Michigan and Oxen

the young 3-4 month old team they began training for the first time that week!

We went up to Tillers International to take an oxen basics class. (they give a variety of classes all year on all kinds of neat things. For those once again out of the loop, :) read more about them and what they are here http://www.tillersinternational.org) Ben has wanted to take the class for a long time now. So I thought, while we are free this summer, why not broaden our knowledge more! So that is what we did. It was a week long class. The website explains it well,

"This comprehensive class creates skills in driving, training, and yoking in a sequence of hands-on experiences. Enjoy well-trained oxen responding to your voice commands. Learn to select, team, and care for oxen. Use low-stress training to teach calves. Drive teams hitched to various loads, practice field tasks, and try your hand at early shop skills to shape your own small yoke."The class with their yokes

I did not take the class, but was able to tag along, and take lots of pictures. I was able to learn a lot myself. It was all hands-on, and by the end of the week, everyone felt, "You know we can do this, we are doing it already with these calves, it is not too hard."

Ben getting ready to plow

Planning the yokes

drilling the holes in his yoke for the bows

carving out his yoke

The calves, Thomas and Jefferson, so named by the class, had only been taught to walk on a rope and had been with people alot. It was amazing that in one week they could walk through an obsticle course, side by side in their yokes! The first couple times they were taught by themselves then eventually put together

Ben found his twin!!! Jared and Ben were so much alike, in looks and likes and personalities! It was kinda scary!!!

The sheep and donkey, Groovey :) graze the grass. No fences for these guys, except around the gardens

Ben drives Blue and CaesarPlowed this whole field with the oxen the day before and are now disc harrowing it

Saturday they had Moda, Midwest Ox Droves Association festival
Pretty much everyone brought their oxen, showed them off, talked, had competitions etc.
It was pretty neat

Here Paul and Silas give a free ride! It reminded me off Patrick! He would have loved that!

Ben shows off his first pair of oxen. I think we need to make a smaller yoke however.

We also got a one-on-one demonstration of their bees! It was pretty cool