Day 37: More Farms = More Fun

G'day all!

Today was a blast! We went to Debre Zeit again for Hannah to collect chicken weights and me to survey more farmers. We were able to visit 5 farms all before lunch! The farms were unique as always. While waiting at one farm for the owner to arrive, a lady was walking by and started talking to us. She really wanted to show us her family's farm. Her brother was actually plowing a field with a set of oxen at the time. When he got down to our end he asked if we wanted to give it a go. Of course, Hannah and I said yes! Hannah went first and did one row and then I followed doing a row as well. It was harder than I expected. The dirt was still wet from the last rain so it had made it thicker and the oxen wanted to go off to the side rather than straight. But, I completed a row! I have a new found appreciation for farmers who do that constantly. It's a lot of work and it's just part of their lives.

Of course I had to get a picture with the highest producing dairy cow at Azu Dairy Farm. She averages 24 L a day!

I prefer to be called Farmer Kel now. 

This was at Etenash Dairy Farm. The owner only had two milking cows who were both 8 years of age and one calf. After completing my questionnaire I asked to see the cows. The one really big thing that I noticed was the length of the cows' hooves. They were very long which is not healthy especially at these cows age. So, I had the enumerator translate to her that she need to get the hooves trimmed by the vet and more exercise. She said thank you to the advice so I hope that she does! It may seem minor but the little things all add up to the big milk yields.  

So all in all, it was a really fun day! Tomorrow, we are leaving for Debre Birhan. It's about 2 and half hours from Addis Ababa. We will be spending four days out there visiting farms. Dr. Tadelle said he wants us to really understand the farming systems. So, we are going with intentions to just visit and ask questions that come up at the time not with a set questionnaire. It should be cool to see these farms and villages. I hope to have good wifi connectivity at the hotel but I may not be blogging for the next few days. But, I can't wait to tell you all about the trip!

Until next time!