Cows With A View

We had a delicious lunch at New Penn Angus Farm in Truxton, New York. Talk about a beautiful working farm - they have it! Mr. Carl Hinkle is the owner and his cows have one of the prettiest views you can imagine.

The farm is located along the foothills of a mountain in a valley with pastures so green they almost look fake. Black cows, green grass and blue skies - nothing much prettier.

Our hosts served us a delicious lunch of barbecue beef sandwiches, Great Northern baked beans, pasta salad, green salad and fruit salad, and brownies and cake for dessert. These folks can put on a spread.

We also met one of the oldest Angus breeders in the state. He's been in the business for 71 years and is still sharp as a tack. I had the good fortune to sit next to him at lunch. A humble man, who was so hospitable, it was like talking to your grandaddy. I can see why he's so popular around these parts - you immediately feel like you can trust everything he says and he dispenses wisdom with every word.

Friendly folks, these New Yorkers - not really what I imagined.

This Afternoon

Following a bus ride through some surprisingly rolling hills of southern New York state. We arrive at our next stop - a tour of the Cornell University Teaching and Research facility with Dr. Michael Baker, the beef extension specialist for the state of New York. The facility is nice and he has done some good work on feed conversion for grass-fed beef. Although beef cattle make up the smallest head count for the facility (dairy and sheep have the highest population here) Mark wears jeans and a cowboy hat - he looks like a cattleman - not a sheep herder.

The next stop was a registered Simmentol farm in Groton owned by Ken and Jeanne White. Simme Valley Farm - Oh my goodness what beautiful cattle. Absolutely some of the prettiest cows I've ever seen and nice folks to boot!

Talk about a small world, when I posted a comment about the Simme Valley Farm on my Facebook page, my phone rang a few minutes later. It was my daughter Kellie - she knows Jeanne - they've chatted on the Cattle Board on occasion. Kellie spoke very highly of her - "She knows her stuff," Kellie said.

I agree - all you have to do is look at their farm - she definitely knows her stuff.

We're headed back to the hotel and then dinner. More beautiful cattle tomorrow. On with the adventure!