story is standing true. They served Green Mountain with their wishes in mind, but when will their own wish to fully live their life be fulfilled?
Thanks again Cheryl, from Lou & Bill and those who stand true to their lives.
Kailei,
Founder of Empathy For Animals
Who are we if we don’t have compassion
Lyn
In the words of John Dewey “Just as a flower which seems beautifull and has colour but, no perfume, so are the fruitless words of the man who speaks them and does them not”
Respectfully, I hold that killing sentient life when there are other choices not to do so – Does NOT warrant my respect. For me, it would be like honoring a thief because he said “thank you” after I was mugged.
Just like you can’t fraudulently claim to be compassionate while taking innocent life… You can’t claim to have earned “respect” when your choices violate someone else. Bill and Lou are being violated. I do NOT respect actions that are the cause of it. Sorry.
Here’s the timeline:
1. The decision was made, on the basis of inaccurate information provided to the students and liberal arts faculty by the farm manager, who had conceived the idea of the slaughter.
2. Alumni heard about the decision and contacted Green Mountain Animal Defenders, a local animal advocacy organization that has many Green Mountain College alumni as members.
3. GMAD contacted VINE.
4. VINE called Green Mountain College, offering sanctuary, and were rudely refused by the farm manager, who claimed to be speaking for the school.
5. GMAD created a petition.
6. We created an action alert.
7. Many other organizations became aware of the issue and also publicized it.
8. People all over Vermont and all over the world expressed their views. That’s not an attack. It’s an effort to protect not only Bill and Lou but the students and the school from a bad decision based on both false and incomplete information. You have decided to kill two beings. People are trying to stop you from making a terrible and irreversible mistake.
Just one more thing: Once those alumni contacted GMAD, the die was cast. All of this would have played out in exactly the same way no matter which animal sanctuary stepped up to offer Bill and Lou a retirement home. I know that it has become popular at GMC to see VINE as some sort of villains, but we’re the ones who stepped in to try to offer a happy ending to everyone and we remain ready to do that.
Just wanted everyone to know that in the response section of this post-A Decision to Slaughter Oxen at a College Farm Angers Animal-Rights Activists “telescopingyou” commented :
it seems, to some, to wait all these years and just now realize that cows don’t live forever doesn’t make sense. And please don’t kid yourselves. The VINE Sanctuary in Vermont who offered to take the two boys will sell the animals to slaughter and pocket the proceeds. Bank on it.
Lets all respond to this ludicrous statement just in case someone believes him.
Here is the link:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/buildings/a-decision-to-slaughter-oxen-at-a-college-farm-angers-animal-rights-activists/32260
blooded… People who are not compassionate to animals are not compasionate to humans… If you have kids at this school… get them out of that environment… It’s UN Agenda 21
brainwashing….
Mistaking silence for agreement and therefore falsely believing a decision to be unanimous is a hallmark of groupthink. You could look it up.
We have heard from some of these dissenters. I do hope that the school will elect to somehow make it easier for them to express themselves without feeling like traitors.
Here are some antidotes to groupthink: (1) searching out wide-ranging external sources of information; (2) inviting disagreement within the group and seeking input from outsiders likely to disagree with the group; (3) appointing someone to play the devil’s advocate and rewarding them for doing it well; (4) most importantly in a highly cohesive social group like the students of GMC, anonymous voting.
Surely, the Vine Sanctuary would play a reciprocal role with the college, by displaying an information board of the animals history, marketing the college as a forward thinking educational establishment, which values the work they did, rather than the college getting a reputation for being brutal and money orientated.
Also, burgers ? as a nutritionist these are the most unhealthy sources of protein out there. As older animals the meat will be tough and very fatty, so they are planning on feeding students substandard meat, which ultimately does not promote healthy lifestyle. The meat will not be worth eating ! otherwise all our farmers livestock would make old bones !
The college has an opportunity here which could be missed, and they will end up branded. Bad press sticks !!! And in this current internet climate this bad press could go viral, so this college needs to think again, and re-evaluate their decision.
In summary – Launch the hand over to Vine Sanctuary to gain reciprocal marketing, lesson to students about manipulating the commercial market where slaughter is not an option. Therefore reputation saved, animals saved, both organisations promoted positively.