Got Milk?

While staying in the coffee district of Colombia, I had the opportunity to stay on a dairy farm, La Serrana, in the rolling hills of Salento, Colombia.

The farm has 10 cows and 2 bulls. While I was there, 7 of the cows had recently had babies and were still nursing. (One even gave birth while I was there -- interestingly, women aren´t allowed to be present at a birth as they believe the mother gets "jealous" and the birth doesn´t go well!) The farm offers guests the opportunity to help to milk these 7 cows each morning. I noticed that not many guests were anxious to hop out of bed at 5am, but I had to give it a try!

Horacio has worked on the farm for 10 years and usually milks the 7 cows alone between 5am and 7am (when the milk truck comes to collect the milk for the day to take to market. However, when an eager guest asks to help, he very patiently gives a demonstration and waits as the newbie takes an hour to get the milk he can get in 10 minutes. It’s humbling!

The morning starts with a lesson. However, watching a professional do something without giving it a second thought, while I’m still trying to wake up isn’t easy:

Next, I give it a try myself.

Getting milk was easier than I thought. But so much more difficult to get milk efficiently. Horacio is able to use two hands at the same time and get so much milk every time. I bumble through with one hand and barely get a stream. After about 45 minutes (when he had finished 3 cows and I was still working on my first), notice the difference in our buckets!

Regardless, with 10 years of experience, like Horacio, I’m sure I’d be a pro. Who knows? Maybe I’ll give it a try. There’s something really relaxing about being awake before sunrise and watching the sun come up while communing with nature!

By 7am we had finished (me: one cow, him: 6) and readied the milk for sale.

Horacio carried our efforts to the road and we loaded up the truck! More work than I ever remember doing before 7am!

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